Lock Bolster/Rear of Pan Question

[James Rogers]

I just got in this lock. It has a little chunk out of the bolster where the rear of the pan butts to the barrel side. I have included some pictures and would like advice as to what I need to do about this, if anything. Can I file down the back of the pan, keeping with the profile of the pan to eliminate the area or do I need to have it replaced? Thanks, James


 

[Robby]

If you have good, complete contact with the barrel it wont hurt anything. If it were mine I would deepen the pan and eliminate it altogether, I like to polish the pan mirror bright.

[bob in the woods]

Deepen it. You will eliminate the flaw, and you will probably like the performance as well.
I deepen and broaden the pan on almost all the Silers I use.

[northmn]

I like the suggestion of deepening it about as well as any.  I polished and altered a Siler pan for a smoothbore.  The biggest problem you will get is a poor contact between barrel and lock as that permits leakage into the mechanism which would not occur here.    Another alternative if you wanted would be to fill it in with a tin solder and fit it.  You might try tinning the whole inside of the pan with braze such that you have a "brass" lined pan which has been done.  Some of the higher temp Silver solders would likely work also.  If you did nothing, that wouls also work well.

DP

[don getz]

It's not a siler.  Looks like the pan of a Late Ketland lock, but not sure.  If you're worried about it, you could grind most of
it away by deepending the pan, using a dremel tool, or you could also fill the void with solder......or you could do nothing,
won't hurt anything........Don

[E.vonAschwege]

Looks like you have a bronze/brass plate Virginia lock from Chambers (the mainspring gives it away).  First, I'm sure Chambers would swap with you no questions asked, so maybe give them a call. 

With that said, with that lock or the small queen anne, I prefer to deepen the pan there anyway.  It gives a little more flexibility with the touch hole location.  If you don't want to deepen it, a high temp silver braze will fill the void nicely.  I used a brass color braze to fill some voids on the French pistol guard and they're more or less invisible now.  The repairs tarnished a little darker actually. 
-Eric

[James Rogers]

Thanks all for the replies. I think I am going to work down the back of that pan and remove the imperfection altogether.
James