One TC Hawken for two stone arrow heads

[Boerrancher]

My arrowhead hunting buddy Steve had been after for several years to make him a couple of Cahokia style points. This past Sat., at the local gun club, Steve told me he had a couple of broken side lock muzzleloaders that I could have if he could find them. I told him I would swing by tue or wed that I had finally made him a couple Cahokia points, (the only point from the mid west he doesn't have in his authentic collection) and I would trade him those cahokia points for the muzzleloaders. Yesterday I went over to his farm and give him the points. He went in the other room and came out dragging this TC Hawken. He told me about 10 years ago he loaded it and went to shoot it, the primer went but nothing else, so he put it up. I looked at it and it had an ignition system for large rifle primers.

When I got it home a few hours later the first chore was to unload it. I put the ball puller on the rod and run the screw in the ball and give a yank. The rod came lose. I lost my grip on it and it went flying across the basement. I sat the rifle back in the cleaning rack and waked over to the rod and there was a lead round ball on the end of it. OK this is going better than I though. I fished out the patch and dumped out the powder, which was a pyrodex pellet. After a good scraping of the breech I went to work on the ignition system. It was badly corroded. I cleaned it up with a copper brush and soaked it in PB blaster to set over night.

This morning I tried a pair of vice grips on it to no avail, and then found a torx bit that I could drive in it. I drove it into it as deep as I could get it and put an adjustable wrench on it and gave it a twist it was tight. I had to put the barrel back in the stock to hold it and with a 12 inch cheater bar on the wrench handle I was able to get it to break loose. I cleaned everything up and put in a real nipple. Dumped 70 grains of Goex 2FG in it patched a 495 round ball and went out on the deck. It went bang and hit close to the rock I was half heartedly aiming at. I then tossed a soda can out at about 35 long steps and shot it 9 more times until there was nothing left of the can.

After a bath in some hot water and a good wipe down with WD40 inside and out I put it back together and took a few pics. I don't get all the gold work on it. Is that a TC thing or did who ever put the kit together do that? I assume it was built from a kit because the serial # starts with a K, as you will see in one of the photos.

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk155/Boerrancher/Boolits/Firearms/TCHawkenA.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk155/Boerrancher/Boolits/Firearms/TCHawkenB.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk155/Boerrancher/Boolits/Firearms/TCHawkenC.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk155/Boerrancher/Boolits/Firearms/TCHawkenD.jpg

Now I don't think I did to bad on this deal, 2 small arrowheads for a good looking TC Hawken that seems to shoot really well. I guess my boys will have something to grow into. I only wish it was a rock lock but I am not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Best wishes and thanks for looking,

Joe

[tomme boy]

Nice! I have never seen one with the gold inlay. Must have been the person that built it.

[xcr440]

Nice trade. Love the gold inlay.

[451 Pete]

Joe,
That is a nice looking Hawken. Looking at the pictures you posted it is hard to tell if it was made from a kit or came from the factory like that. If it was a kit someone did a nice job.
TC did make some rifles that were limited edition's. I have a limited edition TC here with a laminated wood stock that I purchased that way many years ago. I think I remember seeing one like yours with the gold in the engraving but I just cant say for sure. It has been too long and I have brain fade I guess. Either way you have a very nice looking rifle to enjoy.

Take care .... Pete

[John Taylor]

If I remember correctly, the K at the beginning of the number means it is a kit gun.
Many years ago a close friend was out of work and going broke. He called me and asked if I wanted his horse for free because he could not afford to feed it any more. The same day another friend called and said he was looking for a horse for his kids. I knew he had a T/C Hawkin that he wasn't using so I told him if he called our mutual friend and offered a trade of his rifle for the horse that he would probably go for it. The next day the first friend came over and showed me his new rifle that he got for the horse. I did not let on that I knew about the deal before hand. Had one of those feel good moments. Both friends were very happy with the trade.

[Mk42gunner]

Joe,

It looks to me like whoever finished the kit used one of the Forster-Bonanza gold filling kits on all the stampoing and cast in engraving on the gun.

I used to see those kits in gunstores for less than $20.00, and always wondered how the gold filling would look.

Robert

[Hang Fire]

Nice, you did good.

[Boerrancher]

Thanks fellas. I honestly thought when he told me it was loaded and had been misfired over 10 years ago and set in the closet the barrel would be ruined. There was a bit of light rust in the bore but it wasn't deep and bad enough to tear up cleaning patches. By the time I shot it 10 times it was just as slick and nice as it was when it was new. I figure by the time I shoot it a dozen or so more times any and all evidence of the light rust will be nothing but a faded memory. If I can repeat the total destruction of a soda can at 60 yards like I did at 30 I will be convinced that it is a good one.

Best wishes,

Joe

[Newtire]

Nice deal! I'll bet a native American would have liked the deal you got "back in the day"! "Hey Flaming Arrow, check out the deal I got from the white man down at the soldier fort!"

I picked up a couple of those pens at a stationery store that do silver and gold and used the silver one on a Remington 1100. I just smeared it in and wiped off the excess, looks real great and stays there about forever.