frizzen not opening

[JMule]

Hello.  I have a rifle I built maybe 30 years ago with an L&R lock.  Everything worked great for many years. Recently, I pulled the rifle out after a dozen years of not shooting it.  The frizzen will not open fully but ONLY when the lock is in the stock. If I remember right this began to happen before I stopped shooting.  I removing wood inside to relieve any possible hang ups with the main spring, the frizzen does not rub on the barrel or touch hole liner.  There seems to be no rubbing or interference anywhere.  The lock screw does not even have to be screwed into the lock.   If the lock is just placed into the stock it does not work. It seems obvious that there must be interference but I can find any. If the lock is held in the hand everything works proper.  I gave up and sent the lock to L&R.  They very quickly returned it with a new frizzen (the old had not been sparking well) and a new sear (the old one was slightly damaged??).  Still does not work. Any suggestions??

[E.vonAschwege]

Welcome to the forum.  I think you've already answered your own question - the frizzen is rubbing somewhere.  Put some inletting black on the wood around the lock (outside the inlet) as well as the breech, then cycle the lock.  You'll see the black rubbed away wherever the frizzen is touching, then you can remove the high spots.  Sending the lock to L&R when it functions in your hand isn't going to fix the problem when it is in the stock.  Good luck!
-Eric

[Ky-Flinter]

Hi JMule,

Welcome to ALR.  The lock cycles fine out of the stock, but the frizzen won't open fully when the lock is installed in the stock.  With the lock in the stock, can you open and close the frizzen by hand?

Sounds like to me, something is rubbing somewhere.  Maybe you could apply inletting black, candle soot, etc., to the lock works, install it and cycle the lock, then look for tell-tale black smudges in the lock mortise?

That's my guess.  Somebody here will know.

-Ron

[Ky-Flinter]

Eric beat me to it.  Can't out run them young guys anymore.

-Ron

[Robby]

Open the frizzen out of the stock, install it and then try to close it. Could be the barrel. Wood may have condensed a bit drawing it into the barrel. Good Luck, you'll find it!
Robby

[David R. Pennington]

Since all the working parts of the frizzen are outside the lock plate and you already stated the frizzen isn't touching the barrel there must be binding inside the mortise. Any binding would hinder mainspring strength and may keep flint from striking with full force. Like they said, soot all lock internals up real good with a candle and install and cycle.  Use a magnifier and look over lock internals really well. Contact point may be very minute.

[KentSmith]

look at the foor or whatever it i called, the fancy curl could be hitting the lock panel in front of the frizzen near where the lock mortise meets the top of the barrel channel

[Jim Kibler]

It would be wise to check to be sure the frizzen isn't bouncing back.  Might not react the same in a stock versus being held in the hand.

[KLMoors]

Came to say what Jim said. (Even the medium young guys are faster than me.  Dennis should show up in a couple of weeks!  ) 
Are you sure it is not bouncing back?

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

To check for bounce back, place a piece of masking tape on the top of the flint, and put transfer colour like inletting black on the pan cover of the frizzen.  Cycle the lock.  If you are getting bounce back, there will be a black mark on the masking tape.

Solving that problem is the meat of another thread.

[Dave R]

I close they frizzen and put a little oil on the foot of the frizzen and cycle the lock and see if the foot transfers the oil where it hits the frizzen spring? If it does leave an oil mark on the frizzen spring the frizzen is bouncing back!

[bob in the woods]

If the sear arm is binding [ as the stock shrinks, the end of the arm can make contact with the wood ]
only a little, it can slow the action up enough to have the flint jam onto the frizzen , i.e. not open all the way.
Same effect as a weak mainspring.