Question regarding a Springfield Hawkens rifle...

[yardhunter]

Recently...I had a relative give me a Traditions Springfield Hawkens ( Spain ) 50 cal muzzleloader to shoot. I managed to get a shot out of the gun. I used 60 grains & it sounded like a cannon upon firing.
After inspection...I noticed the nipple was gone & the drum (?--piece the nipple threads into ) has no threads in it where the nipple was.

Here is a pic of what I'm talking about:

Here's a closer view:

I called Traditions & they would sell me the nipples but not the other piece you are viewing. I called Dixie Gun Works & they have the parts on computer, however, they are backordered. Hmmm, just my luck. Traditions advised me to send them the gun along with $75.00 & they will thread in these parts & get it working again. If I go this route, will they check everything else out with this gun before returning? What would you do in this situation?

Looking for any advice & all responses are appreciated. Thanks in advance......see ya yardhunter

 

[jdkerstetter]

Send it! $75 dollars is a small price to pay for piece of mind.

It appears the gun is a drum and nipple configuration. Installing a drum is not as cut and dry as just threading in a new one....the hole for the nipple has to line up with the hammer and etc.

Just send it. For reasons of liability they will go through it and ensure everything is right before they return it to you.

Enjoy, J.D.

 

[greggholmes]

Id take them up on the offer.

 

[54ball]

Send it. I would try cleaning if up some first.
There is a chance that it may not pass factory inspection. It looks like it may need a new barrel. She looks somewhat neglected.
Did your relative ever clean it?
BTW What powder did you use?

 

[54ball]

Hmmm, just my luck.

Yardhunter I'd say you used all your good luck by not getting a face full of nipple.

There is a lesson here. When ever you get a used BP gun in questionable condition its always good to remotely fire it.That is after you have checked the nipple threads. If they look questionable there's no need to test fire it as it is unsafe with out repair.

I had a old Jukar spray my face due to poor nipple threads but the nipple held. That would have tasted bad due to the fact I mostly shoot left handed.

 

[ohio ramrod]

First thank the lord you were not injured! Then take up the offer to have the gun repaired correctly and checked for further problems.Remember there is little difference between a pipe bomb and a gun!Which do you want to be holding near your face! :surrender:

 

[cynthialee]

Lucky you have your face still!

I will not shoot any BP firearm until I have personaly taken it apart as far as I know how to. The nipple is the very first thing I check.

Send it in and spend the $75. Like was already stated, the guys at the factory will go over it and make sure no other issues are likely to pop up. Once they get your gun and then send it back to you they have liability issues to contend with and they are unlikely to send back a gun that will get them sued.

 

[Dphar]

Traditions advised me to send them the gun along with $75.00 & they will thread in these parts & get it working again. If I go this route, will they check everything else out with this gun before returning? What would you do in this situation?

Looks to be a cheap copy of the old CVA "Mountain Rifle". Initially a better gun than the TC "Hawken". Then "cheap" set in as it always does in mass produced MLs.

Used MLs MUST BE CHECKED OUT BEFORE FIRING. Debreeched etc. But in this case having this done by someone with any credibility would cost more than the gun is worth.
I would not let it in my shop... I would not want to link into the liability chain.

Fortunately nobody was injured or killed when the nipple blew out...
Is the bore pristine? Doubtful. Probably been shot with chlorate powder then not cleaned properly. Could be why the nipple blew out. Chlorate fouling could rot the threads out in a couple of months.
IMO its not worth 75 bucks unless they throw away the whole barrel and put a new one on it. Then you could perhaps sell it for 75 bucks...

Just because someone gives you something does not mean you HAVE to use it...

Dan

 

[brubincam]

COOL--for shooting "BEHINDERS"

 

[jdkerstetter]

There is a lesson here. When ever you get a used BP gun in questionable condition .......

The lesson here is that practically ALL used BP guns are questionable. You just never know what they've been through.....or who's messed with 'em.

Enjoy, J.D.

 

[rafterob]

Looks to be a cheap copy of the old CVA "Mountain Rifle".

It is actually just a slightly less expensive version of Traditions' Hawken. I believe it has a single trigger and no patch box. I would call Traditions back and ask them what a new barrel costs. I bought one about 5 years ago for $110 from them. A less expensive option is to have the drum tapped out for an oversize nipple. The gunsmith I use would do that for $20, your mileage may vary.

 

[ohio ramrod]

I thought about having him just retap it to a larger size nipple. But then you still would not know the condition of the rest of the assembly. Seventyfive dollars for a total repair and through check up is money well spent! :idunno: :idunno:

 

[yardhunter]

Send it. I would try cleaning if up some first.
There is a chance that it may not pass factory inspection. It looks like it may need a new barrel. She looks somewhat neglected.
Did your relative ever clean it?
BTW What powder did you use?

He mentioned I need to clean it after each use. I'm not sure whether it cleaned it or not. I used FFFG Pyrodex from Hodgdon. Hope this was the right materials.

 

[yardhunter]

WOW....thanks everyone for all the comments & responses. I actually found the gun on Bass Pro Shop's website. If it's at Bass Pro, They must be a dime a dozen. Here it is....
http://www.basspro.com/Traditions-...=QA_PSVP&cm_pla=94876&cm_ite=description_link

I read all responses & will get a RMA # & send it to Traditions. If it fails inspection...well...I'll be done with it. It will probably wind up being a wall hanger.

Please allow me to elaborate in response to shooting it. I actually was "uneasy" about shooting this gun & I didn't place it too close to my face before shooting. Someone asked what kind of powder I used. I used 60 grains of FFFG Pyrodex from Hodgdon. I hope this is a good product. I'm still pretty green with the use of ML'ers.

When it gets back from the factory, I'll probably clamp it down & use a piece of wire at a distance to pull the trigger.....just to be sure it works OK.
I will return the firearm back to my relative with the factory repair sheet & consider it a lesson learned.
Then...I'll just go back to reading threads on this website.

Thanks again everyone. I'll let you know (on this thread ) what happens if/when I get the gun back from Traditions....see ya yardhunter

 

[cynthialee]

When the factory returns the gun, I doubt you will need to worry about it.

 

[yardhunter]

I realize this is an older thread, however, I took the advice offered here. I shipped this gun & $75.00 to have it repaired. It's works great now.
Using the gun in question, here's it is in action from last spring:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V-OrEm2f5A

I rarely shoot it anymore since I've moved to flints.
Thanks again”¦”¦”¦see ya yardhunter

 

[satwel]

There is another muzzleloading forum that I frequent where many of the members say they will never shoot a percussion rifle with a drum and nipple arrangement for exactly this reason. The threads on either the drum or nipple become worn and eventually fail. You're lucky the nipple didn't hit your face.

 

[Grenadier1758]

It's either that the drum is soft and the threads wear or a nipple with 1/4-28 threads was forced into the drum and the threads were stripped. The Traditions ries use metric threads. The US threads are close, but not close enough. If the drum was replaced, it should be safe enough. Be sure you get the correct nipples to replace the one in your rifle. They should be 6mm x 1.0. For the cost of the repair, you should have been told the size of the threads.

 

[jjackson]

That's one crazy looking bunny.

 

[FrontierMuzzleloading]

Looks to me like someone had already tampered with the drum. Notice how far it sits from the barrel? Not the way it should be.

If the rifle is in good shape and the bore is clean, not pitted, send it in. Great shooting rifles and they should be cleaned up and enjoyed.