production year

[wolfio]

Hallo All,

could anyone give me an estimate on production year of this Thompson center Hawken pls.

serial number on barrel is 203xxx

Thank you in advance.

henry

 

[bubba.50]

absolutely no way to know for sure unless you were there at the factory to take it off the line on the day it was made.


best W.A.G. probably mid 1980's

 

[Zonie]

Welcome to the forum.

It is impossible to give a date that would tell you when your rifle was made because there was a fire at TC which destroyed all of the records.

The best that anyone could do is to make a guess and mine would be sometime in the mid 1970's.

 

[wolfio]

Thank you sofar.

I was hoping pre-1900.

Is there a way to find out?

Thank you in advance.

henry

 

[uncmrkhd]

Google Thompson center and found they started in 1967 so you can go from there

 

[Zonie]

Thompson Center started selling the Hawken model in 1970.

The company and their Hawken model was one of, if not "the" leader in popularizing muzzleloading with the general public in the US.

This was 2 years after the GCA '68 passed which basically stopped people from buying firearms thru the mail.
Muzzleloaders were always exempted from this which led to a wild upsurge in the popularity of muzzleloading.

During this time there were dozens if not hundreds of companies in the US importing muzzleloaders from overseas but Thompson Center was one of the few companies that produced and sold a US made muzzleloading rifle here.

 

[wolfio]

Thank you,

i really thought they were also made long before that.

sniff.

 

[bubba.50]

just an observation or two. your gun has an aftermarket triggerguard on it as all T/C Hawken guards had a prominent hook at the rear of the finger loop. also, the rear sight should have been mounted on top of the tang instead of cutting off the tang to mount it directly to the wood.

 

[wolfio]

Thank you for all the help,

it is not my gun though,

it was offered to me as being a 1860 rifle.

I am very glad that i found these forums and helpfull people.

henry.

 

[bubba.50]

well, they only missed it by 110 years or so. :haha:

 

[rijerolmon]

Thompson Center's version of a rifle built around 1860 is perhaps what the seller meant, or should have said. Good looking rifle, shoot it.

 

[nit wit]

No, they probably said "vintage". :rotf:
Nit Wit