front lock bolt

[yip]

  i have a problem with the front lock bolt, it won't be centered in the middle of the front end. i plan on a 6/32 bolt for this, do i have a problem?

[Bob Roller]

If the cross bolt was perfectly centered would it interfere with the loading rod?
It's a problem only if you are a perfectionist and allow it to become one.

Bob Roller

[Dphariss]

  i have a problem with the front lock bolt, it won't be centered in the middle of the front end. i plan on a 6/32 bolt for this, do i have a problem?

The rod in the way of the lock bolt can be cured with a scraper you can make from a 5/16" steel rod for a 3/8" hole.
Beat a lip on the end and sharpen it then put enough bend in the rod a few inched back from the cutting edge so it will cut.
You will need to clean the hole as it will pack some chips in front of the scraper in use. I simply sharpen the other end of the rod somewhat like a screw driver bit and use that to loose the chips then dump them out.
It will cure the problem of the lock bolt/rod interference in a few minutes. The one I made is a piece of 5/16" 303 stainless that had a surface finish flaw that I could not use to make a cleaning rod. It took some trial and error and some filing and bends and "unbending" but it will cut a rod hole lower pretty quickly. Rotating a few degrees will enlarge the diameter of the cut to accommodate rods larger than 5/16". Made this to cure a problem with a pre-carved longer ago than I like to think about. Some others in our Gunmakers Guild have found this helpful at times.

Dan

[flehto]

Hi.... the 1/16" thick web determines  where the #6-32 front lock bolt is located....rarely if ever has the bolt been located in the center of the lock "nose" on any of my builds.   Using a #6-32 front lock  bolt w/ a 1/16" web mandates a shallow  groove be filed in the bbl and  an accurately drilled hole to prevent the bolt interfering w/ the RR hole. Besides, the frizzen spring kinda hides the bolt hole.

Depending on the lock used w/ the BCs and Lancasters, the TH liner is usually high up on the bbl side flat as shown in the pics.......Fred

[Ken G]

Nifty scraper Dan.  Thanks for sharing the pics.

Ken

[yip]

  Fred; i believe the lock is a little high at the nose, the lock bolster is parallel to the center of the barrel, can't understand!

[Scota4570]

Maybe try using a picture of the lock, from a track catalog, to experiment with the best position on the stock.  I center the front bolt in the stock web being careful not to interfere with the ramrod channel.  I do not care if the bolt is centered in the lock plate. A goofie looking lock placement is much worse than a non centered lock bolt to my eye.     

[flehto]

Yip....mark in the web at the front lock nose and then place the lock plate  so the "tail is centered w/ the wrist....there is some leeway w/ both ends of the lock plate. The bottom of the lockplate although curved should appear to be parallel w/ the bottom of the stock. The lockplate "tail" can be below the center of the wrist.....look at my pics.  The top of the pan should allow enough space for the TH  liner....Fred

[yip]

   Fred; went for broke and drilled the hole and everything looks good just a wee bit high but ain't bad.  thanks for the advise!

[Mark Elliott]

If the cross bolt was perfectly centered would it interfere with the loading rod?
It's a problem only if you are a perfectionist and allow it to become one.

Bob Roller

Being a recovering perfectionist,  I really like this answer.

[yip]

 i have the curse of over thinking things, sometimes it ain't bad but other times its a pain.

[heinz]

The real purpose of the frizzen spring is to cover up where the front cross bolt is. :-)

[jrb]

Dan, Thanks !, for taking the time to take pics and posting of your scraper.

[EC121]

  Fred; i believe the lock is a little high at the nose, the lock bolster is parallel to the center of the barrel, can't understand!

For the tail of the lock to follow the flow of the wrist the tail must be lower than the nose.  If a lock is inlet straight(parallel to the barrel), you get a humpbacked wrist on the stock.  The Chambers Dale Johnson lock has the tail lowered 1/8" to allow for that.  They actually cut a Siler lockplate somewhere in the middle and bent it down to make the pattern for the Dale Johnson.