TC Hawken Discontinued

[vintovka]

Warning OLD MANS RANT AHEAD ;; TCs designs have been kinda confusing for me since the very beginning. Had many opportunities to speak with TC staff at SHOT shows over the years and worked with the late Hal Sharon (who had the real info). In short and IMHO) TC designs were to fill the black power demand begun as a combination of 1968 gun acts and the US bicentenial. They were also a result of marketing and engineering available at the time. The single wedge and barrel length were both ergonomic and cost effective moves. The coil spring lock was also a cost/benefit effective choice. Easy to produce with wax castings and cheap to make springs. The 28" barrel never felt right to me. When i questioned the single wedge and 28" hawken barrel i got a weird answer from TC staff. Largely chosen as easy to pack and ship in a box, plus shorter stocks and barrels meant more could be made for less $. Think they had a price in mind and worked backwards. They may have also had a eye toward accessories to fit the chosen design. Got to do a customer questionnaire asking for advice and recommendations for changes and new products. Many, myself included, suggested a smaller rifle with interchangeable barrels in .36 and .45. And a shotgun barrel to fit the hawkin. They came out with the senecas later that year but Sharon beat them to the shotgun barrel producing a drop in 20. The englander series came out right after that an about killed Sharons product.

 

[BIGBEAR]

I agree Ugly ,
All my TC Hawken rifles , work well for me , without breaking the bank ..fun to shoot and easy to keep ..

 

[Critter Getter]

Eugene, Thank you for your reply and insight. I must somewhat respectfully disagree I too have been shooting bp for ( nearly) 40 years. I have shot and owned many TC percussion guns and all but one I would consider very good quality. I have never shot or owned a TC flinter tho. The accuracy, fit and finish, and reliability of most have been right up there with my top shelf rifles that I also own. Thanks again for answering my question. Greg

 

[Walkingeagle]

All my T/C’s have been percussions. Owned a total of 4 Hawkens (one went to my brother, two to his sons and I kept the last) and 4 Renegades (one to a good friend, one to a past potential son-in-law, one to a nephew and I kept the last). ALL have, and continue to perform flawlessly! You will not hear me bash T/C for their traditional sidelock percussion guns, ever. Best quality rifle you can buy. If you desire authenticity, these are not that.
Walk

 

[Oldephart]

Still own my four digit serial # T/C Hawken Style Flinter I purchased new in the mid 1970's. It shoots well and only regret I have is that Smith snd Wesson refused to honor the "Limited Lifetime Warranty" when I asked for a replacement new style lock.

 

[chorizo]

Necro thread..

Realize that Lifetime warranty doesn't mean what you think it means.

A "Limited Lifetime Warranty" is a marketing technique/term. It is for the lifetime of the company, not your lifetime, or whenever the company decides to kill the warranty and no longer honor it.

 

[vintovka]

Still own my four digit serial # T/C Hawken Style Flinter I purchased new in the mid 1970's. It shoots well and only regret I have is that Smith snd Wesson refused to honor the "Limited Lifetime Warranty" when I asked for a replacement new style lock.

astounded they even responded

 

[Donald (Skip) Hesler]

I`m sorry to hear they are no longer being made, but I always thought they were overpriced when you could buy a similar gun for alot less money.
I seriously considered buying one back around 1980 when I was looking for my first muzzleloader for deer hunting but bought a CVA Mountain Rifle instead and never regreted it a bit. The only reason I own a Thompson Center Hawken now is because I found a used one in almost new condition last fall for $175. My old Mountain Rifle can outshoot it any day of the week though.

That’s what the price was for a brand new one in 1973. I’ve got two 50’s, a 45, and a 36 caliber TC ML side lock rifles, all cap lock. The buying price now is four or more time's more than what I paid. The most I’ve paid was $250.00 but I’ve had them for a few years. Outstanding rifles.

 

[vintovka]

Don't these have a rep for cracks at lock bolt?

 

[OldMaineWoodsman]

Don't these have a rep for cracks at lock bolt?

That is not a design or manufacturer flaw. It is a user flaw, due to over-tightening of said bolt.

 

[vintovka]

That is not a design or manufacturer flaw. It is a user flaw, due to over-tightening of said bolt.

Either way seems like quite a few have this problem.