Small Siler Flintlock

Just curious about the small Siler flintlock,thinking of using one on a 45 cal southern style rifle,any disadvantages to these as opposed to the large version

 

[Birddog6]

Nothing, other than looks. I feel a late Ketland or a modified late Ketland is a more fitting lock for a southern rifle.

 

[Vaino]

What Birddog6 said and I used one w/ a 7/8" straight bbl and the LR never looked right because of too small a lock.....Fred

 

[rich pierce]

Agree the Late Ketland is THE lock for southern mountain rifles post 1800 which almost never had Germanic styled locks.

 

[J.D.]

I have to agree with all above, and only post to reassure you that the Chambers Late Ketland is at least as good as the small Siler.

God bless

 

Thanks for the info all.....basically what I am asking is the small Siler a dependable lock,do they spark good?

 

[bioprof]

They are good sparkers, but I think that the small Siler is a little more particular about the flint length. I had a problem one time with mine when the flint wasn't long enough and the frizzen wasn't opening properly.

 

[Birddog6]

I only have one small Siler & it sparks good. I had L.C.Rice build it for me. Was going to use it on a pistol but then decided to use it on a youth rifle. Haven't finished the rifle yet but it is In-The-White & I have shot it about 50 shots & had no missfires.

:thumbsup:

 

[Vaino]

The small Siler I used was very touchy w/ too short a flint length resulting in a failure of the frizzen to toggle over after a couple of knappings. Solved the problem by grinding a "hump" on the frizzen spring at the point that when the frizzen was open at 30 degrees, the frizzen toe was on the "hump". The problem originates w/ the half cock position not being back far enough and allowing a longer flint. This was an old Siler....possibly the Chambers version has been corrected. After the "hump" was ground on, the lock performed flawlessly...Fred

 

[rich pierce]

They spark well. If they didn't, Chambers would not sell them.

 

[Stophel]

The Small Siler can be TOO small. It can be very difficult to get everything to line up correctly, particularly the barrel and rod channel spacing.

 

[B Shipman]

No period has been specified. Early Southern guns often had Germanic locks. The late Ketland is the ticket for later rifles. I dodn't think the small Siler is too small for even a 1 in. breech barrel. Here's a bench copy of a Schroyer with a 1 in. breech. George's gun has a lock of identical size. It's a small Siler on mine.

 

Thanks B Shipman....nice rifles.....

 

[LRB]

Looks good to me. The only problem I have had, is the only one I ever used had the half cock in such a position, that the frizzen would not clear the flint in closing. I corrected that, but are they still made that way?

 

[rich pierce]

I had the same problem way back in the 70's. Chambers re-designed the tumbler etc for better performance and no more clearance problems. My understanding is that the Chambers Late Ketland and small Siler now share the same guts.

 

[B Shipman]

Rich, the late Ketland and the LARGE Siler share the same guts but with refined geometry same as the deluxe Siler or Golden Age lock.
The small Siler still requires a short flint at half cock.Also there is very little room for a forward lock bolt. It's a fast lock but a bit of a pain. I use it when I have to. In the above example, it just matched the original with modification.