T/C Hawken in 45 caliber

[Charlie Sometimes]

Been watching for one for a while now, and stumbled onto one at gunshow today- cheap!
Pretty good shape- bore was left dirty, and has some light rust.
It is soaking overnight (Kroil) right now, and will get a good scrubbing tomorrow!

I disassembled this one to check the lock and clean the set triggers, and found an orange tag with a 5 digit number on it under the rear of the trigger guard placed there by the factory I guess. The number does not match the serial number on the barrel.

I've never noticed that on others I have taken apart before.

Any ideas?

[dualsport]

Sounds like an inspectors/quality control number tag. Just guessing.

[mooman76]

Might be some kind of production number or if he sent it in to be repaired could be a traking number of some sorts.

[GabbyM]

It could indeed have been sent in for a trigger group repair. My TC Hawkins has sprung triggers from way back when I was a teenager. Shot it with heavy loads long after all my nipples were severely worn out. The hammer would re cock from all the gas coming out the nipple. Eventually I messed up the trigger. Can't set it light anymore and the double set is really hosed up. So my advise would be to never run out of new spare nipples.

[Charlie Sometimes]

It could indeed have been sent in for a trigger group repair. My TC Hawkins has sprung triggers from way back when I was a teenager. Shot it with heavy loads long after all my nipples were severely worn out. The hammer would re cock from all the gas coming out the nipple. Eventually I messed up the trigger. Can't set it light anymore and the double set is really hosed up. So my advise would be to never run out of new spare nipples.

You do know that you can send the triggers, etc. back and they will repair it for free, don't you? They will sell you replacement nipples, too, but there are a lot of after market nipples out there now more efficient- Knight Red Hot, etc. I think they are 1/4-28 threaded.

I've got a Renegade that I have never had to take the trigger guard off of- I'll see if it has a tag.

When I first read your post, the part "after all my nipples were severely worn out." maded me think, "That's gotta hurt!"

[lonewolf5347]

5 digit number BARREL
I would say late 70's not made by t/c more like Douglas barrel company
I was told by a old timer there one day over the phone the early 4 digits were Saron barrel then douglas.
I have a 50 cal. 5 digit and I can tell you it tack drive RB and patch with 95 grains of 3F goex\
I did have a sharon barrel in 50 cal. or 45 can't remember but it was a rust bucket
I had a few with dark bores and pitts funny thing they still shot excellent the J@B bore paste and kroil works wonders.I would go with a 54 bore brush on a 50 cal.

[Charlie Sometimes]

The rifle has a 6 digit barrel number (53xxxx) and the orange tag is 5 digits (09xxx).
Not anywhere near matching.

Douglas Barrels is about 40 miles from me, and they still do great work.

It cleaned up okay after soaking all night in Kroil- couldn't see the rifling in it for all the crud yesterday, but now it looks pretty good.
Now, I just need to shoot it some and get the barrel seasoned again.

I love these traditional Thompson/Center rifles!
I wouldn't hit a bull in the a$$ with an in-line (might as well be carrying a centerfire).
Too bad T/C still don't make the variety they did 30 years ago now.

[Tom W.]

My first T/C Hawken wouldn't hit the inside of a barn if the muzzle was pressed against the wall. I sent the whole thing back to T/C and they sent me a new one. I replaced the adjustable sights with a set of T/C fixed sights and was very happy until my lock broke. I sent THAT back and all has been well since. It will cloverleaf a patched round ball load at 75 yards easily. I have the set trigger set very lightly....


I missed out on being able to get a "Big Boar" .58 cal...

[dualsport]

I had one way back traded it off, like the fool that I am. The old TCs are great in my opinion. I have an early one with a bolster and interchangeable locks (flint and perc.) in .50 that shoots good. About that first post, the hammer blowing back from gas pressure is a sign of too much pressure, I believe. I have a TC White Mountain carbine in .54 that is nice, knocks hell out of critters. The only .58 I have anymore is a Zouave, a little long for a huntin' gun, but not really that heavy, shoots round balls ok, not great. I love shooting my muzzleloaders, wish I had that Big Boar back.

[Geraldo]

The rifle has a 6 digit barrel number (53xxxx) and the orange tag is 5 digits (09xxx).
Not anywhere near matching.

Douglas Barrels is about 40 miles from me, and they still do great work.

It cleaned up okay after soaking all night in Kroil- couldn't see the rifling in it for all the crud yesterday, but now it looks pretty good.
Now, I just need to shoot it some and get the barrel seasoned again.

I love these traditional Thompson/Center rifles!
I wouldn't hit a bull in the a$$ with an in-line (might as well be carrying a centerfire).
Too bad T/C still don't make the variety they did 30 years ago now.

Charlie,

I have a .45 20th Anniversary barrel that has a slightly lower serial number than yours, so you've got a 1990s rifle. That's as close as you can get to getting a year of production as TC no longer has records. Does yours have the QLA at the muzzle? I just wonder because my .45 does and that might be why you can't see the rifling all that well. I have no idea if they added the QLA wholesale or just on hit and miss barrel runs.

TC doesn't make the variety they did years ago, but Green Mountain barrels and old Hawkens and Renegades are pretty plentiful. On those two TC stocks I shoot a variety of TC and GM flint or percussion barrels in .40 through .62. It's the poor man's rifle battery.

[testhop]

the qlawas for fast loading sabos or maxie ball .
i have one that i couldnt get the patch round ball to work , the patch wouldroll to one side so i had the qla cut off shoots great now.

[Charlie Sometimes]

Nope, no QLA. The rifling comes clear to the end.
Barrel is 29+ inches long.
I got it cleaned, after a LOT of scrubbing and an overnight soaking, and you can see them just fine now.
From the look of it, it had been a while since anyone even thought about cleaning it.
Light rust all the way down, along with the fouling- patch after patch red with rust before i got a smooth pass.
Doesn't appear to be hurt any- the rifling that I can now clearly see is good.

I'm gonna clean it again this weekend to see what else comes out before I start shooting it.

[Charlie Sometimes]

Cleaned it again today- got more crude out, and it's got a real smooth tip to tail feel to it now. I used good ol' HOT, soapy water, followed by a good swabbing with undiluted Balistol.

Next week sometime, maybe, I might get to shoot it- deer rifle season starts on Monday!

[Charlie Sometimes]

Finally got to shoot it last Saturday (1-23-10)! Started with the 440 RB, and standard TC patches (prelubed that I had on hand), with 40 and 45 gr. loads of FFFg Goex (from a can of powder 25 years old).
It didn't shoot too bad, but the bore feels like it needs fired more to reseason it. After two shots, I needed to clean it to get the patched RB's to go past 8 inches. When clean, they go down real smooth. I ended up cleaning after every 4th shot by the time I was done firing. I'd like it to be at least 5, but closer to 10.
Patching was a little dry too. I fixed that by adding some Crisco to them today to soften them. They probably been sitting too long and dried out. Next time we'll see.
440 RB didn't quite seem to be tight enough with this patching. I could start them into the bore with my thumb. Gonna try 445 RB next to see, then some 45 Maxi-Balls with a double/heavier load.

[part_timer]

Sound like it's coming right along. I have a Renegade in 54 that I like a lot. I got it in about the same condition as your was in but it shoots deer just fine now. Some day I'll rework the stock but for now I figure a few more scratches in it won't be noticed.

[mooman76]

A tighter patch/ball combo will probably help clean the bore some. Try a thicker patch until you can get some 445 balls. Should shoot allot better also when you tighten it up.

[waksupi]

Charlie, go up to around 60-65 grains, and moose milk lube. Should be able to shoot all day without fouling the barrel, with pretty close to the right load.

[Charlie Sometimes]

I've got the 445 RB's (I have Lyman molds for both- and have several hundred of each ready to go).

I just ran a spit patch down the bore to clean, so it wasn't bad to remove the build up.
Spit patch, and then two dry ones- pop a cap, and go back to shooting!

I will try the 60-65 gr. loads next time- with the 445's. My old rifle always worked well in the 40-45 gr. range for target popping, so that is where I started.
I will make some moose milk to use, too. When I used to attend regular matches more formally, back in the day, I always loaded with a spit patch- kept them in my mouth, and the bore stayed clean enough to last through the match (50 shots, usually).

I only use prelubed patches when hunting.

[thumper50]

Try 70gr 3f goex,felt wad and 245gr maxiball. Drives tacks at 50yd in my .45 hawken!!

[vulture47]

I used to shoot in our local black powder rifle events some years ago and we could shoot all day without cleaning the bores once and all we used were patches we would stick in our mouths and get nice and wet. This is a very poor idea if you are hunting and for that I always used lubed patches, but for shot after shot during a shooting seasion the "spit" patch is great. Each damp patch tends to clean the bore from the previous shot just enough that the rifle continues to load smooth and fouling doesn't get a chance to build up as bad. I have a Leman style rifle built by me using a Greenriver barrel in .54, a flintlock built using a Green Mountain barrel, and a .54 caplock using a Green Mountain barrel built around a Southern Mountain style stock. All of them shot very well with the good old stand by spit patch.