Free TC Hawken 45cal

[Grenadier1758]

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/why-we-dont-season-barrels.61745/
Another of the old-time pieces of misinformation is the practice of using Bore Butter to "season" the barrel of a muzzleloading firearm. Now Bore Butter is a reasonably decent patch lubricant, but then almost any somewhat slick oil-based lubricant is a reasonably decent patch lubricant. Even spit is a good patch lubricant. The old Timers that have successfully used Bore Butter as a bore preservative have removed the mix of crusty fouling and burnt lubricants that are often misidentified as seasoning, so the bore is clean before treating the barrel with Bore Butter. The Bore Butter will dry out in the barrel and depending on how well the cleaning has removed all the corrosive fouling that could get trapped under the layer of Bore Butter can protect the barrel until all that dried on lubricant is removed before taking the gun out to shoot.

@ElkStalker, good job on bringing that T/C Hawken back to shooting condition.

 

[2 shots]

nice job. maybe your gun was sloppy because it was a kit. does the serial # start with a K ??

 

[Salty]

My brother sent me a TC Hawken 45cal a few months ago. His father-in-law left it at is place years ago. That in itself is a long story. My brother doesn’t shoot BP. When the rifle got here I looked it over. One side was severely weathered. The wood had shrunk, was extremely rough and the finish gone. The other side was decent. But over all, the wood and metal fit wasn’t good. The bore had surface rust and thought she was a goner.
I scrubbed the bore with Kroil and OOOO steel wool. It cleaned up quickly and I can’t find any real pitting to speak of. I plan to lap it with JB bore paste just because the bore is dark.
I sanded down all of the wood, reshaped the but plate slightly on the left side and addressed all of the metal to wood fitment. Walnut stain and 8 coats of true oil. I polished all of the brass. I had planned on dulling the finish and blacking all of the brass, but it tuned out so nice, I’m not sure I’m going to do that now. It is ready to go to the range once I get a few supplies.
I’m really not sure what I’m going to do with it, but 45cal is allowed for deer where I am. Maybe I’ll see if I can find an accurate low powder load for Hare and other small game.
I foolishly forgot to take any pictures of what it looked like beforehand. My brother didn’t believe it was the same rifle.

Wow! That’s beautiful!

 

[BigD63]

Nice job.
...and the price was right. Free stuff is always great, especially if it goes BOOM!

 

[ElkStalker]

Before I bore-lapped that barrel, I would shoot it to see how it performs. Many old timers used bore butter to "season" the barrel. Turns the bore dark, but shoots just fine.

Good point. I think it will shoot just fine. The lands and grooves look really sharp. There was a lot of surface rust that I assumed was going to reveal really bad pitting, but I was wrong. I was just thinking that some JB Bire Paste might make loading and cleaning a whole lot easier. I’ll shoot it first before I do it.

 

[ElkStalker]

Wow! That’s beautiful!

Thank you!!!

 

[ElkStalker]

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/why-we-dont-season-barrels.61745/
Another of the old-time pieces of misinformation is the practice of using Bore Butter to "season" the barrel of a muzzleloading firearm. Now Bore Butter is a reasonably decent patch lubricant, but then almost any somewhat slick oil-based lubricant is a reasonably decent patch lubricant. Even spit is a good patch lubricant. The old Timers that have successfully used Bore Butter as a bore preservative have removed the mix of crusty fouling and burnt lubricants that are often misidentified as seasoning, so the bore is clean before treating the barrel with Bore Butter. The Bore Butter will dry out in the barrel and depending on how well the cleaning has removed all the corrosive fouling that could get trapped under the layer of Bore Butter can protect the barrel until all that dried on lubricant is removed before taking the gun out to shoot.

@ElkStalker, good job on bringing that T/C Hawken back to shooting condition.

Thank you! I often times think that whole idea of “seasoning” the barrel was a ploy to sell more bore butter.

 

[ElkStalker]

nice job. maybe your gun was sloppy because it was a kit. does the serial # start with a K ??

No, it’s a factory rifle. It was as I stated, Weathered, worn and wood shrunk on one side. There was no finish and extremely rough wood. The opposite side still had finish and looked pretty decent, save for a rusty lock. It either lived in the back window of a pickup or was hung on the outside wall of a cabin. (Speculating since I really have no idea, but the damage lines up) Now that the bore is cleaned, I can’t see any evidence that it’s been shot, at least not a whole lot. The bore is dark and the guys that mentioned “seasoning” with bore butter are probably correct. I’ll get it out to the range after hunting season comes to a close.

 

[Billy Boy]

Collected some sandwich meat..

 

[ElkStalker]

Collected some sandwich meat..

Outstanding!!! She’s going to be some good eats. Beautiful rifle you have there

 

[Billy Boy]

Outstanding!!! She’s going to be some good eats. Beautiful rifle you have there

Thank you kind sir! Got about 120 hrs in the fire stick, 5 hrs in the meat..

 

[TDM]

Well you did a beautiful job. She really looks nice.

 

[ElkStalker]

Well you did a beautiful job. She really looks nice.

Thank you TDM!

 

[Bad Karma]

Thank you! I often times think that whole idea of “seasoning” the barrel was a ploy to sell more bore butter.

You’re getting the hang of this…

 

[flashpoint]

I have refurbished three TCs in the last few years, I think they are a sow's ear from the factory compared to how they look with a little slimming down, defining the lock and side panels as well as reshaping the cheek piece.

Here is my latest, I have a new GM barrel ready to fit in the stock.

View attachment 174936

Beautiful job on that TC. Sleek and smooth.

 

[MSW]

that's tremendous work - you should be proud

 

[Ferryboatcaptain]

I have refurbished three TCs in the last few years, I think they are a sow's ear from the factory compared to how they look with a little slimming down, defining the lock and side panels as well as reshaping the cheek piece.

Here is my latest, I have a new GM barrel ready to fit in the stock.

View attachment 174936

Have you made any videos showing how you do this ? I think I would like to try it . FBC

 

[Dale Allen Raby]

I do nt like recoil either! IMHO you get no gold stars for getting beat up!

Agreed. Only thing I gotta do some day now is head for the second hand store and find another old linen dress shirt for to make more patches. I see that the road is coated with ice this morning, so it won't be today. I prob'ly got enough to last 'til spring though.

 

[ElkStalker]

Well, one kid tried to cut his finger off and had to go to the doc, the other one stayed home sick. No hunting or range time for me today, so I decided to get some better pics outdoors of this rifle with a real camera.

 

[ElkStalker]

More pics