Euroarms Enfield Lock help

[SHARPS4953]

Hey Guys, I need help with my enfield lock, it keeps stopping on half cock position. I read the site on musket lock tuning and did what was suggested but its still doing it off and on. Ive only had this issue with enfields. Was this a common flaw with this model? Any suggestions??

Thanks

Scott 1st Maine

[MR. GADGET]

I had a few do the same thing.
BOth were the crap soft sears that broke the tip off and changed the angle so it would hit the hafe cock.
One other thing to look at is to see if someone has worked on the tumbler or the screws are too tight and not letting the sear move free.
I had to replace the tumbler and sear. when the sear broke I was at the range and tried to keep the gun running so the tumbler took some hits and it was also soft.

[Maillemaker]

Yup, I just had this same problem.

Problem is, the Euroarms sear and tumbler are crap.

I ordered a replacement tumbler and sear from Lodgewood, it is supposed to be "drop in", so I dropped it in, and the step on the half cock snapped off on the 5th hammer drop.

While I was waiting for Lodgewood to replace it (and they did, free of charge), I took out the old tumbler and sear and carefully dressed up both with files. Most of the work was on the nose of the sear, as it was the sear that has mostly deformed.

Once I had it filed into a nice shape, I took one of my pistol percussion cap tins and put the sear in it. Then I packed it with scraps of leather all around the sear. Then I bound up the tin with wire and went and set it on my gas grill side burner for an hour. The idea here is to carburize the sear, or allow carbon to migrate into the outer layers of the steel, so it will respond to heat treating. Being a cast part, I did not know how well it would work.

Anway, after the tin had sat at red heat for an hour, I opened it up, heated the nose of the sear to bright orange heat, and quenched it in transmission fluid. This hardens the part. To make sure it was not too brittle, I then sanded it bright and heated it with a torch again until I achieved a straw/blue color, and quenched it again. This tempers it.

Because I removed material from the face of the nose of the sear, the hammer does not cock back as far as it used to, but so far it has been working fine. I have not even put the replacement Lodgewood parts back in yet.

I believe that most reproduction BP firearms are not intended to be used very much. The makers probably assume that most of these guns will be shot a few times a year and then hung on a wall. They do not manufacture these things with the intent of firing 100 rounds every month of the year.

I have high hopes that Pedersoli will be making higher quality internal components. According to what I read in the last Skirmish Line, they have a lifetime warranty.

You look at the lock components on originals and there is just no comparison. Those things are still hard as hen's teeth.

Steve

[RaiderANV]

While the parts are drop in they all require a wee tad of fitting just as done in the factory. It is rare that the parts "just dropped in" don't work to soe degree.

You only need file a good bit off the place where the sear is catching on the halfcock so it'll not hand up when the trigger is pulled. By taking meat off the half cock sometimes you'll leave lil left for the sear to catch on for the half cock to work. You only need a thin file or a thin cut-off wheel on yer dremial tool to deepen the halfcock notch.

Steve goes to the emtreme with the bound leather and his treating method. Not that it doesn't work,,,,,just that there are way easier ways to get the job done. Buy a small can of Kasenit and you heat the part red hot and dip in the Kasenit then heat again and dip again. Instructions are easy.


Link to how it's done====> http://www.gunreports.com/special_reports/accessories/Case-Hardening-Kasenit-american-gunsmith-Annealing-steel1750-1.html

[rachbobo]

Once I had it filed into a nice shape, I took one of my pistol percussion cap tins and put the sear in it. Then I packed it with scraps of leather all around the sear. Then I bound up the tin with wire and went and set it on my gas grill side burner for an hour. The idea here is to carburize the sear, or allow carbon to migrate into the outer layers of the steel, so it will respond to heat treating. Being a cast part, I did not know how well it would work.

Anway, after the tin had sat at red heat for an hour, I opened it up, heated the nose of the sear to bright orange heat, and quenched it in transmission fluid. This hardens the part. To make sure it was not too brittle, I then sanded it bright and heated it with a torch again until I achieved a straw/blue color, and quenched it again. This tempers it.

Steve,
When I hand build a part or spring and go to temper it I don't use the color chart to bring it up to temperature.
The propane torch and color are to erratic.
I wrap the part in tin foil and put it in my lead pot. Using a lead thermometer the part heats evenly unlike a torch flame and I can control the temperature.
Once it gets to 810 degrees I take it out and let it air cool. I broke many a hand made spring using the flame method but since I switched to the lead pot and thermometer I have yet to have a spring fail me.

Once I had an old flintlock pistol with a brutal mainspring. It damn near took 2 hands just to cock it. I just wrapped it in foil and brought it to 810 degrees and now it works fine.

Bill Cheek
Cockade Rifles

[Maillemaker]

Never thought of using the lead pot for heat treating - great idea!


Buy a small can of Kasenit and you heat the part red hot and dip in the Kasenit then heat again and dip again. Instructions are easy.

I do not believe Kasenit is available anymore? There is another product out there called "Cherry Red" or something like that but I just listened to old Theopholis the monk from 1250, from his treatise "On Diverse Arts". :)

In the end, it's all about carbon.

Steve

[Southron Sr.]

Dixie Gun Works still has Kasenit for sale on their website.

[Maillemaker]

Do you have a link? Searching for "Kasenit" returns zero search results.

Steve

[Muley Gil]

Look on page 178 or page 331 of the 2012 Dixie catalog. You do have a current catalog, don't you? I've been buying one since 1969. Wish I still had them all.

[Maillemaker]

Look on page 178 or page 331 of the 2012 Dixie catalog. You do have a current catalog, don't you?

LOL people still offer paper catalogs? :)

No, I don't have a paper catalog.

I just called them, and they said no, they can not get it any longer - the catalog is out of date.

That's why I don't use paper catalogs anymore. :)

Steve

[John Holland]

I found Kasenit here http://www.rsci.com/kasenit-compound-1-6161.html

JDH

[Sam Sellaro, 12403]

Brownells has it. 1800 741 0015

[Maillemaker]

I found Kasenit here http://www.rsci.com/kasenit-compound-1-6161.html

From what I can tell from their web site, they had a minimum buy of 6 pounds, and the item has been discontinued.


Brownells has it. 1800 741 0015

Have a link? Searching for kasenit on their web site returns no hits. I also called, and the girl said she did not see it in their system.

I believe this product has been discontinued.

Steve

[Ron/The Old Reb]

The company that made Kasenit stop making it a couple years ago. There is a similar product call Red something but I cannot recall the whole name. I found it on a forum for machinist.

[Sam Sellaro, 12403]

Item # 479-001-100ac $11.55 Source Code M62
although I just put that into the search engine it doesn't bring anything up might want to call

[Maillemaker]

There is a similar product call Red something but I cannot recall the whole name.

It's called "Cherry Red":

http://www.rosemill.com/category_s/46.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tlsq2ESQz0

Steve

[John Holland]

I guess I'll have to do it the old fashioned way. Take the frizzen off my 1st Model Brown Bess, wrap it in leather, put it in an air tight can with a bunch of bone, throw it in the camp fire, cook it nearly to death, and then let it cool naturally!

JDH