Hemo's wheellock rifle

[Hemo]

(This topic started out as a reply to Tenn Hill Guy's question about a trigger for a wheellock pistol, and was separated as a new topic.)

I made a wheellock rifle a couple of years back, using modified double set triggers.

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My wheellock rifle was made from a european walnut blank from Dunlap's, a 34" 58 caliber Rice swamped barrel, German wheellock, assembled but unfinished, from The Rifle Shoppe, modified Davis double set triggers. Ramrod pipes and rear sight were castings from TOW. Everything else I made myself. Buttplate, triggerguard, sideplate, and nosecap were all made from sheet steel picked up from the local hardware store.





The design is based on four rifles by Elias Schintzel of Berlin, as pictured and described in Shumway's book "Jaeger Rifles", plus a few details of my own.

Here's a pic of the internals of the lock, as received from TRS.

[URL=http://s1242.photobucket.com/user/hemorad/media/Wheelockrear.jpg.html]

And the outside, as recieved. (Oddly, the lock came with a big musket flint installed instead of a pyrite. Flint obviously didn't work!) The lock was cast from an original, and had some nice cast engraving, but the surface was very wavy and irregular, and I ended up drawfiling it flat and re-engraving it with my own design. I retained the original design just behind the wheel cover.



As for progress pics of this build, I think you can click on any of my images and get into my Photobucket file showing the stages of construction. If not, let me know, I can post some more pics if you want. (Photobucket file also contains some unrelated guns I've made or restored.)


Gregg

[Acer Saccharum]

New topic made, and edited for clarity. Hemo, you may go into the above post and edit to your liking.

[Hemo]

Acer, thanks for setting this apart as a separate topic, even though this doesn't exactly qualify as an American Longrifle!

Gregg

[WKevinD]

Greg,
Even though this is not a "longrifle" it is a superb build that deserves recognition as such.
Well done. Thanks for sharing.
Kevin

[Tenn Hills Guy]

Interestingly, my homemade Lauber lock only works with flint.  How did you finish the wheel? I have several types of pyrites ....without much luck.  I hardened mine in Casenite and drew to pale blue, mainly out of frustration!  Nice engraving, too.   All in all, you created a beautiful piece.  And how does she shoot?  Bill

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

You likely tempered your wheel too far...dark straw is all that you needed.  You've taken yours to spring temper, I think.

I made a Lauber lock, with two wheels:  a serrated one for pyrites, and a smooth one for fling. Both work well.  Mine are of tool steel hardened and tempered.

[Hemo]

The wheel on my lock was smooth, with circumferential grooves, and came case hardened with the assembled lock. The big musket flint that came with it didn't work mainly because it was too wide to touch the wheel! I never actually tried a smaller flint. I got some big square shiny pyrite blocks from E-bay and cut them down to littler squares (as you can see in my picture), but sparks were a little iffy. I took the wheel and cut transverse serrations at intervals around the wheel with a Dremel cutoff disk, copying the originals, which I think did improve the number of sparks. I also re-casehardened the wheel in Cherry Red powder.

I'd love to report that this gun shoots like a jewel, but in fact the ignition still stinks (using my cut pyrites). I can only get the pan to ignite on about one out of four or five tries at best. I was so disappointed with my first experience at the range that it pretty well put me off wheellock shooting. I never really got it sighted in or a load worked up. (It looks nice on the wall, though!)

I don't know if the problem is the pyrite I'm using or something else. I sort of  suspect the spring on the pyrite arm may be a little weak, not pressing the pyrite firmly enough onto the wheel, but I haven't had the nerve to heat it up and bend it for more compression. I'm certainly open to suggestions. (If I spoke Polish, I'd give Razpla a call.)
D. Taylor, it sounds like you've had good success. Do you have any magic cures for me?

Thanks all,

Gregg

[Tenn Hills Guy]

That was one of my other 'tweaks': stiffening the dog spring.  I re- tempered to where now it takes a good bit of force to lift it off the wheel. I would suggest trying to use thumb pressure, or more, on the dog and try getting a spark.  I'd have to guess the design of that lock was not just for appearance but required a great deal of force on the dog.  I found the force increase doesn't decrease the turn of the wheel.  I get 3/4+. You might even try knapping that flint down with pliers and get just a small enough piece the width of the wheel.  That's such a beauty, I'd love for you to get 'er done!  I've started a scratch build for a much larger lock.  The Lauber is just too fiddly with its small size.  I too, cut small cross slots, in my wheel.  I've also found the sand dollar pyrites work better than the porous, or the cube type.

[Hemo]

I've never seen the "sand dollar" type pyrites. Where do you get them?

I've also made, but haven't actually shot yet, a modern cheat--a little block of hardwood with a hole drilled to hold a round striker flint from a torch lighter.  (Can't remember the name of that striker material.)  It does make sparks, but not obviously more than the pyrite I've been using.

I may have to take a deep breath, heat up that dog spring, and spread it a bit.

Hemo

[Tenn Hills Guy]

 Yea, I've done the sparker/block too, with some results.  We're re-discovering 500 year old technology here so don't get discouraged. Also, try burying a dish rag at midnight.......I'm sure there's some Black Magic at work! Look at ebay for 'dollar pyrite', there were a bunch on there the other day, mostly from Illinois.  I expect the best way to cut one up is with a tile wet saw.  Though, I've scored with a dremel cutoff wheel and broke it.  I guess there are several forces at work, wheel hardness and the specific reaction with the flint, pyrite etc., dog spring tension, Mainspring force.  I re-read one of Razpla's threads here and he uses truck spring steel.  The heaviest I have is from Dixie Gun Works.  For example, mine won't kick open the pan cover.  I'm thinking from what you say, that dog spring is a good start point!  If you have some steel, might be better to make a spare first and try before messing up your neat filing!

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I didn't have much success with pyrite either, even with the serrated wheel.  The smooth wheel and flint works very well.  I shaped the flint so that when the dog is down, the flint rides on the wheel.  It works the same if I rest the flint on the pan cover, and allow the lock to function properly, but I don't like the scratches the flint makes in the polished pan cover, so I just leave it open mostly.  My wheel makes about 5/8 of a rotation, but it is instantanious and sparks every time.  I would say that ignition is faster than with a flintlock, there is almost no jar or movement from the action of pulling the trigger whose pull is mere ounces, and the firearm is very accurate.  It's original owner, my late friend Peter Nicholson was able to 'ace' several pistol courses with it.  Departing from the original design, I used a piece of .40 cal rifled Bauska barrel with a 1:48" twist.  The pressure of the flint against the wheel is solid but not particularly strong.

I think you should persevere with your lock, and get it working well, because shooting a wheellock is a lot of fun, and very gratifying.

[Hemo]

Tenn Hills Guy wrote:

"I'm thinking from what you say, that dog spring is a good start point!  If you have some steel, might be better to make a spare first and try before messing up your neat filing!"

Actually, the neat filing was already in the cast spring from TRS, though I'd love to take credit for it. I think I may give TRS a call and see if they have a dog spring in stock I can play with.

I did find some pieces of sand dollar pyrite on Ebay and put in a bid. We'll see how that goes.

DTS, that's a fine wheellock! I wish I had your metalworking skills and wouldn't have to depend on TRS.

[Acer Saccharum]

Don't forget Razpla's posts on building a wheel lock. He's Bolek on facebook, where he has amassed a fountain of photos. https://www.facebook.com/bolek.maciaszczyk?fref=ts

[Tenn Hills Guy]

I have read about everything I could find on wheellocks trying to learn.  I seem to recall Razpla stating he had built 10 or more before he got the the process correct.  One of the few references to anything pertaining to construction talked of some having two pyrites on a swivel fashioned dog owing to the fact the spring bore down so hard it wore the pyrite down.  That lead me to rework my spring.  I'd love to see enough fellows get into them to try and develop some good qualitative data.  While not, perhaps, 'American',  I'm reminded of the Mayflower wheellock so I think they have some place in our history.  Hemo, that piece is so nice I think I'm going to try and convince the wife I'd save so much time to work on her 'do' list If I'd buy the lock............
D. Taylor: That is a great looking finish!  I'm getting close, and looking forward to the first shot.   I'm using a 30 cal smooth bore brass barrel for mine.