doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com W&C.Scott-L.C. Smith lock style

jOe, I went and took the side lock of my 1884-5 L.C. Smith to show you the similarity between your W&C Scott and the L.C. Smith lock. Yours is 13 years earlier, and I'm wondering if many of the locks back then were similar from other gun manufacturers.
It looks as though L.C. Smith copied their lock, a few less screws, but looks to have a few more parts.


I lightened your picture to show the rear sear spring.

Doesn't look all that different than my I Hollis & Sons percussion M'Loader. Certainly the basic design of a sidelock dates well back into the Flint era. At some point effeciency was improved by the addition of the stirrup connecting the mainspring to the tumbler, rather than a direct bearing. I suspect it would be rather difficul to say just Who all coppied Whom.

I think most bar action hammergun locks followed a similar pattern, why change what works. The lock below is from a Parker made 1880 or so, the only real difference is that the rebound is taken on the lower limb of the mainspring

If you ever cock up a Stanton lock the superiority of the Stanton lock will clearly be evident....they may look similar but that as far as it goes.

I don�t even think they look similar. Yes they all have a bridle plate, a tumbler and main spring and sear, but similar, no way!

It's nice to know that some things just don't change! My flint W.H. Wilson, London from very early in the 19th century. Isn't it amazing how few real changes were made over a century!

Lock making was an art form the Americans never caught on to.

Actually if you examine the Parker lock you will see it is very carefully made, all the parts including the springs are polished and fitted. In the 1880s many of the Parker employees were European trained and understood proper gunmaking. While not as fine as a Stanton lock, the Parker one is worlds ahead of the Smith lock in fit and finish

All it takes is to click up a Parker hammer gun to feel the locks aren't that well made.

There is definitely a lot of difference in the "Feel" of a good lock & an ordinary one. I wasn't implying that at all. The difference is however, it appears to me, not so much in the design itself as the workmanship in the great ones. The smoothest & best feeling hammer lock I have is on a ca 1863-65 W & C Scott pinfire. I don't know who made them, but they are nice.