Good advice semisane, I appreciate it. I will give it a shot tomorrow and see what happens. I will let you know how it goes. Thanks again.

wbj

Well, I called Lyman this morning just to see what they would say. They were very nice and told me to file the top of the left plate, and that if I wasnt comfortable with that, they would make other arrangements. I told them I would try but I didnt want to void the warranty, they said it would not. The guns fit and finish I am happy with and dont want to send it anywhere and it get damaged. I filed the left plate and the pin still would not go in. So I put a slight bend in the pin,(those pins are hard to bend), and tried again. It still didnt fit, but with a slight tap with the handle of my hammer, it went through! What a nice looking and feeling gun when its all together! I want to thank everyone for the help and advice, I appreciate it.

wbj

WildBillJr

Glad you got it... It is always hard to make permanent changes in a gun ya love...

You are right. But now that I got it together, I couldnt be happier. The barrel to stock fit is great. The wood is beautiful, and it balances and handles like a dream! If this thing shoots good, my other guns are gonna feel like orphans! All I need now is a good leather sling and I will be ready to go. I lucked out and my Deerstalker came with adjustable fiber optic sights, Pachmyer Decelerator recoil pad, and a stainless nipple. I wasnt expecting those options. I couldnt be happier and cant wait till I am able to shoot it! Thanks for all the help and patience guys!

wbj

Wildbill.
I'm glad it worked out for you. I much prefer to bend the pin than file on the plates. Those steel pins are tough to bend. To bend the pin, I put it in a vise to about the place I want the bend, protecting the finish from the vise's teeth with a bit of thin hard plastic, and strike the top of the pin with a fairly heavy soft hammer. I bend a little at a time until it will almost go through the inner plate. Then I tap it through. I have done several for friends this way, and have never heard of one falling out.

I can't remember if I had to bend my Deerstalker pin, but when I got my now almost 40 year old TC Hawkin flintlock, it came from the factory with a slight bend in the brass pin. It was bent enough that I had to tap it in and out.

That's why I suggested bending the pin in the first place. You can always bend it a bit more or restraighten it bent too much.
And you don't have to worry about touching up the blueing on the plate after filing it.