Lock sear spring

[varsity07840]

I'm putting togeather a Richmond lock using a repro Lodgewood plate with original internals. When the internals were on the original plate, the lock funtioned fine. On the new plate, the sear will not engage the tumbler, and it appears that there is not enough pressure on it from the sear spring. The is little to no compression of the spring against the sear when installing on the new plate The notch in the plate for the spring tab is noticeably larger than on the original plate, allowing for some slack. My thought is to Black Max a shim to the sear where it makes contact with the spring, to put more tension on it. Your imput would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Duane

[Greg Ogdan, 11444]

Duane,
I think you're on the right track. I had to shim the sear spring on my Shiloh Sharps carbine several years ago to make trigger weight and it worked quite well. The carbine was just inspected a couple of Skirmishes agoand it passed just fine.

[DAVE FRANCE]

Duane,

Are the original internal parts, US made parts or CSA made parts?

If the slot in the lock plate is too large in width, or if it is in the wrong location, that is probably the problem. When you put the lock together, if you don't have to compress the sear spring, then the slot is in the wrong location or the slot is just too wide. If the slot is to wide and the spring is sloppy in the slot, I would get that fixed by someone who can weld and recut the slot.

Repro springs vary a lot in their dimensions. You probably can find a spring that will be compressed enough to work in your lock. I think some I bought from the guy who owns JAMES RIVER ARMORY at a National Skirmish.

Black Max works well. I have used it for years. I keep mine in the refrigerator. Keeping it cool lengthens the shelf life a lot. As long as it stays liquid, it will work.

[varsity07840]

They're original parts from a '61 lock. The slot for the tab on the spring is
too big in height, so when pressure is put on it by the sear, the spring actually moves up with it, rather than pushing down. I may try another spring, but a small shim on the spring where it fits into the slot took care of the problem.

Duane