Forward flared lock panels

[mountainman70]

Hi y'all,sitting here on the mountain,watching the snow blow around,cooking a pizza ,and visiting you guys.I acquired a preshape a while back,and I noticed the lock panel area was tapered to the front of stock.I have seen them tapered toward butt,and was wondering about this.I am wanting to build a late flinter from this as I aint got the inclination to build any cap busters for a while.Stock is cherry,and enough wood to do about anything in reason.Thought about a southern gun,but have enough silver hardware to make this.Whatta ya think?I can rasp it down equal,no prob.Stay warm.Thanks,Dave

[Don Stith]

I know I am dense sometimes, buy have no clue whether the lock panels on your stock are wider in the front ,closest to muzzle,or wider in the rear. Please clarify

[mountainman70]

Don,the panels are noticeably and measureably wider at the front end of the panel both sides-,and narrowing to the rear/wrist.I have seen some early l/rs that are the other way.-tail of lock angled away from rear of barrel.Does this hep any?thnx,Dave

[E.vonAschwege]

Hey Dave,
    I haven't studied much in the way of late flintlock American guns, but lots of late English shotguns had lock panels that tapered widest at the front and narrow into the wrist.  These also had cut away breech sections and fancy locks built for such things, not found on most American arms.  Most precarved stocks I've seen have tons of extra wood around the lock panels, you may be able to lay in a lock and make parallel lock panels - if you can, I'd go for that option.  

[Acer Saccharum]

Have you got enough wood to make some changes?

Double barrel shotguns are often wider at the nose of the lock, than at the tail, for a slimming effect at the wrist.

I think this would be odd in a rifle. You want wrist strength and proportion.

You have a straight barrel or a swamped one?

You can file the bolster on the lock to make it parallel with the bore. Or file it enuff to tip the tail of the lock out.

[mountainman70]

It is peculiar.This is an older precarve,aint no tellin what was  planned for it.My barrel is straight,I am most likely going to work the panels parallel.I have a nice original silver buttplate,and everthing else to buid it,patchbox of my own design-copied from another rifle I have.Lock is a l&r Bailes.Acer-you guys chin deep in snow up there?Thnx,Dave

[Stophel]

Seems to have been a 19th century English thing where the lock panels are backwards, and narrower at the rear than at the front.  Frankly, not a good look, in my opinion...    If I'm not mistaken, Hawken rifles and other mid- to late- 19th century guns were done similarly.

Without seeing it, I would imagine that your lock panel thickness is rather oversize anyway, and you can plane it down wherever it needs to be.  With a straight barrel, your lock panels are going to also be pretty much straight (unless your lock bolster has some flare in it), and NARROW.

[Don Stith]

Late Hawken plains rifles do have the wider dimension at the front
 Good to see you back posting Chris

[smart dog]

Hi,
I've handled a number of late percussion era guns, mostly English or English-like, with the lock panels narrowing toward the butt.  My sense of it, largely based on shooting my own English muzzleloading shotgun (my bird gun), is that it allows the wrist to be more oval in cross section; hence improving your grip on the stock.  Imagine handling an axe or maul with a round handle versus a typical oval one.  Which would you prefer? 

dave

[mountainman70]

On a longrifle,would it make that much difference?Dave

[Bob Roller]

The moulds for the Bailes lock that I made for a long time produced a lock plate
that put the TAIL end of the lock out due to the tapered bolster of the plate.
I always milled it off to give a parallel bolster for use on pistols.Most of these
went to Germany in the 1980's.
As cast and used unaltered this would give a wider flair to the stock in the lock
panels.

Bob Roller

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I don't know what your want to build.  I don't know the dimension (across the flats) of your barrel.  So this advice may be of no use to you.

Inlet the lock until it touches its bolster against the side flat of the barrel.  Shave off everything on the panel that is above the plate, and if it's a beveled plate, down to the bevels too.  Make your off panel to match the lock side.  Now see if there is any taper to the wood.
During all of this maintain centre lines top and bottom on the wood.  Make sure the lock is inlet perpendicular to the barrel (square)

[mountainman70]

Thanks to all who responded.I got this stock with another maple precarve in Hawken configuration,and other hawken type parts,so I imagine this stock is a hawken type also.As I stated,there is enough meat to make anything within reason,so a smaller l/r with a 7/8 barrel is in the offing.Got enough heavy halfstocks for now.
I appreciate each of your input.Best regards,Dave