Tapering lock plate surround

[hammer]

Hi, guys.    Need some advice.

I am inletting a Large Siler lock plate into a ToW pre-formed stock.  The lock surround tapers in towards the straight, octagonal barrel.   At full depth, the front of the lock bolster will touch the barrel at the front but stand off at the rear.   A tapered barrel would have solved the problem but too late now.

Seems I have four options:
a) Silver-solder a strip onto the bolster, inside edge of the pan and inside edge of the pan cover and file to the taper.   Don’t really fancy that.
b) File a taper onto the inside edges of the same three components, making new adjustments to the bolster attachment screw and the frizzen pivot screw.    Perhaps a little bit of filing as well to the inside edge of the steel.   Better than a). but will draw the lock very close to the barrel at the front with consequence to the then necessary thinning of the forend.
c) Lose the taper in the surround or at least most of it.

Whatever I choose to do will be irreversible.   C) seems the most practical.
What do you think?   Have I missed something here?  Were straight barrels usually matched by parallel 
lock plates?

Thanks,
Peter.

[Mike Brooks]

Were straight barrels usually matched by parallel
lock plates?

Yep.

[Birddog6]

IMHO, the bolster goes against the barrel flat, be it straight or tapered.  Then adjust the lock panel accordingly.....  Personally I think all of the locks built today should have thicker bolsters, to get the mainsprings off the barrels.

[northmn]

Inlet the lock into the mortise so it fits agains the barrel, forget about the taper.  Things will work better that way. 

DP

[Dennis Glazener]

Personally I think all of the locks built today should have thicker bolsters, to get the mainsprings off the barrels.

Or better yet narrower main springs like the originals!
Dennis

[LRB]

Personally I think all of the locks built today should have thicker bolsters, to get the mainsprings off the barrels.

Or better yet narrower main springs like the originals!
Dennis

  Or both! You can also bend the lock plate slightly outward, starting from the center of it, and give yourself a tad more width in the rear of the mold panels, and slope the rear of the panels outward just a tad. You don't want it too obvious, but a little is not that noticable.  I have done it with no significant lock problems. At one time it was not too unusual, until swamped barrels became more available.

[Dphariss]

Inlet the lock till it properly meets the barrel.
Then take the wood down to this point.


Dan

[jerrywh]

 I agree with DPharris.  I like a gun that is as slim as possible thin bolsters don't bother me any at all.
 Most orginal lock mainsprings sat lower on the plate.  This allowed the plate to have a thinner bolster.  I haven't used a straight barrel for over 40 years but when I did I tappered the bolster to make the tail of the lock wider than the front. That created the illusion of a tappered stock to some extent.

[hammer]

Thanks, guys.    Pretty much where I had ended up myself but I feel more confident now I have had it confirmed.
It will be a tapered barrel next time. 

Peter.

[Birddog6]

  Or better yet narrower main springs like the originals!
Dennis

I have found that the best thing to do with a good working lock, is to leave it alone.  I have ground off on the mainsprings before, but I will avoid it if at all possible.........   
I see originals different than most do. Just because it was done a certain way doesn't mean it was the best way, it simply means they found a solution at the time, but by far not the best way at times.