Primary/Secondary Sears

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

This thread is born out of the Scottish pistol build, and the threads involving wheellock construction.  I used Lauber's book "How to build your own wheellock-rifle or pistol".  And the drawing is copied directly from the book.  It shows the arrangement very well.  The photos are of the lock I made using his drawings and text.  The second lock picture doesn't pertain directly to the sear arrangement...it's looking up into the chain, axle, and bridle area, but it's neat.
You can see both in the drawing and in the photo, that there is a double leaf light spring that pushes outward against the main sear, and inward against the smaller sear.  I made it out of hacksaw blade steel.

[smart dog]

Hi Taylor,
I always like seeing pictures of that lock.  Your finishing work is meticulous.  It is curious that one of the ways the English simplified the snaphaunce was to eliminate the secondary sear and combine it with the primary sear.  I attached a photo showing this.  It makes for creep and a pretty hefty pull to disengage the lug holding back the cock.  The high pinning of the trigger ameliorates that pull a little bit.  It is always amazing to me that in as little as 75 years, the British gunsmiths went from primitive locks to making the finest locks in the world.

dave

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Don't ya just love this stuff!!  Thanks for those great pictures.

[Daryl]

That wheellock is too clean - needs some nice black moly grease in there. That snaphaunce could use some too.  I find that an application on the bearing points of my flint locks is good for about 1 year.

That's one year of shooting many times, toothbrushing off the fouling in water, then wiping, air compressor blowing, then spraying,/dousing/basting off the moisture with copious amounts of WD40, shaking, blowing some agin, wiping and re-attached to the rifle.  The birchwood casey moly grease I've ben using does not disapprear with simple cleaning.

Wonderful lube for all locks.

[Metalshaper]

THANKS!!  the visual was great!

Respect Always
Metalshaper/Jonathan

[Rasch Chronicles]

I bet you they used whale oil back in the day...

Best Regards,
Albert “Afghanus” Rasch
Albert A Rasch In Afghanistan

[Jim Kibler]

  It is always amazing to me that in as little as 75 years, the British gunsmiths went from primitive locks to making the finest locks in the world.

dave

If not for the French, English gunmaking may never have developed well.

[smart dog]

Hi Jim,
That is certainly true to some extent.  When the Louis 14 revoked the edit of Nantes many of the Hugenots (many of which were great craftsmen) migrated to England, particularly after Charles II came to power, and they probably pushed the English makers to a higher level.  But English makers already demonstrated a high level of skill before the migration.  Look at the snaphaunce by Steven Russell sent as a gift to Phillip of Spain and some of the guns made during the 16th century.  I think the English Civil War played the key role in retarding English makers during the first half of the 17th century.  I think the foreign immigrants accentuated the point but I think the war was the key event.  I think they improved so fast because they had a lot of native talent that just needed to express their capabilities.  They got that chance after Cromwell died and the King was restored.

dave