New Member, New (to me) T/C Hawken

[Cowboy]

Nice looking TC Hawken my friend.

I will only add that after a day at the range you definitely have to clean your rifle!!

That powder residue will eat up the inside of your barrel in fast order! Cause terrible rust and permanent pitting in your bore. Can’t shoot it and put it in the corner until next time like some do with modern gun’s.

Anyway, after a day at the range I submerge the nipple end of the barrel in luke warm soapy water with the nipple completely out of the barrel. I throw that nipple in the same bath pan. I use my rod with a cleaning jag attached and cotton patch. Running the rod in an up and down motion, thus creating a blast of water jetting out the nipple hole on your downward stroke and a vacuum pulling the water up on the upward stroke. Will clean your barrel and firing channel lickity split!

I personally wipe down the exterior of the barrel with a rag soaked in the same water.

Then I dry out the inside of the barrel with dry patches followed by a patch with 91% rubbing alcohol that you can buy at the store.

Then I use WD-40 on a patch to wipe out and collect any leftover traces of moisture. Lastly, I run a finale patch coated with Birchwood Casey Barricade and call it good.

Use a toothbrush on the nipple to give it a good scrubbing in the soapy water. I use a pipe cleaner for the inside of the nipple cone. I then use a can of compressed air and dry out the inside of the nipple followed by a quick little squirt of WD-40.

Lastly, I place a small amount of BC Choke Tube Lube on the nipple threads and screw it back into the breech of your barrel. Any small amount of gun grease will work!

I place the barrel with the barrel end down/breach end up on an old towel and let it sit for the evening. Any oil’s will run out of your breech area and will not collect when rifle is finally stored away.

I wipe down the exterior and interior of the stock and lock. Lightly lubricate the lock again if necessary?

I finally assemble the rifle and apply a light coat of wax to exterior of stock and barrel.

She’s ready to be put away until next use!

Everything I’ve described above is just my personal routine my friend. Everyone here has their own methods and routine?

Nice Rifle!

Respectfully, Cowboy

 

[Semper_Smokey]

Great to know waarp8nt, just too bad I left Texas years ago. Should send my brother over!

I've got loose triple 7 left over that I used with my inline, and the big outdoor stores near me sell pyrodex. I can't for the life of me though, find any real BP nearby (Charleston, SC area). Suppose I'll start with synthetic and see. Planning on going up to Friendship this year, so could pick up something then.

 

[SamTex1949]

Not sure where your located but Id start asking around and different gunshops and find a group of ML/BP shooters/clubs and go visit them, take your new ML rifle and ask questions, maybe be ready for a few fun jabs but just tell them your still a "Pilgrim" !

 

[Kansas Jake]

Also, to find a nearby muzzleloaders group or club, the answer often is as easy as a key taps on your computer. Just type in muzzleloading or muzzleloaders, your state and club or association.

 

[Kestrel]

Welcome aboard! Check out the Crazy Crow website. It has a great listing of shooting events and rendezvous. Find the closest one and make it a point to go. Great way to meet fellow BP shooters and where clubs may be located.

www.crazycrow.com/site/

Under the drop down menu you will see "events" great place to start!

 

[spudnut]

Stay away from petrolium oils, I use olive oil and it works fine, I use three in one oil in the lock

 

[Dibbuk]

Add a sharp knife, a spare nipple, and a nipple wrench to the shooting bag. You will need them.

 

[Bad Karma]

Somebody cared about that rifle when they were building the kit. You see lots of these with the area around the lock rounded over, this person created sharp, well defined edges. If he put as much care into the rest of the build you’ve certainly stumbled into a nice one. As others have said, the wood is pretty good too, some burl and curl evident at the wrist and back into the butt... Pretty nice find for your first. (Yes, there will likely be others...)

Also, don’t “season” the bore... that’s a marketing gimmick. I used to use CLP as a metal preservative, have used Barricade, now use Eezox. In my opinion it’s the best at preventing rust and doesn’t need to be removed before firing as some products. Petroleum based products can react with the byproducts of Black Powder combustion and produce a tarry type of fouling. Eezox doesn’t seem to do this. I test this theory at least three or four times a week in my 1860 Colts. At any rate, feel free to experiment with your new rifle, use appropriate powder and projectile, clean it well and enjoy making smoke!