My new/used 50 Hawken

[Panhandle]

Although I've shot inlines exclusively for several years I regularly read the traditional forums. About two months ago I started reading and researching all the posts with the intent on buying my first sidelock percussion. I figured that soon enough I would make a choice and come across a deal of sorts and make the plunge. I got a call Sunday afternoon from a friend who was at a gun auction. He told me that he'd just bought a muzzleloader because no one else had bid on it and thought I might be interested. The rifle was a new condition Thompson 50 Hawken that he bought for $80.00. I told him I was interested and to come over. When he got to my house he let me know that he wasn't looking to sell it but he might trade for something that I might have. When it was all said and done he walked out with a CVA Optima/with a Bushnell Sportsman scope that I picked up in a trade some time back. I had a $100 invested in that setup. He was happy, I was happier.
Now to enter into a whole new realm of shooting and experimenting. I'll be searching the threads looking for info on loads. I'm wanting to shoot balls and conicals mainly. The serial # is K30714. Could anyone give me an idea on what year this rifle was made?
Thanks
Zen

 

[Semisane]

WOW! What a deal. And everyone happy too.

For your first shoot I would recommend you pick up a box of Hornady Great Plains bullets (410 grain preferred / 385 grain OK) and stoke it with 70 or 80 grains of Pyrodex RS. I `spect you'll be impressed.

 

[cayuga]

That was a kit gun. The K on the barrel indicates that. As for the age of the rifle, I would not concern myself with the age, as they are good guns. My concern would be the bore condition and the lock. If the lock and trigger work good, and the bore is not pitted, you got a heck of a deal.

 

[Panhandle]

Do you use a bore light of some kind to get a good look at the insides of these sidelocks? There was no evidence of rust when I cleaned it. The biggest problem was getting a nest of dead bugs out. The bore looks good as far as I can tell, and the lock is working. It doesn't look like this rifle has been shot much. I see that everybody has their favorite powder. I've got some T7 left over since I changed to BH in my inlines; will that work or should I go with pyrodex or goex. I'll probably make a trip to Cabelas this weekend and get what I'll need to get started.

 

[kevinbrian]

Good looking TC rifle!! Let us know how it shoots.

 

[cayuga]

BH209 of course will not work in your Hawkin. The breech design and ignition system is all wrong. Your Triple Seven will shoot from the Hawkin. Actually it normally does a good job. When I shoot my Traditional rifles, for some reason I use Black Powder or Pyrodex RS. Both of them work well.

If you patches came out clean with no sign of rust, I would doubt that there is any rust in it. You can purchase a bore light that can go down the bore and give you a look. Another way is to take some tin foil. Roll that into a ball SMALLER THEN THE BORE DIAMETER so it can roll in and back out again. Or you can take a 40 caliber and under cartridge casing, shine it up with some Brasso, and tape the open end up with tape. Again, don't put so much tape on it that it will not slide back out. Drop these items into the bore. Holding a strong flashlight at an angle to the bore (you will see it reflect) shine down there until you get a good reflection and it will give you a look at the bore.

Try some roundball. .490 is the right size. And some .015-.018 patches. I like to put a good powder charge down them. I like at least 90 grains of powder and then a patched ball. Also purchase good hot caps. CCI Magnum caps are good ones. Remington 40% hotter are also good ones. These will set off your powder. Do not use standard CCI caps. They just do not seem to have enough power.

 

[Spitpatch]

You sure da man Dave!!!IMO 8)

 

[Panhandle]

Thanks guys for the info. I picked up some pyrodex rs, wonder lube patches, cci mag caps, 410gn greatplains conicals, and some .490 round balls. Hope to go out soon to get my feet wet. I plan on shooting some saboted XTP's also. I think I'll pick up some pillow ticking and make me a batch of cayuga's moose milk formula for future shooting. It's funny how you can go along for years with no interest in some form of shooting and then one day it all changes.
Thanks again....Zen

 

[ldykeman]

A good place for some info is the T/C owners manual. It is online at:
http://www.tcarms.com/assets/manuals/cu ... r_Guns.pdf

 

[Bucker]

Manual

ldykeman, although you should always read your manual for safety and operation. You wiull learn more here and learn how to riung every bit of perforemance you can out of the ML. This is why this site was created to push the ML shooting sport onwards. + good guys except the pones that make you go buy more guns!

 

[ldykeman]

That's why I posted a link to the original owner's manual. It's an excellent place to start. I wouldn't want somebody to start out trying to wring every iota of performance out of their ML without first getting aquainted with it. Someone just starting out would be well advised to stick with the published load data stated by the manufacturer.

 

[cayuga]

reading the manual on any rifle you own is an excellent way to get acquainted with the rifle and what you can expect from them. Just be careful as some manufacturers are also trying to sell additional products they carry and push them in their manuals. I have found in some cases that the additional products are not as good as other or that there might be better choice. One thing the manual does give is some excellent loading data.

 

[ldykeman]

Absolutely true! One of the things mentioned in the T/C manual is using Bore Butter to season a barrel. I do not buy into this. You may have been able to season a cast iron barrel, but I don't think you can season a modern steel barrel. What you can do is build up a coating in the barrel. I would rather have bare steel than a coating of stuff in my barrel.

Larry