54ball
62 Cal.
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2004
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I built a nice Gillespie rifle a few years ago and I had a choice if a Chambers late Ketland or a Davis Common.I'm picking up 3 barrels at the Carlisle show in a couple of weeks.
The one barrel I ordered is a 37" Edward Marshall profile barrel in 58.
I plan to build a gun to sell, with large features, a wide butt, and guard.
The lock has me held up.
I will not use L&R, there's nothing there that catches my eye plus I just don't care for them.
Chambers makes the Early Germanic but they just don't have the profile I care for, I could alter it but I'd rather not.
I have considered the Siler gun builders lock with the big square plate you can cut out and shape yourself, but I feel the other components are too small. Plus I don't like how narrow the bolster is, it doesn't kick the lock far enough away from the barrel to give it a nice robust lock molding on the side of the gun.
On my personal hunting gun I used a Davis Colonial and I absolutely love it, the profile, the function, it's great. It has a very wide bolster allowing nice form and mould around the panels of the gun.
Here is the problem, while Track sells them for $225, they aren't ready to go. At least mine wasn't.
With mine the cock screw threads didn't align with the tapped threads on the flintcock. Almost like trying to use metric to standard, it would bind on the threads rather than clamp a flint. I call Larry Zornes and sent it back to Mould & Gun Shop and they fixed it. Shipping was about $20 but they replaced the screw and the upper flint jaw no charge.
Next issue, the tumbler notch for full cock was fairly deep requiring a heavy pull, I took it to Allen Martin and he used his jewelers files or stones I forget what he called em, to make the full cock notch less drastic. (I don't have jewelers files for hardened steel) so I pitched him $40 for the help.
Once the gun was built I shot it, oh maybe 50 times and it quit sparking. Like done, nothing. New flint, knapped flint, it was very unreliable.
I ended up taking it down to Brad Emig. He didn't have much care for the locks, so he said.
He did work it over, by messing with hardness of frizzen spring, and some other things I can't remember what all, I'd have to look at the bill, but it was $120 plus the drive 1¼ drive down and back twice.
So that darn lock cost me $225+$20+$40+$120=$405 and the running around.
Call me crazy but at least I know what I'm up against if I buy another.
I keep looking at all these options in locks and I just don't see anything that suit me but everytime I look at the Davis Colonial, I really think, that's the one! I am tempted to buy another one, maybe it'll be better than the first, one can hope.
Maybe it'll just be the cost of having what I want on this gun.
What has your experiences been with RE Davis locks? I've read a # of Forums on them. They seem hit or miss.
Now before I end this long winded post, another lock I like similar in look is the A. TVLLE lock that track sells, however they had some changed made in the internal parts which I've been told by several people they aren't what the older ones were.
I'll upload a post of my lock on my 58 and locks on original guns that I like for an early gun maybe what you'd call transitional piece.
Germanic, with large features, yet shaped beautifully in all the right places.
Sorry I feel like at times on these topics I'm a little all over the board with my thoughts but you get the jist.
I guess I am asking opinions and options.
Thanks
I chose the Davis because to me it fit the “look” better.
Oh how I wish I had chose the Ketland.
Now this pretty nice rifle has a mediocre at best lock.
It might shoot....
It might not.
I really regret using that Davis.
