Bolster thickness on a percussion lock

[whitebear]

I recently ordered a "Squirrel Lock" from Track and found that the lock plate thickness is .129 and the thickness at the bolster is .220 which means that the bolster is only .091 thick.  Is this thick enough to support the drum or do I need to add some metal to make it thicker?

[Bob Roller]

 I would not worry about the thickness of the lock plate. .220 is fine.The wall thickness of the barrel is the consideration here.Will it hold threads,preferably fine threads? Care must be taken to assure the drum IS supported by the plate when the rifle is finished and must be incorporated as the build progresses.
The bolster is part of the plate casting so the two dimensions are common to all such locks. Mine are
usually .130 and a bolster of .250 on most caplocks.

Bob Roller

[Levy]

I have a couple of old original squirrel rifles that seem to have thin bolsters (probably were cheap locks) and the builders didn't inlet them all the way to the barrel, which is problematic.  After all these years, the wood between the bolster and the barrel has burned out allowing the corrosive gases to go down between the barrel and the bolster and rust the inner workings of the locks.  While there is less chance of that today with modern caps, I still think it is wise to inlet the bolster all the way to the barrel.

James Levy

[Don Getz]

Whitey.........not a problem, that lock bolt should go thru the lock plate and bolster.  Just make sure that the  bolster is
supporting the drum...........Don