Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

RDGAC · 14th May 2012, 09:57 AM

Well, IMO the "Hirst" lock is far the better of the two. Its markings are still spurious, but it's not a badly made lock, I'd say; the fit of the parts and overall quality of manufacture all seem consistent with other Afghan locks I've seen, and the lack of patina suggests it's all pretty new. How strong is the mainspring, and do you have any flints with which to test its ability to throw a spark?

The second one, the "Ioder" lock, is pretty bad, I must say. I've not yet seen a flintlock without a tumbler bridle. It seems that the end of the tumbler square has been peened over on the outside of the cock, which is a common enough method of holding it all in place, but the square of the shaft has been peened over on the inside of the lock; to what end I have no idea. Perhaps the square isn't actually attached to the tumbler at all, and this is an unusually sophisticated, "floating-square" flintlock! The whole thing looks extremely crude; I'm surprised if the sear nose will actually engage any of the notches. Actually, I'd be quite surprised if it works at all.

What gun is that other "Hirst" lock, in your most recent post, installed in?

Best,

Meredydd

14th May 2012, 09:57 AM	#19
RDGAC Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: York, UK Posts: 167	Well, IMO the "Hirst" lock is far the better of the two. Its markings are still spurious, but it's not a badly made lock, I'd say; the fit of the parts and overall quality of manufacture all seem consistent with other Afghan locks I've seen, and the lack of patina suggests it's all pretty new. How strong is the mainspring, and do you have any flints with which to test its ability to throw a spark? The second one, the "Ioder" lock, is pretty bad, I must say. I've not yet seen a flintlock without a tumbler bridle. It seems that the end of the tumbler square has been peened over on the outside of the cock, which is a common enough method of holding it all in place, but the square of the shaft has been peened over on the inside of the lock; to what end I have no idea. Perhaps the square isn't actually attached to the tumbler at all, and this is an unusually sophisticated, "floating-square" flintlock! The whole thing looks extremely crude; I'm surprised if the sear nose will actually engage any of the notches. Actually, I'd be quite surprised if it works at all. What gun is that other "Hirst" lock, in your most recent post, installed in? Best, Meredydd Last edited by RDGAC; 14th May 2012 at 11:15 AM.