TC kit guns

[duck hollow pete]

Starting my 1st post with my 1st dumb question. I have 2 tc kit guns (new)got them in 76 had heard later that they were kits because they were rejects after inletting true or not, never heard for sure.

 

[richdeerht]

I had a '76 vintage TC back in '76. The barrel was bare and had mill marks that needed to be draw filed. I believe their later kits came with the barrels blued?

 

[gearheart]

If they was kit guns the serial # starts with K.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I built my TC kit gun back in the '76 era. I had to do a small bit of wood removal to complete the inletting. I don't think that the kit guns were rejects is true. The serial number on my rifle starts with a K.

 

[cynthialee]

Sending out rejects in kit form is a good way to get a bad name.

The worst and the best T/C rifles I have seen are kit guns. In the hands of an idiot who doesn't know what they are doing they will botch the job. In the hands of a craftsman the kits come out looking like masterpieces.

 

[duck hollow pete]

Yes the K is for kit it's stamped on the stock in the barrel channel also. I assume it was to keep after finish probems to ones self and not the companys.Like I said I herd it a few times, but didn't think it to be true,but mybe 1st line seconds.

 

[Zonie]

I agree with Cynthialee.

Back in the '70's TC was still building its reputation for making quality muzzleloaders.

Companies that are trying to become the best don't sell rejected parts or kits.

If no one has tried to change the lock or trigger mortice, the lock or trigger might be a tight fit.

Improving this will take a bit of careful work but it isn't really very hard to do.

If someone who didn't know what they were doing got ahold of the kits first they might have cut away too much wood leaving unsightly gaps but this can't be blamed on the factory.

As for the barrel finish, the early kits were shipped with unblued barrels.
After a number of unskilled kit builders messed up the barrels and tried to return their mistakes to TC, the company decided it would save everyone a lot of grief if they blued the barrels before shipping them out to the customer.

 

[duck hollow pete]

I agree I didn't think they were either, just keep hearing that why I ask. Mine had to be draw filed also, smith did the blueing. Thanks all.

 

[Vaino]

Built my TC Hawken kit in 1976 and still have it....has killed a few elk and deer.
Had no problems assembling it and found no defects whatsoever.

The problem I did have when shooting it, was the cheek and comb were too fat and I had to really bear down on the butt to line up the sights.....bumped the cheek a mite. A couple of years later rectified this by removing a lot of wood from the cheek and also the comb. This MLer is the "elk camp loaner rifle" for first timers and has been shot by many different hunters and has killed many elk w/o any complaints. Very dependable, trouble free shooter......Fred

 

[frogwalking]

I assembled a TC Hawken kit in 1974. It was fine. It got fired many many times with no issues. I just sold it a few years ago to finance another rifle.

 

[sidelock]

I built my TC Hawken .50 about 73 and still have it. Changed the stock contour a little. Added a custom sling and a composit rod. I have taken lots of game with her, from squirrel, turkey and deer. Wanted to take a big bull elk but that never happened. Mine will group 2.5" at 100 yd. with 90 gr. FFG and 1/2" at 35 yd. with 35 gr. if I hold her--- with the same sight setting. I have lots of good guns, but this is my favorite.

 

[mr.flintlock]

I don't believe that T.C used rejected parts for their kit guns. I have built several for other people over the years and all of the parts were first rate. The only one that I have seen as defective was a kit a friend of mine bought and assembled. It had a warped lock plate and that probably was not caught at the factory because the rifle was not assembled at the factory.