Opinions on L&R Durrs egg and Bailes/Manton locks

[RU shooter]

gonna be ordering the parts for my next rifle for my winter project gonna be a generic "southern" 36 cal , Was gonna order a chamber late Ketland but seems everyone is out of stock , I have a LR classic lock on my other flinter and am happy with it. For those who see and buy more locks than me is there any reason to not go with either the Egg or the slightly smaller Bailes/manton lock ? yes I know there little earlier than most late flint southern mountain era rifles but this is just gonna be a shooter and hunting rifle for me so historically time line correctness is not a big deal

Thanks,Tim

[Stonecrusher]

Of those locks I only have experience with the Bailes. L&R products always seem great, but this little lock was a pain in the ****. I too put it on a little .36 and found it very sensitive to the flint length. There seemed to be about a 1/16" tolerance where it would allow the flint to stay off the frizzen at half cock and also function. While I prefer flintlocks, I finally got so disgusted with it that I converted it to percussion. Others may have different experiences. Perhaps my half-cock notch was cut incorrectly. Every other L&R lock I have seen has been dependable in every respect.

[curator]

I have one each of these on rifles I have built. The Durs Egg lock is one third larger than the Bailes/Manton. Both are excellent locks but did benefit from a careful polishing of their innards. Of the two, the Bailes/Manton seems slightly faster but as Stonecrusher points out is particular about flint length. The Durs Egg lock takes a bigger flint and can operate reliably with just about anything that you can clamp in the jaws.

[RU shooter]

I have one each of these on rifles I have built. The Durs Egg lock is one third larger than the Bailes/Manton. Both are excellent locks but did benefit from a careful polishing of their innards. Of the two, the Bailes/Manton seems slightly faster but as Stonecrusher points out is particular about flint length. The Durs Egg lock takes a bigger flint and can operate reliably with just about anything that you can clamp in the jaws. Thanks, Yes Ive noticed that the Bailes is approx 1/16 more narrow and 1/4 shorter in length , What size flints is it designed to use 3/4 square? Also is the Durrs Egg about same size as the late Ketland? The Egg just looks little narrower and longer in the pictures Ive seen of the two side. by side

[curator]

RU shooter:

My Bailes/Manton lock works best with 5/8 square flints. The Durs Egg likes 5/8X3/4. I only buy English flints from TOW.

[musty nugget]

My experience tells me bigger is better, more reliable and more consistent ignition.

[RU shooter]

Thanks again. I had a horrible time with the English flits in my LR classic lock after about 10 shots with a new flint I would start getting miss fires more often than not ,changed to the Tex/Ark flints that MBS sells for a buck a piece and haven't had a problem since first flint prob has 50 shots on it and still nice and sharp and sparking well at half the price .

[waksupi]

Thanks again. I had a horrible time with the English flits in my LR classic lock after about 10 shots with a new flint I would start getting miss fires more often than not ,changed to the Tex/Ark flints that MBS sells for a buck a piece and haven't had a problem since first flint prob has 50 shots on it and still nice and sharp and sparking well at half the price .

Sounds like your frizzen needs hardened. Look at it, and I will bet the Arky flints are eating your frizzen away.

[RU shooter]

I'll take ur word for it that it does I don't have enough experience with them to know either way but the only real gouges in it happened from the English flints at the initial impact point where the flint first hits . I'll try to post a pic after work tonight so you can see .

OK here it is best one I could take with my phone, As I said the gouge line at top was in there before I started using the American flint/chert, there are scrapes down the frizzen but not deep at all . theres approx 400 strikes on it ,So what do ya think?

Thanks,Tim
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