Serial Number Dating a T/C

[necchi]

The problem with determining year of manufacture by serial# is the basic premise that serial #'s mean only sequential production.
Many times that's not the case.
Any digit in a serial number could be designated for a production line or individual machine. A single digit could designate a supplier,, and on and on.
Serial numbers are for the manufactures classification only and can be completely random when trying to look at them as sequential.
A good example of what I mean is Harley engine and frame designations;
https://www.tabperformance.com/harley-davidson-vin-reference-guide-s/224.htm

 

[good ole boy]

Just personal information you don't want out in cyberspace. If you have a description and serial number of a gun its real easy for someone who doesn't llike you, to file a stolen gun report with the police and they will confiscate the weapon, and possibly arrest you.

It would probably cost more in legal fees to fight it and get it back than the weapon would be worth.
Think of how many scammers that are out there and what would happen if only a fraction of the guns listed were reported stolen if they all had the serial numbers listed.

I realize the internet is not the only way to obtain a guns SN, but it is so easy just to not let others know what they are. In a nutshell nothing good could ever come from posting a guns SN, only bad. So why do it?

I always wondered what the big deal was hiding the #,s.Now I know,thanks.

 

[Jdavis]

My son's T/C Hawken, .45 cal, and picked up at a pawn shop, has a serial numb. of 50xxx. By the dates Richard posted I would venture a guess it was manufactured in the mid 1980's...
Scott

I also have a .45 cal that was purchased used that apparently was made around the same time as your gun (#508xx). The previous owner believes that he purchased it in the 80s. Date of manufacture and actual sale date could vary quite a bit but, it does establish a range.

 

[imforguns]

My wife worked for JC Penny’s in 1968-69 and ordered a TC Hawkin in 45 cal Serial #851xx . Still a great shooting rifle!

 

[Kansas Jake]

Inforguns, are you sure about the dates and serial number for your TC Hawken? I didn't think they were introduced until 1970 and a number of folks here have guns purchased in the 1970s with much lower serial numbers. I have a kit gun purchased in the middle 1970s with a K50xx number. Now I don't think kit guns were offered until a few year after the original factory guns but your info doesn't seem to correspond with others.

 

[imforguns]

Kansas Jake

Yes I am sure. I had been working for a company in the engineering department and our uncle sam sent me a letter and asked me to work for him. We moved back home for a couple months and the wife went to work at Pennys and that was 68. Late 69 she left Pennys and we moved to Tennessee while I was in school. In 1970 I was out of the country . As for the serial number I checked that before I posted. I thought that was strange also.

 

[Kansas Jake]

Wow, from the postings here it seems serial numbers may have been all over the place or TC changed the way they did them as time went along.

 

[anaconda44]

I know you thought it might be a Thompson center hawken. but what you had was a t. mansfield, they were imported like most were . they were aval before the tc and a short time after tc went to market in 1970. I have a friend who has 2 one is a flint both 50 cal. his dad was big into black power . I was told by him and a couple old timers who I talked to years ago and they said tc copied there's but made there barrels here. not sure on that but the. t. mansfield uses the same brass hardware and lock sights ect. something to think about. I do own a first year flint 54 hawken I will post the number in the next couple days. is should still have my dads receipt from then he didn't throw anything away, its a 3 or 4 digit number its under 1000 I sure. I will try to post a pic of the t mansfield and a link to gun broker
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/792203760

 

[Kansas Jake]

Very interesting. I learn something here every day.

 

[oldwolf]

That T. Mansfield is a 'spittin image of my TC Hawken.

 

[dlidster]

The T. Mansfield is fascinating. There's more drop at the heel than on a T/C Hawken and the fillet surrounding the lock is (in my opinion) more nicely done. What appears to be a clean-out screw in the snail is an interesting touch, too. The patch box and trigger guard are identical to my sort-of-recent Hawken. The motifs in the hammer and sideplate castings are also identical to mine. And the butt plate is the same.

Did T/C, perhaps, take over the T. Mansfield and just modify [in a moment of poor judgement] the stock?

 

[anaconda44]

The old timers said the bought them out or the rights to it. But they did make there own barrels and slightly changed the lock outline . so i think they just copied and cast the brass hardware. And made the stocks lock plate and barrels in the tc plant. Makes sense . even harley davidson is made in usa but they dont make every part here.

 

[anaconda44]

found another one by sears tc hawken copy https://www.gunbroker.com/item/793066810

 

[necchi]

found another one by sears tc hawken copy https://www.gunbroker.com/item/793066810

Nope, that doesn't look like a TC Hawken at all,

 

[vintovka]

One sure fire way to date one (at least the barrel) is finding a heart shaped stamp under the barrel just in front of the breech plug. The stamp means barrel was made by the late Hal Sharon under contract by TC. Probably only on the very, very first TC Hawkens. Hal was a premier machinist and barrel maker. Some of his barrel making machines are so good i understand they are still in use today. FWIW think he and tc separated over issues. The 45 .410 contender comes to mind. HAd 55 drums of them (unfinished, Heart marked, rusting out in front of shop) that could not be sold due to BATF and I really feel he disliked the coil spring locks. Wish i had grabbed more out of the drums!

 

[vintovka]

Forgot to add there were a fair number of TC hawken knock offs made in Spain by companies like Armi San Marcos et al. Most were ok some not so much. Had identical machine stamped lock engravings and at least a few were v spring locks. I actually made a coil spring copy for my Swiss full stock .45 Schutzen rifle so not totally against the design itself just the materials. I used all machined tempered parts instead of investment cast like TC.

 

[awebbersr]

My 54 cal TC Hawken is S/N 435XXX purchased used, at a local gun shop this year. Barrel says Thompson / Center Arms 54 CAL Hawken.

 

[?mark]

View attachment 1538 View attachment 1538 View attachment 1538

One sure fire way to date one (at least the barrel) is finding a heart shaped stamp under the barrel just in front of the breech plug. The stamp means barrel was made by the late Hal Sharon under contract by TC. Probably only on the very, very first TC Hawkens. Hal was a premier machinist and barrel maker. Some of his barrel making machines are so good i understand they are still in use today. FWIW think he and tc separated over issues. The 45 .410 contender comes to mind. HAd 55 drums of them (unfinished, Heart marked, rusting out in front of shop) that could not be sold due to BATF and I really feel he disliked the coil spring locks. Wish i had grabbed more out of the drums!

I wonder what a Maltese cross on the underside would signify.

 

[dragnetbill]

One sure fire way to date one (at least the barrel) is finding a heart shaped stamp under the barrel just in front of the breech plug. The stamp means barrel was made by the late Hal Sharon under contract by TC. Probably only on the very, very first TC Hawkens. Hal was a premier machinist and barrel maker. Some of his barrel making machines are so good i understand they are still in use today. FWIW think he and tc separated over issues. The 45 .410 contender comes to mind. HAd 55 drums of them (unfinished, Heart marked, rusting out in front of shop) that could not be sold due to BATF and I really feel he disliked the coil spring locks. Wish i had grabbed more out of the drums!

Did you work for T/C or Sharon? This topic seems to come up regularly with no definitive answer to the question of whether Sharon made barrels for T/C.
I have a double spade marked T/C Hawken and when I take it out it always seems to say, "lets ignore those blurry sights and just group these shots into one ragged hole."

 

[Jdavis]

I just pulled my barrel and found a mark that resembles an “M” stamped on the bottom of the barrel 5 or 6 inches above the breech. Anyone have any idea what it means?