Riddle lock company history

[CooleyS]

I am hoping to find a source to learn about the Riddle lock company. I have a rifle that’s been In-N-Out family since the 1830’s. It was purchased in St. Louis as my family moved from Michigan to Iowa. The lock is an obvious replacement and is marked “Riddle”. I know that Riddle locks were a common hardware store brand, but I’d like to find out more about what locks they made and when to try and determine when the repair on our rifle was done. Thanks for any input or thoughts you might have…

[rich pierce]

Sorry; cannot help with this Riddle. By any chance is this gun signed on the barrel?

[JTR]

If you don't get much response here, you might want to post the question in the Antique Gun Collecting section.

[CooleyS]

Sorry; cannot help with this Riddle. By any chance is this gun signed on the barrel?

No, the rifle is not signed or marked. The breech has had about 2” cutoff at some point, so a name could have been there. The rifle was originally a percussion, but the lock was likely replaced when the barrel was cut.
I am working on a set of plans to make a copy of this rifle…lock and breech will be what I believe it looked like when it was new.
-Steve

[Bob Roller]

Looks like a generic lock and "Riddle"could be a hardware store at one time or even the gun maker who made his own locks.
My maternal grandfather bought a general store in Roane County WVa in the late 1890's and it had a barrel full of locks that
had NO name on them and they were 25 cents each.He still had them when he sold the store and moved to Huntington WV
where we now live.Few American muzzle loaders had a quality lock as shown recently here,They were functional ant nothing more.
Most if not all locks now available are better than any of the locks seen on long rifles when they were in common use.
Bob Roller

[wabeek]

Several years ago I posted a rifle with a percussion "Riddle" lock although the rifle was originally flint.  Following your post a search for "Riddle" revealed nothing.  Tomorrow I will attend an auction which includes a flint with a" G Smalls & Sons" lock.  A search again shows nothing.
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