[Peevie]

T/C Hawken Troubles

Does the barrel sit well in the stock?....Does the muzzle crown look ok?
I've pretty much come to the conclusion that buying a rifle is like buying a used car..either you get a good one or you don't. May be something loose somewhere or the muzzle crown isn't as true as it should be.
Have you tried patched round balls in the Hawken? Depending on your barrel twist, which usually most Hawkens are made for conicals or sabots, it could be your projectiles. How old is the rifle and do you remember what the twist rate is on the barrel?

 

[bubba]

T/C Hawken Troubles

when was the last time the gun had a good thorough cleaning? Are the sites tight? Have you tried roind balls? They usually seem to shoot when some other things don't. Just a few suggestions. Are you shooting Back Powder or a substitute?

 

[savageT]

T/C Hawken Troubles

From the on-line catalog.........


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In .50 and .54 Caliber Cap Lock or .50 Caliber Flint Lock.
Undoubtedly the most copied rifle in the history of firearms, the T/C HawkenTM was designed for the American shooter. This is a top quality firearm - every bit as fine as the one your great, great granddaddy carried across his saddle pommel or packed along on the wagon train. It captures the romance of the original but it is manufactured to standards of quality control that were unheard of in the early 1800's. The proper use of the investment casting, improved methods of hardening parts and deep hole drilling, the use of continuous Magnaflux process to guard against imperfections in the steel itself coupled to our constant attention to min./max. tolerances is what allows us to offer a Lifetime Warranty! Inspect a T/C HawkenTM at your local dealer and compare it to all other brands before you purchase. We manufacture the finest quality muzzleloading firearms available.

Click on images for larger view

Specifications:

Barrel: Length 28", Octagon, polished & blued. .50 caliber models are 15/16" across the flats. .54 caliber is 1" across the flats. 1 in 48" twist. QLA® Muzzle System.
Breech: Hooked Breech System.
Lock: Internal springs are heavy duty coil type.
Triggers: Fully adjustable for a light crisp pull. Triggers function either as double set or single stage.
Sights: Fully adjustable open hunting style rear sights with bead front sight.
Trim: Solid brass trigger guard, patch box, butt plate and forend cap.
Stock: Made of select American Walnut. Tastefully contoured cheek piece on left hand side.
Weight: Approximately 8 1/2 pounds.
OA Length: 45 1/4".
No. 5024: .50 Caliber Cap Lock.
No. 5071: .54 Caliber Cap Lock.
No. 5043: .50 Caliber Flint Lock.

 

[KING]

T/C Hawken Troubles

If it helps any..i gots one of them also....same caliber....like everyone else has already said,there could be a number of problems...with mine,it would not shoot worth a crap untill i really got into the bore and cleaned it really well....mine was cutting patches i found after shooting,if i remember right,probably 2 pounds of 2f otta it..i tried rb and conicals,probably everyone that was available at that time...but..after the cleaning and lapping the barrell a litttle it shoots rb well..3 inches at 50 yrds.....and a minie about the same with 90 of 2f..at least that what my notes say...good luck...its not a 100 yrd rifle,but it shoots minute of deer good enough for a 50 yard shot...

 

[MAINER1234]

T/C Hawken Troubles

SEND IT BACK TO TC , THEY WILL PROBALLY PUT A NEW BARREL ON THE GUN IF THEY CANT GET IT TO SHOOT ! THIS WILL BE DONE FOR NO CHARGE .

 

[simonkenton]

TC not accurate

I am sending in to Green Mountain for a drop in barrel for myTC. I don't have a choice as my TC barrel is ruined and I have to get another. But I have talked with 15 guys who have put GM barrels on their TC and they all say that the GM barrel is much more accurate. TC is building some crummy barrels these days, but is building some good ones as well. gmriflebarrel.com Look you can get one for $137. Just go ahead and bite the bullet and you will have a better rifle than TC ever built.

 

[MAINER1234]

T/C Hawken Troubles

WHY IS YOUR BARREL RUINED ?
MAINER

 

[simonkenton]

T/C Hawken Troubles

I lent it out to an ex-friend, it looks like he didn't clean it.

 

[fredj]

T/C Hawken Troubles

I lent it out to an ex-friend, it looks like he didn't clean it.

SimonKenton- I agree about the Grn. Mtn. barrels I have 2 drop in BBl's
and have put Grn. Mtn. barrels on 7 rifles I've built and they all shoot
very accurately a couple took a while to come up with the right load
but they're all considerably more accurate than I am. I think the T/C is
a quality rifle but I think thier barrels leave a bit to be desired. You might try some steel wool wrapped tight around a jag and some clenz oil or
automatic transmission fluid, if the bores not actually pit corroded it might shoot fine and you could keep it for launching slugs for hunting.
The barrel off my original BP rifle a very early T/C Renegade was full of tool marks and never shot worth a damn it's now a crawdad habitat in a nearby lake, if you opt for that alternative debreech it and degrease it
before throwing it in. fredj

 

[savageT]

T/C Hawken Troubles

fredj,
Interesting comments about that T/C barrel. I have a Cabela's/Traditions (Spanish made) Lightning Fire side-hammer 50cal. that I have yet to get decent results with. I noticed that the bore is full of tool/machining marks also. Is that common in these inexpensive models? If so, might I (again) complain to Traditions about the condition of the barrel?

savageT

 

[savageT]

T/C Hawken Troubles

savageT ,I have Cabelas Hawkin Hunter and it's an Investarms made gun.Did Cabelas also have Traditions make weapons for them under their
logo?Or was the gun you refer a Traditions sold by Cabelas?

Yes!

savaegT

 

[bfoster]

T/C Hawken Troubles

Some years ago T/C made barrels specifically for round ball use and conical use instead of one-twist-fits-all. Its worth checking the twist.

Check the fit up of the barrel into the patent breech and the stock. If it's possible to wiggle anything more than a very little bit I'd cure that problem before I went to the range again.

Then try going back to basics:

1. Insure a reasonably clean bore.

2. Use a reasonably consistent powder charge. You might also try a different lot or brand of propellent. Most rifles do well reasonably well with many flavors of bp, you may have a rare one that shows strong preferences. Your powder hasn't absorbed moisture has it? You're not using a powder charge beyond the capacity of the rifle to shoot well are you? If this might be the case, back off and see what the rifle "likes" to shoot.

3. Consider the use of an over powder wad. Some rifles dote on these, some don't much care.

4. Start the ball or bullet with care. If using a ball, center the patch carefully. It's easy to deform a muzzleloaded projectile enough to compromise resilts. If a ball starts too hard, change patch thickness or ball size. If a conical starts too hard, discuss swaging dies with a seasoned bp shooter, or consider changing bullets.

5. Seat the projectile firmly, but do not "whang" it or beat it with the loading rod! Again, it's easy to deform soft lead.

6. Seat the cap consistently. One thing to consider: I once ran into an inconsistent lot of RWS caps. Simply changing lots solved a mysterious accuracy issue.

regards,

Bob

 

[S.B.]

T/C Hawken Troubles

A lot of good help here. Did you notice if the wedge secures the barrel or leaves it loose to flop around?

 

[peter nap]

T/C Hawken Troubles

Well I think you have gotten a ton of good advice already. Let me add that every gun is different. I've had some that a simple change from Goex to Swiss made all the difference. One thing about TC barrels. They come in different sizes for the same Cal. I would suggest you slug it to find the true bore size. It could be that you just have one of the larger ones and need to go to a larger bullet/ball/sabot.

I do like Green Mountain barrels though. You may consider just getting the GM barrel and working up loads for it. If you do, don't forget to lap it. That's SOP for every new barrel here!

 

[Real Bow]

T/C Hawken Troubles

Veeery Interesting!!

I just picked up a T/C Hawken in .45 cal on one of the gun auction sites for $200, I rekon I got lucky. Well, I haven't shot it yet, but I am already itching to call Kerrie over at Green Mountain or Track of the Wolf and order a GM .45 cal 1:60(GM) or 1:70(Track of the Wolf) drop-in barrel.

I'll keep the orginal barrel for my homemade cast 225 grain T/C Maxi's and use the GM barrel for my homemade cast 0.440" PRB's at our BP shoots this year.

Anyone know when T/C stopped making their Hawken in .45 cal., just curious. I could call T/C up and give them the serial number.