My new (to me) .54 T/C Hawken, and home cast bullets

[homefront]

Well here it is :grin: .

And I cast these today.

I refinished the stock, as the previous owner had glopped it up with a runny, thick, clear finish. The brass "patina" fell victim to Brasso and elbow grease. I disassembled the lock and cleaned everything.
Those cast bullets are Lee REAL slugs, cast with pure lead. Now I just need to get some Swiss and I'm set. Oh, and I could use a few spare flints and leathers, too :hmm: .

 

[Joel Boyles]

Good job, man! :applause:

Those Lee mold are a breeze to use, aren't they?

Have fun,

Joel

 

[yukon jack]

Hi
nice job! I got some flints from the classified,under shooting accessories
they work great I don't know if he has any leather though

 

[homefront]

I treated the Lee mould with Rapine Mould Prep and it worked great. The used mould was a little rough on the outside, but perfect on the inside. After about 20 castings, they started dropping right out :grin: .
Thanks :hatsoff: I'll check the classifieds for those flints!

 

[Joel Boyles]

Check with Rich Pierce on here, he sells white Missouri flints. Price is very reasonable, and they spark great!

Joel

 

[roundball]

Turned out looking great...

As an FYI...that's the old style Flint lock assembly...and that means the barrel probably also has the old style vent liner in it too. (a hole and a screw driver slot).

The old style locks have a history of eating flints and mediocre sparks because the hammer is too short and the frizzen is not as hard as it should be.

TC redesigned and significantly improved their flint lock assemblies and vent liners 6-7 years ago...if you mail it to the TC service manager with a note...coming from a "can you make it more reliabile" point of view, they'll install the new style parts or replace the whole lock assembly and mail it back to you at no charge under lifetime warranty.

Do not call first...if you do you'll end up in the service dept where you'd think a couple of those old timers pay for the parts out of their own pocket and in many cases it doesn't work out well for some people.

Simply send it to the service manager priority mail / delivery confirmation with a note...you'll have it back in a week-10 days and won't have any problems.

Tom Fuller 3/4" black Enlish flints work best in TCs redesigned locks...(3/4" W x 7/8" L)

With the redesigned lock, redesigned vent liner, Tom Fuller 3/4" BEFs, Goex 4F prime, Goex 3F main, it's like shooting a .30-30 every time you drop the hammer.

Enjoy...

 

Welcome to the Forum Homefront. In case you don't already know Roundball is the Guru, and knower of all things blackpowder T/C. Send the lock in the way he says, and you will be rewarded. Just don't ask him about the dreaded 1 in 48 twist. :rotf: That's an inside Joke!

Bill

I started with nothing, and still have most of it left!

 

[homefront]

Wow, Roundball, thanks for the inside line! I'll try it out a few times first, as I'm impatient that way :shake: . I'll repost after it's done.
In case you're all wondering (I know the photo's not great), the finish is 2 coats Watco teak oil, 4 coats Formbys Tung Oil finish (high gloss). The end product is definitely a penetrating oil finish, with just a bit of sheen. Nothing at all like a poly or a varnish. Me very happy. :grin:

 

[shmrck1]

homefront,
Nice job!
snake-eyes:hatsoff:

 

[snagg]

Homefront:
Ya did a fine job on that T/C. :thumbsup:
I picked up an older T/C Hawkens a short while back and sent the lock back to the factory for an updating after reading what Roundball had said in a previous post. I couldn't believe how quickly it was back. And they not only replaced the cock with the new style but also put a new flint and leather on it. Great service.
I also use the Tom fuller flints on my other T/C Hawkens. They last forever compared to the agate flints that I had started out with. This was another Roundball suggestion from earlier on in my f/l ing.

snagg

 

[Jac Spring]

Great job on your new smokepole! :thumbsup:

The bullets look great too - I like my Lee moulds. Inexpensive, well designed and drop good bullets as long as you're attentive to closing em up tight for the cast. I've got a target mini mould in .50 cal.

I've got that same bottom pour dipper too.

 

[murph]

roundball,were on the net can I buy some of the tom fuller 3/4 flints for a t/c hawken.Thanks,murf :hatsoff:

 

[Rebel]

You can get them from Track of the Wolf, or Cains Outdoors, and October Country as well as other places.

 

[Andy Mueller]

Do those Lee Bullet Molds make normal round ball bullets?
Scouter

 

[d.thomson]

Ya I have a .50 and just ordered a .54 RB mold from Lee about $25.00 for their double molds. Regards F.K. :thumbsup:

 

[Titus]

looks great :applause:

 

[Slake]

tis a fine looking finish ya have there