French Fowler Question

[kutter]

Can you pin the guard through the lock inlet? Do it blind so the pin doesn't show out the sideplate side.
A small right angle tip on the pin still allows removal should it ever be necessary.

To mimic the screw attachment necessary for the period build,,drill & countersink the guard tang in the right spot and soft solder a proper screw head (only) into position.

Now it's pinned in place,,but looks like it's held in place with a screw in front of the bow.

[rich pierce]

Kutter, cool idea but some yahoo like me would forget he soldered it in there and try to unscrew it, then when it popped out would think the guard was free and forgetting about the pin, throw out his back trying to remove the guard.      I shy away from fixes that are confusing or require recollection or special knowledge.  I had a rifle with too thin a web at the front lock bolt location.  Figured I could just file a nice half round notch in the lock bolt and the ramrod would slide right in.  Right-O!  However when unscrewing the lockbolt with the rammer in place, I encountered unusual resistance.  Proceeding with usual force, I managed to gnaw off half the thickness of the ramrod.  Doh! 

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

i did a repair on a FDC where the front screw was buggered, and stripped in the wood.  I silver soldered a lug on the guard, and pinned it blind inside the lock mortise.  I repaired the head of the screw, and riveted the inside so the screw would turn easily.  Then, down the road, someone trying to turn out the screw just got one that revolved, but nothing happened.  But no damage, and eventually, hopefully they'll figure it out.

[Keb]

An old tool & die practice is to never use a blind screw... never ever.
If I was gonna use a dummy screw, I'd just use a machine screw and tap the trigger guard so the screw mounts to the guard & holds nothing. It'd screw out easily and the user would know to look for a pin. He'd probably already have noticed the pin when the lock was out anyway.

[kutter]

"An old tool & die practice is to never use a blind screw... never ever."

You're a gun maker/builder now,,you do what's needed!
There's more than a few sideplates that have a phony screw at the front end of it to make up for a ramrod elevation problem.

Part or the charm of the old things...it comes from being built one at a time and overcoming a problem here and there..

Of course in either case you could just leave them off entirely,,they're just for looks now.
But trying to replicate a certain style and at the same time overcome a 'problem' sometimes calls for a bit of slight of hand.
The rivited head idea is nice as it still turns and sooner or later the dis-assembler gets the message that something is different when it doesn't go anywhere.

[JDK]

There's more than a few sideplates that have a phony screw at the front end of it to make up for a ramrod elevation problem.

Having limited experience taking apart original guns I don't know.  Are there originals made that incorporate this feature or is this a 20th century work around?

Enjoy, J.D.

[Keb]

Having limited experience taking apart original guns I don't know.

I've none but I had to make one like that because a fella down Mississippi way put a screw in very wrong. I sold the gun and told the new owner what happened and the work around. :/