Lock falling from full cock to half cock

[rcbloom2]

Photo of tumbler and sear. Tumbler looks to be Bubbaed. Options? Buy another or try to salvage the tumbler? Tips and tricks? 1802 gun. How about the sear? Any help is appreciated.

[Maillemaker]

I'm not familiar with this gun but there is no half-cock notch at all. It has broken off. You need a new tumbler for sure.

Steve

[Keith Williams]

Ron try out these videos:

Brown Bess refurbishing part 1, and part 2: Fine tuning the lock by The Woodland Escape on YouTube.
Brown Bess Musket Restoration Part 2: Disassembling the Lock by Restoring the Past on YouTube. Part 4 Cleaning the Lock

Being an original, replace the sear spring as Jim suggested. As for the tumbler, here are side by side photos of your tumbler and Restoring the Past...cropped from his video.

Hope this helps, good luck.

Keith A. Williams
15th. Reg VA Vol Cav

Attachment 15006

[Harry Gaul]

The reason that the sear falls into the half cock notch is the full cock notch has been modified. The full cock notch needs to be beyond the half cock notch as the tumbler rotates and the hammer falls. When all else fails, reduce the area below the half cock notch, reduce the half cock notch and recut the half cock notch in toward the center. If the tumbler is soft, you will need to reharden the tumbler once you get the tumbler and lock working properly. Go slow and good luck.

Harry in Pa.
Forney's
03626v