Renovating a Lost & Found Hawken

[Black Hand]

As the rust appears to be primarily in the breech area (from your description), I suggest cleaning well then shooting the gun. From everything I've seen, rough rifling in the last 6 inches of the barrel from the muzzle can cause accuracy problems. Since your rust is at the breech, it could shoot fine...

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

From everything I've seen, rough rifling in the last 6 inches of the barrel from the muzzle can cause accuracy problems. Since your rust is at the breech, it could shoot fine...

I concur 100%!

 

[SDSmlf]

But a bear to clean in the breech area.

 

[Hairy Clipper]

If it were mine, I think one of the first things I would do with it is get some fine grit valve lapping compound and set up to lap the barrel and then see how it shoots.

 

[Rifleman1776]

As the rust appears to be primarily in the breech area (from your description), I suggest cleaning well then shooting the gun. From everything I've seen, rough rifling in the last 6 inches of the barrel from the muzzle can cause accuracy problems. Since your rust is at the breech, it could shoot fine...

Have to strongly disagree. :nono:
With a TC patent breech and rust/corrosion there is no telling if some of that pitting makes some areas in the breech dangerously thin. IMHO, not to be trusted. After rebore a replacement breech plug is in order.

 

[Grenadier1758]

One of the members of my gun club has an old rifle that had been extremely accurate, match winning accuracy, over the log chunk gun match winning accuracy. over time the bore remained good, but a ring of corrosion built up near the breech. This was about where the ball and patch rested on top of the powder charge. The accuracy of the rifle deteriorated with the build up of the ring of corrosion. Repeated lapping with a lead lap did not help. We thought the ring of corrosion was stripping the patch from the ball and not engaging the rifling with consistency. The only cure was to cut of the breech of the rifle and rethread the breech plug.

You may try your rifle, but I would be concerned about the conditions at the breech as well as at the muzzle.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I would be concerned about the conditions at the breech as well as at the muzzle.

Many of the early TCs had serious breech problems. Well documented. The company changed things and later models were much better. But knowing if yours is an early bummer or later goodie is hard to know. Don't risk it.