Search results

Got a camera? Post photos of your build here - I've got no problem with you showing your mule ear lock, it's lonely out here. Here's a couple of photos of the Dale Storey lock:

Tanks!

So now the lockplate is 3-9/16" long, trimmed down from 3-15/16" and it looks like this: If you look at Reply #9 you can see the difference. Mike

So after looking at the lockplate long enough,I decided that the lockplate is too long. The sear is way too long and the 2 blocks that pivot the second sear need to be moved closer to the hammer. So I cut the 2 blocks off and made a tab that had the new blocks. I cut a slot in the plate and...

The guy in the background with the 10 gallon hat has one of Lee Shaver's Ferris rifles in his hands, too. Here's a close up the the Ferris rifle:

The mule ear lock is at about 90%. Here's the latest photos: Front view with a piece of aluminum for support. The lockplate is 3-15/16" long and about 0.90" tall. Back view: The major mistake is that the inside portion of the hammer is too high on the lockplate. The hammer should be...

"I like that, mule ear are like direct ignition" Yup, nipple fires directly into the powder charge. Only slightly more advanced than the snapping matchlock.

So things left to do are trim the lock down, but first figure out the final shape of the plate. I have to finish shaping and polishing the hammer; trimming the 2 pins; filing the interior of the lock; polishing the interior parts and then hardening the hammer, and sears. Here's a final...

Here's the interior of my lock: You can see that the lock has two sears. The main sear engages the 1/2 cock and full cock on the hammer. The secondary sear pushes against the main sear tail, so you can use a conventional style trigger. There is a small coil spring under the main sear...

One of the things that I didn't like on a lot of mule ear locks was the ungainly hammer. The hammer on a regular percussion sidelock can make or break the look of the lock and the weapon. Anyway, it's just a peeve of mine, so on my lock I'm going to use a Jenks carbine style lock. The Jenks...

So here are some photos of the beginning of this build. The first is the material I used to make the lock, a piece of steel found along the roadside while doing construction: This was a piece of 1/2" steel shaped into an "S". The lock plate blank is at the bottom. Pay no attention to the...

I'm a fairly new member to this forum, so I thought I would show a mule ear lock that I've been working on lately. I have incorporated several ideas from commercial locks that I like and tried to build something that I like more than previous locks. The locks that I took ideas from were Bob...

45-70, I always thought that an underhammer would make an excellent long range rifle, but I've only seen one used in a match. Most shooters stick with the traditional Gibbs, Alexander Henry or Rigby rifles. Here's a photo of an underhammer used in a match in England. I believe it was made by...

Dennis, what is an Arkansas underhammer anyway? Never heard that used. Mike