Lock nails shooting loose....

[Roger Fisher]

My ol durs egg has a habit of behaving for around 15 or such shots then the lock bolts frt and rear start  backing out and in turn the lower bridle screw backs out and (still more) the ol girl falls out of full draw.  Disconcerting at the very least.

I must fix this and am getting tired of retightening the lock nails and Murphy's law says I will forget...

Best way to fix???  What do you lock builders suggest?  I'm thinking of lock tight on that sear screw (threads) We are aware that overtightening that sear screw jams the sear!!     Ever run into this problem?   The ol gal has a lot of shots thru her.  She has the 10 in the rear and the 8 in the front!

[rdillon]

Stop shooting so much powder!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reduce the powder charge and your lock won't come loose

[Acer Saccharum]

Roger, I hate that sear screw binding problem so much.

To fix this, I make my own sear screws with a long body section, so that I can crank it down tight before the sear binds. If there is too much screw sticking up, run it into a die and cut a little more thread on the screw. Try again until you get the fit you like. cut off any excess on the outside of the plate.

It's possible Jim Chambers has some screws with a long body. Good to have a few on hand in different lengths.

Tom

[Acer Saccharum]

I am not sure what the problem is with the locknails. Is the lock able to jiggle around in the inlet?

Maybe the threads are a poor fit in the plate, like, the screws themselves are threaded undersized, or the plate tappings are oversized.

You can run a little soft solder on the threads, and that will fix it for a while. You will have to re-do the solder every so often.

Tom

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I often see other shooters carrying their rifles along the trail, with the sear screw obviously backed out so that there appears to be a hole where it used to be.  Some folks aren't diligent about maintaining their locks, or don't know what can and does go sideways with them.
On L & R locks, the bridle screws can be tightened down hard, but the screw screw needs to be lengthened by taking steel off the inside of the head.  You can do this in a drill press at high speed with a safe edged fine file.  Their screws are 6 x 40.

[J. Talbert]

Ideally, all the screws in question should be able to be tightned to a friction fit that will keep them where they belong and not put anything in a bind.  However I have seen rifles where that's not the case.

On some locks, the threads on the the sear screw are cut to far up the shaft, such that if you were to tigthen the screw all the way down, it will bend the bridle arm and bind the sear.  This problem can be fixed with a new properly threaded screw.

Likewise, on some rifles, tightening the lock nails can shift the position of the lock in its mortice and cause problems.  This may be able to be fixed by carefully gluing some shims in the appropriate places within the mortice.

A simpler, but possibly more problematic cause could simply be holes that are too big for the screws.  New oversized screws might remedy that.

And then there's Loctite...

Jeff

PS: Looks like a lot of answers all at once.. sorry for any repetition.

[Roger Fisher]

Thanks again - So much to do and so little time,..

[rich pierce]

Blue loctite.  looks bad, works great.

[Roger Fisher]

I often see other shooters carrying their rifles along the trail, with the sear screw obviously backed out so that there appears to be a hole where it used to be.  Some folks aren't diligent about maintaining their locks, or don't know what can and does go sideways with them.
On L & R locks, the bridle screws can be tightened down hard, but the screw screw needs to be lengthened by taking steel off the inside of the head.  You can do this in a drill press at high speed with a safe edged fine file.  Their screws are 6 x 40.

Thanks Taylor !

[P.W.Berkuta]

My take on this problem is the same as what the others have said. As you have stated "My ol durs egg " which I gather has many shots fired and has been dissembled many times. The lock plate is soft and the screws are heat treated. This combination has worn the lock plate threads to a loose fit. My suggestion is to make or have made new over sized screws (diameter) or plug and re-tap the lock plate holes and re-tap so that the thread fit is a tighter friction fit. You can use a thread locking compound but you will be reapplying it each time you dissemble the lock for cleaning - no big deal -- it's up to you - have fun  .

[smylee grouch]

Had a lock doing that and smeared bees wax on threads every time I went to shoot, it helped somewhat but wasnt a long term fix.     Gary

[J.D.]

Try locktite on the threads, let it dry before assembling. The locktite will secure those screws, but still be easier  to remove  for cleaning and maintenance than screws that are than glued in. New applications of locktite will need to be made, periodically, but it will keep 'em tight.

God bless

[Acer Saccharum]

Or you could buy a new gun from me. 

[Pete G.]

Take a flat end punch to the inside of the plate and go around the hole with some pretty good whacks. Sorta squeezes the plate and make the hole a little tighter.

[Dphariss]

My ol durs egg has a habit of behaving for around 15 or such shots then the lock bolts frt and rear start  backing out and in turn the lower bridle screw backs out and (still more) the ol girl falls out of full draw.  Disconcerting at the very least.

I must fix this and am getting tired of retightening the lock nails and Murphy's law says I will forget...

Best way to fix???  What do you lock builders suggest?  I'm thinking of lock tight on that sear screw (threads) We are aware that overtightening that sear screw jams the sear!!     Ever run into this problem?   The ol gal has a lot of shots thru her.  She has the 10 in the rear and the 8 in the front!

Make a sear screw that will bind in the lock plate threads before binding the sear I.E. gets tight before much contact with the bridle. This can be done by buying a longer lock screw of the same thread and then run a die on it to get the proper shank length to accomplish this. I do this on every lock I get, often making a screw with a shoulder if the hole in the sear is too large. Tighten the lock nails to the proper torque and they will stay put unless there is something else is wrong.

Dan

[Daryl]

 Roger - increase the powder charge - always. Works for me .