lock tweaking question

[Sean]

I have a Davis common lock that I am about to inlet and the cock stop does not quite make it down to the plate when at rest. If I wanted to try to fix this and get it to hit both there and the bridle at the same time, would I be considered nuts or just anal?  Should I just take a tiny bit of material off the bridle stop where the sear contacts it? 

Sean

[northmn]

Before you get too excited about tweaking, how does it spark and where do the sparks go.  You can always tune a lot after the gun is made.  If it works good you may not want to fix it.

DP

[smart dog]

Hi Sean,
I have done this quite often.  It is good to have the cock hit the plate and the tumbler hit the bridle at the same time.  However, you have to be careful how you tweak the lock.  You can add welded steel to the cock shoulder, take a little off the bridle or take a little off the back of the tumbler.  If you do the latter 2 things, be very careful to make sure the toe of the tumbler does not drop below the lockplate.  Usually on big locks you will have plenty of wiggle room check it to make sure.  If that is going to happen then you have no choice but to add steel to the cock.  But there again be careful because you don't want to dramatically change the angle between the jaws of the cock at rest and the pan.  If it looks like you will change things a lot if you fiddle with the lock, I would just leave it alone.  Big locks usually have big strong bridles and screws.

dave

[Pete G.]

If it ain't broke...don't fix it.

[Jim Chambers]

You definitely want to fix this.  I check all of our locks before they go out to make sure the cock stops on the top of the plate just before or at the same time as the tumbler stops on the bridle.  If the tumbler hits the bridle before the cock hits the plate it will put undue stress on the internal parts.  When I find one that needs fixing I simply remove the bridle and file a little off where the tumbler hit it.  It usually doesn't much to correct this.  You can remove the bridle and check the location of the tumbler toe when the cock is stopped on the plate to make sure the tumbler toe does not move below the bottom of the lock plate.

[Sean]

Thanks to all of you.

Sean