I had heard a reference in an earlier post about the "newer vs. older styles" of T/C Hawkens. Do the newer rifles differ any from those that were made back in the late 70's? If looking for a used Hawken, what would your preference be, newer, or an older version? Also, any idea why they quite making rifles like the Cherokee and Seneca?
I'll share what I've learned about them over the years:
1) You should be able to pick up excellent condition used TC Hawkens on auction in the $225 - $275 range
2) The wood used on the early 70's-80's Hawkens was usually of much higher quality appearance/figure;
3) The early stocks had longer LOP's and more drop;
4) As with most anything, re-design improvements have occurred incrementally over the years...primarily with the locks, strengthening the wrist area, and improving the adjustable rear sight;
5) If you get an early model, you'll probably want to work with TC to have them make the lock more reliable (no charge under TC's lifetime warranty);
6) If you get one made within the recent past 5 years, the latest design improvements should already be incorporated;
7) For me personally, I seek out the early Hawkens as the stocks are prettier, longer, and have a more atractive, distinctive shape than the current production stocks;
8) The Seneca and Cherokee were very lightweight rifles and recoil was said to be much more pronounced than with the heavier Hawken...they used smaller, scaled down sized parts than the Hawken so there were duplicate lines of parts inventory required...and the Hawken sales were really taking off...so they discontinued thre Seneca and Cherokee (years ago);
:m2c:
