What is the origin of “lock, stock & barrel”, and precisely what does it mean?
Got this from http://www.quinion.com/words/qa/qa-loc1.htm:
"From Jesse J Wasserman: ‘What is the source of the expression lock, stock and barrel?’
"Could this question perhaps have some connection with the film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels? As that film title suggests, the expression originated with guns. The lock was the firing mechanism of early types of firearms, such as the firelock, flintlock, and matchlock. It’s likely the name was given to the mechanism because it looked a bit like the primitive door locks of the period. The stock is the wooden handle of such a firearm. The complete weapon consisted just of the three parts of lock, stock and barrel, so the expression means “everything, the whole thing”. Perhaps oddly, it came into use only in the nineteenth century, when such weapons were long obsolete. The first reference in the Oxford English Dictionary is to a letter of Sir Walter Scott’s of 1817: “She wants stock, lock, and barrel, to put her into repair”. It seems the expression was invented as a deliberate archaism, something for which Sir Walter Scott was well known, and it may in fact have come from him. "
I’d have to disagree that firearms (they’re not weapons unless used as such) referenced were obsolete in the 19th Century. In 1817 (the year OED gives as the first use) flintlocks were still widely used and manufactured. They were eventually supplanted by firearms that used a percussion system of ignition instead of the flint-and-steel method. These were called percussion locks on rifles and muskets and single-fire pistols. The first successful revolver was made by Sam Colt in 1840-something and was called the “Patterson”. It used a percussion ignition system, aka “cap and ball”. Percussion lock firearms were used throughout the Civil War, with metallic cartridge firing breechloaders not coming until late in the war. Even until the end of the century there were a lot of percussion Colt revolvers in use (the Model 1851 was particularly popular).
So I don’t think the phrase was archaic in the 19th Century.
Actually, flintlocks are still manufactured and sold today. Percussion cap firearms are more common though - you can buy them at Walmart. They seem kinda strange to me - an old fashioned design built of stainless steel and black polymer.
Kalshnikov: While it’s true that flintlocks and caplocks are still sold to this day, they are not the “industry standard” that they were until the late-mid-1800s.
(BTW: My Colt 1851 Navy revolvers are modern replicas by Uberti.)
Before guns were mass produced, most were hand-crafted by a gunsmith (I’m thinking of the colonial U.S. between about 1550-1800). Since each one was, in effect, “hand made” they could be ordered to specifications, like a new car today. You could place an order for the type of stock you wanted (what kind of wood, how intricate the carving, etc.), the type of lock (while most guns during this time were flintlocks (wheel or matchlock earlier on, caplock later, but mostly flintlock) there were several different designs of flintlock to choose from), and what type of barrel you wanted (what caliber? length? engraving? smoothbore or rifled?). It was even possible to purchase the stock from the local woodworker/carpenter and the lock and barrel from the local gunsmith, and have the whole gun assembled by one or the other.
I have usually heard the expression “lock, stock, & barrel” used as “…(they) bought it lock, stock, and barrel” or “…(he/she/it) got what they wanted lock, stock, and barrel”. As someone already pointed out, it is taken to mean “the whole thing, specifically a compilation of parts available separately but assembled as a whole.”
An analogy which would be applicable today: “monitor, CPU, and modem”, a collection of separate items which may be ordered individually but are then assembled into what many people consider a single unit (“computer”).
Good taste in C&B revolvers Johnny. One of navies is the only non-Uberti (An F.L. Pietta, it was my first I didn’t know any beter) I own but the other as well as a pair of '60 armies, a second dragoon and Walker are all Cimarron/Uberti. The navies are my favorite main match guns. Nice to see some technology that hasn’t needed improvements in 150 years. Do you shoot CAS by any chance?
The lock stock and barrel analogy can still be applied to modern long arms. While sidelock mechanisms are not used in modern arms a custom Timney or Jewell trigger is lockwork in my book and I really like the McMillan custom stock on my rifle.
Thanks, Padeye. What’s CAS? You sound like someone who’d appreciate one of my collection: A Winchester Mod. 1892 made in 1987 in .32-20 calibre. It was refinished at some point, and it’s a nice professional job. The bore is a little pitted, as can be expected in a rifle that probably used black powder cartirdges in its life, but still very good. Shoots very nice.
Don’t use the past tense here 
A friend of mine is trying to make a living off of hand-made black powder/flint lock/whatever rifles. I don’t know a lot about non-semi-automatic guns, but the stuff Mike turns out is beautiful.
I still refer to the action of my rifles as the lock.
Marc
CAS is Cowboy Action Shooting™, under the auspices of SASS® The most fun you can have with your pants on. Cross SCA with IDPA/IPSC, shift it to the late 1800s and take out the petty gamesmanship and cutthroat competition and you have a good picture. I’m currently doing about two matches a month, 6-8 main match stages plus long range side matches with various rifles and handgun. Some action shooters get to do three gun matches once in a while, with us virutally every stage is a four gun match. Two revolvers, lever rifle in pistol calibers (.32 cal and above) and shotgun. Everything has to be 19th century or a replica except for modern class which allows blackhawks and other pistols with adjustable sights. I shoot frontiersman which is C&B revolver, side by side or lever action shotgun (pump shotguns with hammers like '97 Winchesters are allowed in other classes) and black powder in all rifle cartridges and shotshells.
Nice collection you have there. I don’t own any originals. My main rifle is a navy Arms/Uberti '73 Winchester replica and backup is a Winchester/Miroku '92, both in .44-40.
Padeye
AKA Morgan Randall
SASS Badge #32875
Oops. The rifle was made in 1897, not 1987. 104 years old.
I also have a Mod. 1894 built in 1932 in .30-30 calibre. It has the (long) rifle barrel, which is octagon, and the rifle stocks. The receiver has been case-hardened and it looks really nice. Although I’ve had it to a gunsmith, the hammer can still be dropped from half-cock by pulling the trigger. The couldn’t seem to fix it.
I have been told (and it does seem to fit) that when you buy something Lock, Stock, and Barrel that it comes from purchasing a business or piece of Property.
i.e. You would get the Lock for the gate, door, etc.
and the Stock (inventory, cattle, serfs, workers, buildings and so on) and anything in the barrel, usually the properties water stock, but possibly fuel oil, lard, butter or whatever would be in the barrels at the property.
I have absolutely no backup for this but it does sound correct and does not involve firearms (unless they were in the stock or the barrel.
mapsmith, the version you heard is a folk etymology, created by folks who heard the phrase, but were sufficiently unfamiliar with firearms (particularly the old muzzleloaders) to not have not made the association.
The origin of “lock, stock, and barrel” from the primary sections of a rifle or musket are pretty well established.
The “store” version is pretty widely disseminated. It is, however, incorrect.
TommnDebb
However, with the usage seeming to occur before the ready availability of firearms (remember many early firearms were in actuality fired by the ignition of powder thru a “touchhole”) the property usage must have some validity to a point.
I believe that someone referenced Sir Walter Scott and pointed out that they thought that he was using an archaic reference. This would indicate usage probably in Europe prior to the United States. In most of Europe, firearms were and still are allowed only by the military. So to get something Lock Stock and Barrel you would have to purchase thru the proper channels and there were no proper channels to obtain firearms.
But discussions like this is why there are boards like this.
Actually, mapsmith, the quote is “deliberate archaism”. Like saying “groovy”. Flintlocks had been around for a long time in 1817, the date of Scott’s quote. Before that there were wheellocks and matchlocks – all “locks”. The OED says Scott may have invented the phrase because there is no reference to it before Scott’s letter. But if it’s a deliberate archaism, that implies that it, or something like it, may have been used in the past and had gone out of fashion.
I also don’t think you had to go through “proper channels” to get a gun. A cite would be helpful. Firearms were very expensive so the average person did not own one, but I doubt you needed to get a permit. AFAIK, all you needed to purchase a firearm a hundred or three hundred years ago was money.