I made the purchase

[sgtgeorge]

I got the T/C Hawken for $250.00 from a local dealer. The bore is mint with absolutely 0 rust or pitting. I was able to use an allen key to unscrew the flash hole from the barrel so I could get more light up the pipe for a better peek. The down side: several non original screws, but that is not a problem. There were "holidays" in the stock finish (can't tell if the finish was polyurethane or varnish). Did T/C sell these as kit guns at all? There was stock finish brushed onto the some of the brass furniture. I was able to polish it off with a dremel tool. The previous owner did a sloppy job. The blueing on the barrel a little thin in one spot, but who cares? This is a nice working type rifle. I plan to take it and the other Flintlock from Kassnar with me to PA to do a little shooting over the weekend. Can anyone out there advise me what would make a good starting load for the T/C in .50 Cal. utilizing a round ball and a pre-lubed patch. :thanks:

 

[Rebel]

Yes, they were offered in kit form. A good starting load would be about 60 grs of 3f Goex. Then work up in 5 gr increments until you reach about 90 grs. Find the most accurate load in that range. Do you plan to hunt big game with it, or just target shoot? If big game, i would try for the most accurate load over 70 grs of 3f for deer. Have fun.

 

[sgtgeorge]

I plan to hunt with them. I live in NY but I hunt in Pike County, PA, where my parents live. In PA, muzzleloaders must be flintlock. I've shot blackpowder in the past, percussion only, so flintlock is a new experience for me. These two muzzleloaders are the first I ever owned. I shoot a lot, so I believe I will enjoy this immensly.

 

[RiverRat]

SGTGEORGE, welcome to the world of rock locks! You can't go wrong with TC's. Rebel gave you some good advice on a starting load. We also have a resident TC expert, Roundball, who can answer any questions you might have. I live in Susquehanna Co PA. I hunted for years in Wayne county, just above Pike. This year I will be using my flinter for all the deer seasons.
My modern guns are just collecting dust.....
Good luck with your new gun
:thumbsup:

 

[lonewolf5347]

sgtgeorge: you can call t/c customer service and ask them for the original screw ,state they show some wear ,they will replace them with no charge.
Yes these gun were sold as kit gun also,if there is a letter K in the stock or serial no# on the barrel then it was a kit gun.
Hey may meet you on day in PA I hunt wayne and monroe county.
I redid a t/c flinter from soup to nut would be a nice winter project. :redthumb:

 

[Halftail]

Do alot of people from New York go to PA to hunt?Is it very far?

 

[shmrck1]

sgtgeorge,
:agree: with Rebel on his powder loads, although
i setteled in at 80 grns as my best load, but every barrel
is different. I also use .490 RB with a .015 patch and
moose snot lube. :results:
snake-eyes

 

[pennsyltucky]

yep, and alot of people from PA go to NY to hunt also.... bordering states

 

[sfruhwirth]

Sounds like you have a good starting place for a load for your shooter.

Instead of taking out the flash hole liner I use a a bobber light and just drop it down the barrel. Its very small so will work in the smallest of calibers and best of all their cheap and easy to come by. I buy mine at Fleet farm in the bobbler section $2. I carry one with when out and about, you never know when you'll come across a shooter your interested in and need to see how well the barel was taken care of. They work great! :blue:

 

[2172]

Wez, what's a bobbler light? I've been carrying one of those bore lights you drop down the bbl..I think CVA makes them and they go anywhere up to $10 delivered...Hank

 

[sfruhwirth]

It's a small light that is used in night fishing, and fits in the top of a night bobber. It can be bought seperately however (about $2). The diameter is roughly 1/8 of an inch.. so very small.. and cheap as well. They also seem to last quite a while. I've had one for over a year now and it's still working.

Go to your local fishing spot and ask for them. Wally world should have them as well.

I used to have one of the brass types your talking about and it needed a new battery which was going to be about $7 itself. A friend of mine suggested the bobber light and i've never looked back.

 

[sgtgeorge]

I hunted NY from the time I was 16 years old. When my parents moved to PA in 2000, I never renewed my NY license. I spent 17 years hunting NY, got 3 Whitetails, and 4 summonses. The summonses were due to trespassing on NYC watershed property. Damn places are huge and not always clearly marked when they border state game land. Started hunting PA and never looked back. I've gotten a doe tag every year, and I gotten two whitetails every season. In NY, you rarely saw deer. In PA, I have actually had 3-4 deer to choose from before taking my shot. I had a deer approach me at such a close range (fell asleep, never saw or heard him) that I had to take him w/a Blackhawk in .45 Colt at @ 7 yards. Shat the fella in the head and ruined a nice 8 pointer for mounting. Looking forward to the hunt w/the muzzleloader.

 

[sgtgeorge]

Well, this was definitely a kit gun. I am, by no means, a traditionalist like others on this forum. That stock needed to be sanded in the worst way. After 4 hours, I got it smooth and all of the machine marks out of the wood. I polished the wood with progressively finer pieces of sandpaper with a final polish with 4O steel wool. The stock is ready for staining. With products from Home Depot readily available, what would anyone out there recommend as a stain. I want to apply a stain with a reddish tint on this piece of walnut. Does Home Depot carry a product that I can use? For a top coat, I plan to use (someone out there will freak when they read this) a rub on polyurethane. Rub on polyurethane is a 9:1 or 8:2 (I don't remember which is the exact ratio) of mineral spirits and polyurethane. You rub this stuff on with a rag like BLO or Tung Oil and it forms an impervious layer of protection against the elements. I have used this stuff extensively to refinish antique furniture rather than use varnish. This product is clear and it does not yellow with exposure to the air. I have used BLO to re-coat stocks on my M1 Garands, Carbines and my M1903 Springfields. Frankly, I hate to use this stuff. I only use BLO on vitage arms with historic/monetary value. I want to use this Hawken for hunting, so I want the best protection I can find. :imo: Ideas for a stain? Anyone?

 

[pepperbelly]

Usually Home Depot has examples of theor stains on pieces of wood so you can see what the end color should be.
Instead of polyurathane you might consider Formby's Tung Oil Finish, which is different from pure Tung oil. I started using it instead of BLO, or I use Tru Oil if I want a glossier finish.
I prefer an oil finish, but that is just my personal preference.
Jim

 

[sgtgeorge]

I know what you mean by those stained wood samples. However, those samples are on pine. I am wondering how the same stains would look on walnut.

 

[Rebel]

Same thing, only different. :: I normally use Formby's Walnut stain, but would think that their Cherry stain may give a reddish color. Where's Zonie at when ya need him?

 

[khwils]

I have had good luck with Red Mahogany. Kurt/IL

 

[sgtgeorge]

Well, I stained the stock this morning. I used a reddish stain. Hardly tell on the walnut. I baked the stock in the oven (wife is at work!) at 250 degrees for a half hour to dry the stain quickly. I broke down and bought Minwax's Tung Oil Finish. It is not the same as using real Tung Oil. Formby's and Minwax mix solvents in their finishes so that they dry quickly. Real Tung Oil or BLO have no solvents and dry very slowly. When I refinish furniture, I use what I call a hotbox. Basically it is a small greenhouse that gets real hot inside and protects the finish from getting dusty while its drying. Finishes with solvents (including polyurethane) dry completely in two hours. By doing this I can get four coats of finish on over the course of a day. Neat trick.