T/C lock plate and percussion hammer issue

[DanL]

I have a T/C lock plate that is not sitting flat. It has a slight bow in it from front to back; concave to the stock. I have not attempted to Flatten or straighten a production gun lock plate. Is this a 'No-no' or something that can be attempted?

Also, on the same lock, the hammer will rock slightly front to back on the tumbler. I checked the tumbler and it sits solid in the lock plate and rotates fine without a wobble or space between tumbler shaft and lock plate. It appears that the hammer tumbler shaft hole is less than a perfect fit and some sort of shim in the square hammer hole (tumbler shaft hole) might fix the issue of the rocking hammer.

Please let me know your experiences with similar issues on a percussion lock and what you did to correct the issue(s).

Thanks,
Dan

[smylee grouch]

Is that lock plate case hardend?

[Bob Roller]

IF that plate is a hard as some of the TC hammers it will break if you try to straighten it.That plate is thin and maybe annealed by heating it with a torch or a cap on a gas cooking stove if you have one can eleminate the risk of a broken plate.The hammer wobbling on the tumbler
sounds like someone has altered the square of the tumbler because the extreme hardness of the hammer stops any filing.
Bob Roller

[DanL]

Thanks for your input.

Smylee: The lock plate appears to be case hardened.

Bob: It is entirely possible that someone messed with the tumbler. Is there a way to shim it or is it a lost cause?

[Bob Roller]

Thanks for your input.

Smylee: The lock plate appears to be case hardened.

Bob: It is entirely possible that someone messed with the tumbler. Is there a way to shim it or is it a lost cause?

I don't know about shimming it.I was only guessing at what could be the problem'Call Og Cabin Shop and see if they have any parts for these.1-800-948-1082.
Bob Roller

[Zack]

Track has  got new tumblers for those old TC Hawken  locks.   

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/0/1/LOCK-TC-TU

[Beaverman]

having a bend in the lock plate is NOT uncommon for T/C's, if the bends apex close to the mounting bolt threads?

[DanL]

Thanks folks.

I was able to straighten the lock plate by careful cold bending using a properly placed fulcrum or two and a large vice. Pressure was added slowly and straightness was regularly checked during the process.

There is still an issue with the hammer-tumbler & plate relationship. However, having changed to a known good tumbler and hammer there is still some unaccounted movement. Probably some wear in the plate tumbler shaft hole.