Doc Hadaway Lock?

[Tommy Bruce]

I've recently picked up a box full of parts at a local gun store and included was an unused (a little rusty but cleaned up nice) siler lock.  It had a circle with an offset H inside it.  It was identified to me as a Doc Hadaway(Not sure of the spelling) lock.  Can anyone tell me anything about these locks?  Are they any good? It seems to spark good and looks like it is well made.  I was thinking about using it on the kiddo's first gun.

[lew wetzel]

tommy,go ahead and send to me and i will let you know if its any good.....a box load of parts,hmmmm....any good internals that might fit another russ hamm lock plate i have? 

[northmn]

They go back aways.  If it sparks good then it is OK.  Seems to me they were one of the better alternatives to Siler.  Many of the locks had good internals but were not so good sparkers.  When I started in ML's there were many more companies that made locks, some of which are still going.  I bought an L&R left hand rain proof about the first ad I saw in Muzzle Blasts.  Many of the companies are no longer around.  Some folks retired or got bought out, some were just not up to snuff. 

DP

[Richard Snyder]

The Doc Hadaway lock was a good lock.  The only issue would be finding parts.
Richard Snyder

[Roger B]

I have a Haddaway that has always been a good performer.  I had Kit Ravenshear tune it.  When I was in Kentucky in the 80s the formula for a rifle seemed to be "lock by Haddaway/barrel by Maxey" & then you added anything else that turned you on.
Roger B.

[C Wallingford]

I used several  of the Haddaway locks and had very good luck with them. I have two right now and would love to get my hands on some spare parts. But, that may be hard to do.

[Randy Hedden]

I also used a few Haddaway locks in the past and found them to be good reliable locks.  In fact I had one left over from 35-40 years ago that I just recently mounted on a pistol.  All the Haddaway locks that I used had a tapered bolster on the back of the lock. They were designed for use with straight profile barrels and the purpose of the tapered bolster was to throw the rear of the lock out away from the barrel in order to achieve  the look in the lock panel area  of a rifle with a swamped barrel.  Pretty neat, but when used with a swamped barrel the rear pf the lock would be pushed out twice as much as needed.

Randy Hedden

[Don Getz]

I used Hadaway locks on the first three guns I built.   They had a small adjusting screw in the tumbler which was used to
adjust the amount of sear engagement....think about it, not a bad idea.    If you happen to own a TC Hawken, take a look at the cock on the lock, does it resemble the one on the Hadaway lock?.....it should, it's the same.   Doc Hadaway
helped to design the lock for Thompson Center when they first came out with their flint "Hawken".....Don

[B Shipman]

The only problem with using parts from any lock that no longer exists is obvious. What do you do when something breaks. Can you make a new part. Having someone make the part will cost you a good porton of the cost of a new Siler lock anyway. This, in my experience , is generally and eventually a losing proposition.

[Tommy Bruce]

Thanks for the input guys.  It sounds like a good lock but I'm not a locksmith and cannot make lock parts so I think I may put it up for sale.