Greetings and some tc Hawken barrel advise

[skota]

Couple days ago talking to my dad he asked if I'd be interested in a muzzle loader. Never having a gun before and wanting to get into hunting more and more I told him absolutely! He went on to tell me it was a Thompson Center Hawken in almost new condition. Being a vintage car and recurve enthusiast I was more than happy to see the classic design and function. Might be the only gun ill ever own.

The only thing is that I need a barrel. After researching my options I think I'd like to shoot round balls both because they work well and are economical.

Looking on eBay I see a few for sale but want to make sure I'm asking the right questions with the seller. I realize finding a clean example is very important. I also think I want something with a 1/66 barreling? Does that sound correct or is this something that can be different for its intended use?

Most hunting will be deer, possibly bear.

It looks like they are usually selling between $125 and $200

Any other recommendations would be appreciated

Thanks!
Steve

 

[dbutch]

Let me be the first to welcome you to the forum.... :thumbsup:
What is the current barrel condition?
T/C Hawkins came in 15/16 or 1" wide barrels..Which do you have?
Green Mountain barrel co. makes a good replacement barrels.
Buy new before used if you can.Don't skimp on your barrel.
54 cal. would be my choice for hunting.
1-48 1-66 1-70 all work.
Just might need more powder in the slower twist barrels.
Round balls are more fun to shoot !
Good luck... lets us know how it all worked out.

 

[buford87]

Why do you need a new barrel? If you want to shoot round balls the factory T/C barrel will be fine. If you want to hunt deer the factory T/c barrel will be fine. If there is rust and pitting inside the barrel then yes you will need a new barrel otherwise, shoot it some first get to kow your rifle before you solve a problem that doesn't exist..............watch yer top knot..........

 

[skota]

I'm sorry guys, I wasn't clear. It doesn't have the factory barrel anymore.
Thanks for the advice! I know I've come to the right place. :thumbsup:

 

[longcruise]

Before you jump into the new barrel idea, consider taking your rifle out for a shoot. Get some balls and patching and fool around with 50 to 70 grains of ff or fff and see what you get. I have or have had tc rifles in .50, .54 and .45. All three shot hunting charges with fine accuracy.

 

[nkbj]

Steve,
Very carefully measure the width of the barrel channel in the stock. On a TC Hawken it should be for either a 15/16" wide barrel or for a 1" wide barrel. That governs which barrel will fit.

If possible posting up some photos of what you have would help.

 

[Little Wattsy]

I'm sorry guys, I wasn't clear. It doesn't have the factory barrel anymore.
Thanks for the advice! I know I've come to the right place. :thumbsup:

It sounds like you have no barrel at all... :hmm:
In that case yes :rotf: you WILL want one. :wink:
IF you are set on shooting RB's (and that isnt a bad thing) I would look at a RB barrel with the slower twist rate. Used is OK but at $200.00-ish you can look to new.
There are guys here who will give lots of info on new barrles (green mountian, Rice, etc) AND there is the "for sales" on this site and gunbroker dot com; but I bought a new RB barrel from Thompson Center directly; believe it was delivered for $225.00. Shoots like a dream!!

 

[William O.]

Since you can choose your caliber and bear is a possibility then I would go with the .54 as it will be a bit lighter than a .50 which balances better in my opinion. Ideally you'd be able to shoulder your rifle with each caliber barrel in place but for now I'd stick with finding a .54 to fit on your stock. For round ball, anything from 1:48 and slower is going to give you good results. Some consider the 1:48 to be a compromise for shooting both RB and concials good but not great, however that has not been the case with my .54, 1:48 ROT barrel which puts PRB into 1 inch or better groups. Still, the slower twist rates seem to be more forgiving in the amount of powder needed to get good groups so you'll do fine with 1:60 or slower. Good luck, hope this helps.

 

[don hepler]

I still don't understand, exactly what you have. Do you have a stock, with a lock, triggers, etc.? Is it a caplock or flintlock? Does the barrel channel measure 15/16 or 1 inch? Thompson Center Hawken factory barrels were 15/16 for 45 & 50 caliber, and 1 inch for 54 caliber and larger.

We need more information, to give you a correct answer.

 

[cynthialee]

Welcome aboard.
I would suggest just getting a standard issue 1:48 barrel. It will be cheaper than buying a roundball or conical barrel.

 

[Zonie]

skota
Welcome to the forum.

As was mentioned by others, the TC Hawken came with two different barrel widths.
The width of the barrel channel in the stock will tell you if it was 15/16 or 1 inch wide.

For a standard TC barrel like you would find on the internet, this will control what calibers are available for you.

If the width is 15/16, either .45 or .50 caliber barrels were standard.

If the width is 1 inch, only the .54 caliber barrel was made.

Any of these TC barrels will shoot either patched roundballs or short elongated bullets.

Green Mountain at one time offered "drop in" barrels for the TC Hawken but they've been pretty much all purchased by owners and GM has not produced any more.
These Green Mountain barrels came with twist rates more suited for patched roundballs or elongated bullets (your choice).

If you buy a barrel off of the internet, keep your fingers crossed. Some of them are in pretty good shape but some of them are junk.

Good luck.

 

[nkbj]

And if it's a 1" barrel channel then you could use a TC Renegade barrel in .50 or .54.

 

[George T.]

The options are pretty wide except for not having the factory barrel. That means you will need the other parts so your probably on the right track looking at factory barrels. Whole T/C's go for 250 to 300 quite often so I would hope you would find a pretty good deal. Geo. T.

 

[Rat Trapper]

Last issue of Muzzle Blasts magazine a guy advertized that he had a good supply of Green Mountain drop in barrels. I called him and got a great deal on a 50 cal fast twist. I'm sure he has some other barrels too. I posted more info on this but it was deleted, so much for sharing info here.

 

[skota]

Hello all, thanks again for all your help. I met up with my dad and brother yesterday for a little holiday gift exchange and my dad brought the his Hawken and the stock he's giving me. We shot his a few times so that I'd have an idea of what I have to look forward too. Some of the best fun I've ever had, I'm hooked. Here are a few photos of what he's giving me. I don't thin it was manufactured by TC, the barrel from my dads gun wouldn't fit. Mine has a notch cut out in the lock plate and the patch box doesn't look like any I've seen. Any ideas what I have here?

 

[skota]

thanks Rat Trapper, I'll have to look for that magazine, I didnt see it at Barnes and noble. I'm in Madison by the way. :thumbsup:

the barrel channel is 7/8" btw. Im on the greenmountain website now.

 

[Rat Trapper]

Send me a PM if you need more info on who to contact for a barrel.

 

[sleeperNY]

I would say it is a CVA model but can't say just what one. You need to show more of the stock.

Jim

 

[Lonegun1894]

I'm with you on this one. What you show is identical to my CVA St. Louis "hawken", but it would help to see the whole stock. If it is the same as mine, the barrel channel should be 15/16".

 

[ebiggs1]

Welcome to the forum, I was glad to see a new TC shooter come on in. But............... :hmm:
That gun in the photo is NOT a Thompson Center muzzle loader.
It also appears to be a kit gun, too. :wink: