Lock seems to need something

[L. Akers]

i'll see if I can give you some help on your trigger pull.  ALL lock makers, for liability reasons, use sear springs that are way strong.  A sear spring only has to be strong enough to positively push the sear into the notch.  You can try tapering the spring's lower limb from the bend to the end; reduce the width of the spring; retemper at about 850F to soften the spring.  Look at the lock geometry. Place the lock at full cock.  A line that passes through the center of the tumbler axis and the full cock notch should be perpendicular to an intersecting line drawn through the center of the sear screw and the full cock notch.  If this angle is greater than 90 degrees the lock will have a very hard trigger pull because  the mainspring will cam the sear nose upward into the notch.  The trigger would have to overcome the power of the mainspring to move the sear nose down.  I had a Chambers Delux Siler recently that had the sear pivot so far off 90 that the lock could not be fired.  I contacted Jim and was told they, again for liability reasons, purpously drill the pivot hole at a greater than 90 degree location.  He recommended stoning the full cock notch to a more "open" angle.  I didn't like that answer and fixed the problem by removing the sear nose and affixing a new one that was about .015" longer to correct the geometry.  I'm not knocking Jim's locks, I think they are great  but it's another reason I consider ANY lock to be a "kit" that needs smithing.

Hope some of this helps.

[Daryl]

 
If you need flatness of trajectory, as in having to shoot over 100yards, sometimes well over (something the lads from back East have trouble visualizing) you will need a decent load.

110gr. 2F in a .58 is NOT a heavy load. 85gr. 2F should, however get you about 1,320fps.  That is a good load for shooting little Eastern deer at 50yards. It is not suitable for hunting in the prairies

 where your shots might be 120 to 150 yards.  I've owned more than a few .58's over the years. With the .575" balls I used along with the .022" denim patching I am prone to use, I needed

120gr. 2f in my Zouave to get good  ie:2 1/2" accuracy at 100 yards.  My .58 Hawken that Taylor built me, would not shoot less than 140gr. and give the same accuracy. With 100gr. it would not

stay in your hat at 100yards.  Accuracy at 50 yards was suitable for deer, but not good enough for further out.  Something the target shooters ALL know, but is difficult for some others to

understand, is that if you want to shoot accurately at longer ranges, you have to use more powder.  Out West here, it is a rare thing to have the terrain to allow stalking much closer sometimes,

than 150yards.  The .58 will easily take game at that range- but - you will need to feed it to do so.

Learning to follow through due to slower lock and barrel time, is MOST important. ML's kick a LOT less than the larger smokeless counterparts you noted, especially with only 110gr. 2F (ie: big

game rifles).


This is my long range load. It kicks a bit.