lock

[mlbrant]

could I use a small siler lock on a nc moravian pistol (circa 1760s)?

[rich pierce]

There are not a lot of choices in a small early lock.  A 1760s Moravian NC pistol would have to be based on deduction and inspiration, as there are no examples as far as I know.  The Siler is generally representative of about the 1770s export locks, I think.  I'd want a slightly earlier look.  You might do some modifications if you have that capability or use Chambers gunmakers lock.

[Long John]

The nice thing about the Chambers locks is that he gives you enough steel to modify a lock to be something a little different.  I used the small Siler kit lock for my 1750's French holster pistol, that nobody but me likes, and got the lock quite close to the original with a little reshaping here and there.  Think of a purchased lock as a starting point, not an end point and then a whole range of possibilities open up.

Best Regards,

John Cholin

[Mark Elliott]

A great big "DITTO" to what Long John said.

[mlbrant]

Thanks for the info Gents!!! Could any of these style of Germanic locks (1770's siler locks) have been shipped down the Great Wagon Road from the Lancaster, Penn. area into the Carolinas and Va. to be used by Gunsmiths? I know many import English locks were used on Southern guns but wondered if any Germanic style of locks were ever used through trade.
I know that this road was used for heavy immigration into the South and also for trade.

[David R. Pennington]

I am certainly no expert, but it appears that most southern guns sport English locks, but there are one or two in RCA  attributed to southern origin with Germanic looking locks.

[Dennis Glazener]

Thanks for the info Gents!!! Could any of these style of Germanic locks (1770's siler locks) have been shipped down the Great Wagon Road from the Lancaster, Penn. area into the Carolinas and Va. to be used by Gunsmiths? I know many import English locks were used on Southern guns but wondered if any Germanic style of locks were ever used through trade.
I know that this road was used for heavy immigration into the South and also for trade.

The Feather rifle, supposed VA rifle that Reaves Goehering (sp) had Fred Miller make a copy of, had an English lock on it that will almost pass for a Siler.

I bought a lock plate, with out the pan, from Reaves (he had cast all parts of the original lock but cheapskate me only bought the plate). I used the original lock plate to modify an Early Ketland to look like the original feather rifle lock. Found out later that a Large Siler would have come closer to the original except for the faceted pan on the Siler. I sent the original lock plate to my friend Sam Everly and asked him to build a lock with that plate. Sam added modern Siler pan and internals. The end result looks exactly like a Siler except its a little shorter. Not familiar with a small Siler but I suspect if you rounded the pan it would be very close to what the original Feather rifle lock looked like. What I am trying to say is maybe use the Siler but round off the facets on the pan to make it Look English.
Dennis

[JTR]

Well, if you don't use an English style lock, you'll forever be explaining to those that know or care, why you didn't! 

John

[whetrock]

... to those that know or care ...

The crazy thing is that the more we study these old guns, the more we seem to both "know" and "care".  Is OCD a cumulative disorder, getting worse over time? 

[whitebear]

... to those that know or care ...

The crazy thing is that the more we study these old guns, the more we seem to both "know" and "care".  Is OCD a cumulative disorder, getting worse over time? 

This is so true and the more we learn and know the more we realize just how little we actually know. 

When I first wanted a flintlock rifle I "knew" that I could build one from scratch.  Now after 40 years I wouldn't try to build one from scratch. NO WAY.