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H.W. Robbins flintlock
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Greenhorn
posted
Bear with me on this as I know just enough to be dangerous. I picked up a cap lock from a flea market a little while ago and am wondering about the lock. Where I would like to use the rifle is at a club shoot for flintlocks only. I have read other threads on the difficulty in converting a cap to a flint, but I just want to consider the possibility before I decide what to do with the rifle. It seems possible IF I can find a flint version of the same lock and simply drop it in and add a touch hole liner. However, I have never seen this lock brand anywhere. Before I start randomly cold calling various vendors, I was hoping someone on the forum could point me to the right vendors and save some phone time.

The lock is branded on the inside with the name H.W. Robbins stamped in a script lettering. My searches on this forum as well as the general internet are failing miserably. The lock itself is very close to the size of a cva pistol lock that I have but the location of the sear is much farther back. When I first saw the rifle that was my thought that I might be able to use the cva lock in it but the internal configuration is laid out differently so that is not practical.

Has anyone ever seen this brand of lock before and know if they were made in flint? More importantly, where might a person might turn one up?

thanks
 
Posts: 20 | Location: Michigan | Registered: 30 May 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
Picture of andy*
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Harold Robbins locks show up in older MuzzleBlasts magazine adds from the 60's and 70's...he seemed to be a maker of a high quality lock...not sure I would mess with it....if it was mine.
When I get more time, I will go through those back issues and see what I can find for you.
Andy


Follow me I am the Infantry
 
Posts: 668 | Location: Everson, Washington | Registered: 27 June 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Factor
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One place to look would be in either old Track of the Wolf catalogs or Dixie Gun Works catalogs. Those, however, will only tell you if Robbins made flintlocks or not, and what size those locks were. That information would tend to be a real tease because you'd still have to find one of those locks. Robbins had a very good reputation and, if you haven't already, do some shooting with that rifle as a percussion. It might perform so well that you won't want to convert it. Also, you can measure the lock plate and see what lock you can find will come the closest, such as an L&R. Then you might be able to modify a flint's lock plate to fit your gun, rather than re-inlet to fit a new lock. And that can add up to a lot of work. Maybe you should just buy a good flintlock rifle for using in those club shoots. Shoot sharp, Mike
 
Posts: 3531 | Location: Pacific Northwest | Registered: 25 October 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Greenhorn
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Harold W. Robbins was from Ypsilanti, Michigan and made quality locks back in 70's for custom builders for sure. The lock on your rifle likely was the smaller Kentucky style lock with a size of 4 5/8" x 15/16" which is a little bigger than the CVA 4 7/16" x 7/8" locks. Robbins made a flintlock that had dimensions of 5 1/32" x 15/16"s or quite larger plate size.

I'm curiious...does your rifle have any markings as to who built the rifle or a barrel company stamping of any sorts? Is it half stock or full stock? You might have a noteworthy rifle to offer in trade for a flintlock?

Ray
 
Posts: 17 | Location: Minnesota | Registered: 29 May 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Greenhorn
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Yeah, that is what I was afraid of. Reference to it might be found in an old magazine but not as new stock off the shelf today. I don't see it listed by that name in the current offerengs at track or dixie but was hoping that perhaps Robbins was still out there or that a new maker was matching the pattern. I figured if anyone knew that answer offhand, they would be found in the forum.

Without going into too much unnecessary detail, my very soon to be wife is not a shooter but I have drug her to a couple voo's and she seems to enjoy them. She has shot a couple events with my flinter and is willing to keep doing it. But, it would be much nicer if she had her own kit especially as she is about 1/3 my size. I figure to build her one someday, but that is not going to happen this year given the upcoming wedding. I was helping a buddy move some furnature out of an antique mall a few weeks ago and there was this cute little rifle on the wall calling my name. Full stock of beautiflly stripped maple, wire inlay and about 2/3 standard size which is about perfect for her. Not a shortened carbine, but a scaled down rifle at a steal of a price. Seemed a perfect (and admitedly self serving) wedding gift for her. Our main voo is flinter only and the lock plate is so close to the cva pistol lock that I thought I could easily make it work but was wrong due to the internal workings being different proportion. I guess it was asking a bit much for a dumb luck find, but it was worth a try and certainly not a waste.

Yes, I can cut a fresh plate and mount the internal workings on it add a flint hammer, but at that point I have crossed the line for modifying an existing rifle that is already fully operational. So I will leave it as cap for now and just keep watch at the trade shows in the parts bins in the future.

Don't waste your time scanning old magazines just for this purpose, but if you happen to run accross some information at random I would appreciate if you dropped me a line. I appreciate the information.
 
Posts: 20 | Location: Michigan | Registered: 30 May 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Greenhorn
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Ray

Sorry, your post did not appear on my screen until after I posted my reply just now. I have not pulled the barrel yet but there are no markings visible on it. The stock is full stock, just reduced scale. There are initials on the wrist of the stock in wire inlay and I cannot remember them but I think RH. It has a bit of a greenish cast to the stock color which I think indicates real acid coloring but that is stretching my technical expertise. The trigger is set farther back then I am used to and it requires you to set the trigger before cocking the hammer which I believe is referred to as a single set trigger and is the first one that I have ever handled like that (which also may be why that rifle was for sale at a low price, they probably thought it was broken). The overall rifle looks custom built to me and I assumed by the person with the initials on wrist. That is the dark spot in my story, finding this neat little rifle in a second hand store so any history behind it is lost. I was hoping there might be something written on the stock under the barrel or butt plate, but was starting with the lock issue itself before going bonkers on the rest of it.

I have the lock with me at the moment in case there were questions about it, but the rifle itself is where I won't be for a couple of days to look at it more closely and maybe figure out how to post a picture if that helps.

However, I really appreciate knowing more about it. Did Robbins build his locks from parts or was he a manfactuing shop? Was he specifically a lock maker or did he do full builds? The fact that he was in Ypsi is very cool to know as I am in central Michigan and used to work in Ypsi. Plus, doing an internet search on the whole name of Harold Robbins as opposed to H W Robbins gives me a few things to look though so your information is a big help. I don't expect to come up with a drop in lock like I wanted, but it is nice to just know more about what I do have and I appreciate it.
 
Posts: 20 | Location: Michigan | Registered: 30 May 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Greenhorn
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]
quote:
smaller Kentucky style lock with a size of 4 5/8" x 15/16" which is a little bigger than the CVA 4 7/16" x 7/8" locks. Robbins made a flintlock that had dimensions of 5 1/32" x 15/16"s or quite larger plate size.


Yes, it is slightly over 4-5/8 long by 15/16 as you say. Since you know their flintlocks were larger then I know that I am barking up the wrong tree and really appreciate the info on it. The cva pistol lock I have is close enough that it would have fit, but the trigger sear in the Robbins is quit a bit longer so modifying it that much is impractical. I will pull the barrel and let you know what I find, but will not bother with any more thoughts of turning it into a flinter.

If it turns out it does have some level of collectors value, then using it for trade for another suitable size rifle might be a good option.

thanks for all the help.
 
Posts: 20 | Location: Michigan | Registered: 30 May 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Hivernant
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Make a tracing of the lock plate and send it to Dixie or TotW.
 
Posts: 129 | Location: Southern California | Registered: 28 April 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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