Flintlock Pistol Decocking Issue

[Dr. Dingus]

Hello All,

I just noticed that when I try and lower the hammer on my pistol from full cock it doesn't drop all the way down, and stops around halfcock. Some slight nudging is needed to cause it to fall the rest of the way. If I pull the trigger, as I would to shoot, it always drops into firing position with no issues. Might this be caused by screws being too lose or tight? Maybe something is rubbing or causing friction on the inside of the lock?

 

[Acorn Mush]

Remove your lock and see if you can replicate the problem with it out of the pistol. If you can, the trouble is with the lock. First, test screw tightness. loosen slightly and see if that cures the problem. If that is not successful then disassemble and look for burrs and spots that would indicate parts rubbing against each other. If the lock works out of the stock, then carefully look at the lock mortice for areas that indicate metal rubbing on the wood. Relieve if found. Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

Does the pistol have a set trigger? If so the fly may be the problem.

 

[Dr. Dingus]

Does the pistol have a set trigger? If so the fly may be the problem.

It is a double trigger, yes.

 

[Dr. Dingus]

Remove your lock and see if you can replicate the problem with it out of the pistol. If you can, the trouble is with the lock. First, test screw tightness. loosen slightly and see if that cures the problem. If that is not successful then disassemble and look for burrs and spots that would indicate parts rubbing against each other. If the lock works out of the stock, then carefully look at the lock mortice for areas that indicate metal rubbing on the wood. Relieve if found. Hope this helps. Good luck.

I will try working with the screws first. I don't really want to disassemble it if I don't have to.

 

[Dr. Dingus]

I just find it strange that it drops when fired each time, but slowly lowering it causes it to bind. My friends pistol binds during both firing and lowering. I need to see if it does it when set with the second trigger vs just pulling the primary trigger without setting.

 

[Dr. Dingus]

I am a flintlock noob, but I really enjoy the craftsmanship of the time, and how far our weapons have evolved.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Probably something to do with the fly. Does not really sound like a problem. Is the lock nice and clean? Yes, check the tightness of the screws, but don't go too-tight either.

I have a percussion lock with fly, that gets wonky when some screws get loose. That allows the fly, on that lock, to get loose and not to work properly. They loosen up over time, last time I used a little tiny bit of thread locker on them. So far, so good. Good luck!

 

[4v50 Gary]

Had the same problem with my brother's 32 cal squirrel gun (Dikar, Spain). I found that if the screws to secure the lock were too tight, it would bind the lock and the cock would not fall fully forward. Shortened the screws a tad and it was fine (meaning I couldn't tighten them down as much). Also built up the lock around the bolster plate so there's less compression space. Note the big gap between the lock and the tang (feature of these cheap Spanish made squirrel guns made by Dikar)

Had one of those Indian Brown Bess that did the same thing. I had to build up the tumbler with a bit of weld (filed down slight to smooth it out) before it stopped dropping only to half-cock