Traditional Muzzleloading Association

Shooting Traditional Firearms and Weapons => General Interest => Topic started by: greyhunter on December 21, 2012, 06:35:36 AM

Title: Dog lock
Post by: greyhunter on December 21, 2012, 06:35:36 AM
I have seen this style lock on Heritage Arms muskets, but never mentioned here. Or apparently not used by some of our fine builders here. Is it too dangerous, unreliable, or unused in colonial America? It seems to me if they were used in the Napolianic Wars, they would have found their way to our colonies. I could do research, but that's not as much fun as hearing from our learned membership.  :notworthy
Title: Re: Dog lock
Post by: mario on December 21, 2012, 10:44:37 PM
Short answer:

The doglock was a fairly early form of the flintlock. It replaced the English lock and was obsolete by the 1740s and rare by the 1770s.

What we know today as a "flintlock" was invented by the French in the 1st half of the 17th century. Took the English a bit of time to catch up.

Mario
Title: Re: Dog lock
Post by: ridjrunr on December 21, 2012, 11:02:50 PM
Is that the same lock that is on a Crookson fouler?
Title: Re: Dog lock
Post by: mario on December 22, 2012, 03:43:04 AM
Quote from: "ridjrunr"
Is that the same lock that is on a Crookson fowler?

Yes.

Mario
Title: Re: Dog lock
Post by: greyhunter on December 22, 2012, 12:54:53 PM
Was the outside of the dog locks extra lever, a half cock position? And how did it function, manual or spring controlled? I betcha ol pitchy could make one!
Title: Re: Dog lock
Post by: Feltwad on December 22, 2012, 02:36:36 PM
The dog lock was a safety device that held the cock just short of the full cock postion and when pulled to full cock tipped of the dog lock . I have a large bore early  type of dog lock which has no half cock postion and no bridle.
Feltwad
A Flint Lock will not sercure a chicken house door
Title: Re: Dog lock
Post by: gunmaker on December 22, 2012, 06:02:53 PM
Can we see it please ?...........Tom
Title: Re: Dog lock
Post by: greyhunter on December 22, 2012, 08:12:05 PM
Ivan Henry Trading Co, has a doglock blunderbuss for sale.
Title: Re: Dog lock
Post by: mario on December 23, 2012, 12:13:48 AM
http://therifleshoppe.com/catalog_pages ... glocks.htm (http://therifleshoppe.com/catalog_pages/doglocks/doglocks.htm)

Not spring loaded. When engaged, the force of the mainspring on the cock holds it in place.

With the one I had, it became second nature to pull the cock back with my thumb and flip the dog- catch up with my little finger.

Mario
Title: Re: Dog lock
Post by: Feltwad on December 23, 2012, 02:01:00 AM
Enclosed are a couple of images of big bore guns
The gun third from the left which is 2 bore is fitted with a dog lock
Feltwad
Title: Re: Dog lock
Post by: greyhunter on December 23, 2012, 07:21:41 AM
That's a dandy picture Feltwad ! Really shows the simplicity of the lock.
Title: Re: Dog lock
Post by: Roaddog on December 24, 2012, 05:43:28 AM
Grate photoes Feltwad and thank you. Any one of those guns looks like it would be quite a hand full.
Title: Re: Dog lock
Post by: Riley/MN on December 24, 2012, 09:48:29 AM
If third from left is 2 bore, what the heck is in the middle?
Title: Re: Dog lock
Post by: Riley/MN on December 24, 2012, 09:55:27 AM
Found this pic online...

(http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4632745846770161&pid=1.7)
Title: Re: Dog lock
Post by: Uncle Russ on December 24, 2012, 01:09:03 PM
Riley, that picture is the only "dog lock" I have ever seen.
However, from the reading it seems some, and probably many, were more mechanical than the simple "safety" it was always thought to be.  

Uncle Russ..
Title: Re: Dog lock
Post by: Riley/MN on December 24, 2012, 03:37:47 PM
I posted it before I looked at the link that Mario posted. That is basically the same lock. I did see one that was a little different at a gun shop a couple years back - I wish I had taken a closer look...
Title: Re: Dog lock
Post by: Captchee on December 25, 2012, 04:55:05 AM
i have used dog locks a couple times
  They were used  in colonial America.
 Mostly you will find them on  smooth bores . And some fowlers like the Hudson Valley .
 As you can see ,  in Feltwads photos , they are a rather big lock