homemade locks

[oldone]

Hello all, have visited before and now joned. I am interested in making my own locks-back action- and havn't found much info. Does anyone make their own or know where drawings can be gotten?   Thanks for any help,  OLDONE

[smylee grouch]

Welcome Oldone, If I'm not mistaken, Track of the Wolf used to sell a book by Bill Newton or someone that hade lock patterens in it. Maybe others here can verify that but it might be worth looking in to.

[Acer Saccharum]

You could buy a lock and use it as a pattern for your project, and then sell it when you're done.

Back action shotgun locks can be had, but they are pretty cheesy, esp the old Belgian ones. Small internals, tiny bearing surfaces, small screws, soft iron or steel internals. Junky stuff, even back in the 'good old days'.

[Acer Saccharum]

The L&R back action is pretty darned good.

An original military like a Spencer or a Peabody lock you just cannot beat. Precision machining, built like tractor.

And flint swivel rifles use a back action for the main spring.

[whetrock]

Welcome Oldone, If I'm not mistaken, Track of the Wolf used to sell a book by Bill Newton or someone that hade lock patterens in it. Maybe others here can verify that but it might be worth looking in to.

Pryor Mt. Bill Newton. 1999. Hand Forging History and Patterns of the Muzzle Loading Gun Lock. second edition. (Seems to have been privately published by Mr. Newton)

p 55 does have a diagram for a back action lock. (but only that one page, and diagram is very simple. A "flat" diagram of the lock internals in position, with a few dimensions of certain parts provided with sketches. ) The book does have a lot of helpful info in general on building locks from scratch.

I got my copy second hand from a member of this forum. You may be able to do the same if you put a want-to-buy add in the classified section (found under the main page).

[westbj2]

As usual, Tom's advise of using an original lock as a reference/pattern is sound and the easiest way to make your own lock.  As Tom noted there are many junk back action locks to be had but if you are going to invest a bunch of time in the project you may as well have a good or serviceable reference lock.  I looked around the web and found these WC Scott locks which are priced reasonably and would serve as patterns. http://www.micksguns.com/shooting%20related%20collectibles.htm

Some other considerations are that many later B/A locks utilize the lower limb of the mainspring to serve as a sear spring.  This works OK but is actually more complicated when making a single lock than an independent sear spring.
Stay away from B/A locks that are designed for rebounding hammers....the design is not appropriate for a percussion lock.  If you are going to use the B/A lock on a rifle, consider adding a fly to the tumbler.  Finally, dont worry about the hammer initially, instead make up the lock and fit it to the stock being concerned with the flow of the wrist.  THEN make up a hammer to make the linkage between the tumbler and nipple.

Here is a B/A lock that I just finished.  Without the original as reference, making the lock would have been much more difficult and likely would have required many "almost correct" parts relegated to the junk pile.
Jim

[Don Getz]

Something about nice shine'y metal, great job.    I must ask......does it work OK?    I built about a dozen swivel breech units, complete with barrels.   These were copies of a Nicholas Hawk that Paris did.   Many of the parts were castings which had to
be cleaned up, a lot of work.  We made the swivel plates which had to be surface ground, and the springs.   Springs were the
most difficult things to do.   After doing these, I have a lot of admiration for things like your lock.  I can look at it  and see
the filing and polishing that goes into it, beautiful...........Don

[westbj2]

Don,
So far I have only cocked the lock with a V-block in the vise as the tumbler shank is still round and the internals soft.  It makes the right "click" sounds, fly jumps at the right time and there are no clearance issues.  Took a while to get the mainspring balanced so it is straight at full cock.
Hi to John.
Jim

[smylee grouch]

Nice work Jim. Are they going on something special or are they replacements?

[Bob Roller]

Jim,
That is a good looking back action lock. Barrel maker Jim McLemore
has been bugging me off and on to make them but having more to
do now than I know what to do with,I declined.I made one about
53 years ago,the last job I did before going on active duty with the Army.
I have an issue of the Double Gun Journal that has a superb color photo
of a back action lock that tempts me but time now must be spent on
orders from rifle makers.Also another has a fine 5 screw Brazier bar lock
that I want to try to copy and that goes back to 1998.
Congratulations on a job well done.

Bob Roller