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Thompson Center factory repairs ?
- Thread starter mfwing82
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Yeah right I'm not happy. They send me a replacent that has triggers that don't work and a vent that's poorly positioned and I should be happy? Not after the history I've had with this outfit. There's been something wrong with everything I've ever bought from them.
Either they pay the shipping back and fix every blessed problem or I'll do exactly that, part it out on Ebay and get Lyman.
This is why I drive a Toyota after 30 years in Chevys. Used to be a "buy American" guy but I'm fed up with the aggravation. I won't pay for sh*t in a box anymore.
Either they pay the shipping back and fix every blessed problem or I'll do exactly that, part it out on Ebay and get Lyman.
This is why I drive a Toyota after 30 years in Chevys. Used to be a "buy American" guy but I'm fed up with the aggravation. I won't pay for sh*t in a box anymore.
finn, if you send gun back, they will most likely give you one with the vent in middle.
i called them on one of mine that is same as yours.
from what i got from person who knows these t/c hawkins, HE SAYS YOU WILL NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH THAT VENT AS LONG AS IT IS NOT COVERED.
in fact, he says it works better farther back it is from center.
i am not sending mine in but i think they would give me a new gun.
mine has the good walnut from 1970 and i dont want to loose that to new wood.
but , i think you will fine it will not be problem as is or they will give you another in center i believe if you sent it back.
i noticed you have chatter marks on your new frizzen..
that leather is too thick and i would go to lead to hold the flint.
that will get rid of chatter marks.
just my 2 cents too. :hatsoff:
i called them on one of mine that is same as yours.
from what i got from person who knows these t/c hawkins, HE SAYS YOU WILL NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH THAT VENT AS LONG AS IT IS NOT COVERED.
in fact, he says it works better farther back it is from center.
i am not sending mine in but i think they would give me a new gun.
mine has the good walnut from 1970 and i dont want to loose that to new wood.
but , i think you will fine it will not be problem as is or they will give you another in center i believe if you sent it back.
i noticed you have chatter marks on your new frizzen..
that leather is too thick and i would go to lead to hold the flint.
that will get rid of chatter marks.
just my 2 cents too. :hatsoff:
Sproul,
I already have the new wood so I wouldn't lose anything - it's as plain as Jane anyway. :barf:
Your friend may be right and I'd love to think that the vent placement won't have any effect but there's a reason that every gunbuilder strives to get the vent placed center of the pan and top of pan level.
I've had pretty inconsistent ignition from both T/Cs I've owned over the last 25 years. Both had vents low like this and forward or aft of center and both cost me deer and gave me grief at the range even though I did everything by the book.
I could take the trigger out and play with it like I did with the new lock they sent me last summer but I won't. I'm done working on stuff that should've been done right by others.
They'll get 1 more chance to make it all right because a shred of me still wants to buy American instead of Italian but if they waiver one bit on this I'm done with 'em. :surrender:
Anybody want a brand new stock and roundball barrel with a slightly used lock? Not a shot has been fired? :shocked2:
I already have the new wood so I wouldn't lose anything - it's as plain as Jane anyway. :barf:
Your friend may be right and I'd love to think that the vent placement won't have any effect but there's a reason that every gunbuilder strives to get the vent placed center of the pan and top of pan level.
I've had pretty inconsistent ignition from both T/Cs I've owned over the last 25 years. Both had vents low like this and forward or aft of center and both cost me deer and gave me grief at the range even though I did everything by the book.
I could take the trigger out and play with it like I did with the new lock they sent me last summer but I won't. I'm done working on stuff that should've been done right by others.
They'll get 1 more chance to make it all right because a shred of me still wants to buy American instead of Italian but if they waiver one bit on this I'm done with 'em. :surrender:
Anybody want a brand new stock and roundball barrel with a slightly used lock? Not a shot has been fired? :shocked2:
About three years back I had enough of their service dept. to suit me. Sent them my new rifle to be fixed when I called to check on it they had no record of receiving it even though I had a post card stating they had. Finally got my rifle back unfixed. If Cains Outdoors had not made calls for me I doubt I would ever have received the rifle back from them.
Disagree.
I had read Pletcher's article just a day or two before this gun arrived from T/C. Larry talks in detail about the differences in ignition based on where the power sits in the pan and concludes that the fastest ignition comes from powder placed closest to the vent. This is the opposite of what many of us have been reading and hearing for years.
Then he talks about how little difference there is between high and low vent placement but he does not talk about the problems I've had with both T/C flinters I've had- vent placement fore or aft of the center of the pan. None of his photos show the vent as far off center as mine is.
I like to shoot with a small amount of primer in the pan - less flash and less wasted powder (I dump the pan often when I hunt). With this vent where it is, I doubt that I can get away with that.
Besides, on a $700 gun, shouldn't something as basic as vent placement be right?
I had read Pletcher's article just a day or two before this gun arrived from T/C. Larry talks in detail about the differences in ignition based on where the power sits in the pan and concludes that the fastest ignition comes from powder placed closest to the vent. This is the opposite of what many of us have been reading and hearing for years.
Then he talks about how little difference there is between high and low vent placement but he does not talk about the problems I've had with both T/C flinters I've had- vent placement fore or aft of the center of the pan. None of his photos show the vent as far off center as mine is.
I like to shoot with a small amount of primer in the pan - less flash and less wasted powder (I dump the pan often when I hunt). With this vent where it is, I doubt that I can get away with that.
Besides, on a $700 gun, shouldn't something as basic as vent placement be right?
Sproul,
Thanks for the advice on lead but I tried that for awhile a couple years ago. Performance was no better and I noticed more bounce when the cock struck the frizzen. I knew that would lead to chatter marks so I went back to leather.
The photo on the top is the new lock as it was when it arrived from T/C last summer. Note how thick the leather is that they supplied along with the sawn agate. I threw the agate and the leather away and replaced it with a thinner piece of leather and a black english flint. Photo on the bottom shows the BEF and the new leather. The lock has chipped out 2 of the BEFs and shattered a 3rd in a total of only about 30 strikes.
I'm using the same BEFs that my buddy's been using in his GPR with great success for years.
I believe that T/C supplies these locks with sawn agates because they know what their locks do to BEFs. Why else would they supply such an obvious man-made object in a traditional flintlock?
Thanks for the advice on lead but I tried that for awhile a couple years ago. Performance was no better and I noticed more bounce when the cock struck the frizzen. I knew that would lead to chatter marks so I went back to leather.
The photo on the top is the new lock as it was when it arrived from T/C last summer. Note how thick the leather is that they supplied along with the sawn agate. I threw the agate and the leather away and replaced it with a thinner piece of leather and a black english flint. Photo on the bottom shows the BEF and the new leather. The lock has chipped out 2 of the BEFs and shattered a 3rd in a total of only about 30 strikes.
I'm using the same BEFs that my buddy's been using in his GPR with great success for years.
I believe that T/C supplies these locks with sawn agates because they know what their locks do to BEFs. Why else would they supply such an obvious man-made object in a traditional flintlock?
leather is still too thick.
turn flint over bevel up.
LEAD will make difference.
i know, i will get comments that leather is fine, it is , i used it for 47 years and gun usually went off BUT i got rid of chatter marks on frizzen and i see MORE sparks from my fuller flints than i did with leather with LEAD.
.take your leather and wet it and put it in vise TO dry real tight to flatten it out or take razor blade and cut it thinner.
no expert here only what i saw that works for me.
i understand you too,i would want the vent in middle to.i think yours is high enough and if its true that a vent works better back a little like yours,well, i am leaving mine alone.
check your degrees on hammer/lock with a PROTRACTOR.
it should be around 60 degrees.
if so, you are ok.
i learned this from a very good expert on here who steered me in right direction.
old locks with the bevel down would break flints if you put them close to frizzen.
we used to leave them a knickel away from frizzen BEVEL down to get the old locks to work and they fired almost everytime.
turn flint over bevel up.
LEAD will make difference.
i know, i will get comments that leather is fine, it is , i used it for 47 years and gun usually went off BUT i got rid of chatter marks on frizzen and i see MORE sparks from my fuller flints than i did with leather with LEAD.
.take your leather and wet it and put it in vise TO dry real tight to flatten it out or take razor blade and cut it thinner.
no expert here only what i saw that works for me.
i understand you too,i would want the vent in middle to.i think yours is high enough and if its true that a vent works better back a little like yours,well, i am leaving mine alone.
check your degrees on hammer/lock with a PROTRACTOR.
it should be around 60 degrees.
if so, you are ok.
i learned this from a very good expert on here who steered me in right direction.
old locks with the bevel down would break flints if you put them close to frizzen.
we used to leave them a knickel away from frizzen BEVEL down to get the old locks to work and they fired almost everytime.
First of all, yes, I'd expect much better touch hole placement in a $700 gun. No argument about that.
I guess I read Larry's article a little less literally - I took his information to be about the distance of the powder from the touch hole in general, rather than literally about the direction: high or low and in or out, but not fore and aft. I still think misplacement fore and aft won't matter much, even as extreme as in the case on your gun.
I'm with you on T/C needs to fix it, however, even if I think it will work. It's sloppy.
I guess I read Larry's article a little less literally - I took his information to be about the distance of the powder from the touch hole in general, rather than literally about the direction: high or low and in or out, but not fore and aft. I still think misplacement fore and aft won't matter much, even as extreme as in the case on your gun.
I'm with you on T/C needs to fix it, however, even if I think it will work. It's sloppy.
t/c will fix it .
i agree ,why they do this is not very good.
one of my hawkins is 40 years old and the vent is back like finns is.
my other one is dead on center.
so, this has been happening a longtime.
it does not bother me as long as it goes bang but if it did not, I WOULD SEND IT BACK .
if someone here can show its not good to have the vent there,I WOULD SEND IT BACK.
but from what i understand, it does not matter.
i agree ,why they do this is not very good.
one of my hawkins is 40 years old and the vent is back like finns is.
my other one is dead on center.
so, this has been happening a longtime.
it does not bother me as long as it goes bang but if it did not, I WOULD SEND IT BACK .
if someone here can show its not good to have the vent there,I WOULD SEND IT BACK.
but from what i understand, it does not matter.
Finnwolf said:Well my T/C rollercoaster ride continued today. After reading here that recent repairs were not what they should be and were taking 8+ weeks, I figured the gun I sent in to T/C 2 weeks ago wouldn't be back for awhile.
I'd had nothing but trouble with my PA Hunter for 13 years since I bought it new. The 1:66 barrel was way less accurate than I expected, the lock eats flints and the stock developed a crack.
T/C told me a month ago that it'd be 4 months or more 'til they could get me a new PA Hunter stock because it's a discontinued model. I asked them at that time to replace the whole gun with a new Hawken with a 1:66 barrel. Took awhile but they agreed. Finally, I thought, I'd get rid of all the problems I'd endured for years all at once.
Today, the new rifle arrived and I opened the box. I'd asked for a nice piece of wood and offered to pay for it but all I got was a note that they "don't have any nice wood anymore".
The stock is brand new, nothing wrong with it, plain & simple walnut.
The barrel is stamped "Roundball 1:66" but it has the %@&*% QLA false bore that I'd asked them not to send me. But ok, I'll live with it.
Then I noticed that had not replaced the lock, it was the same one they sent me last spring that eats BEFs like I eat cheeseburgers. Well, maybe they tuned it for me - I'll wait 'til I get it to the range before passing judgement.
Then I popped the barrel in and checked out the vent location and my heart sank again. The vent is low and to the rear of the pan! On my PA Hunter, it was low and forward in the pan and even the times I did get spark, often the prime ignited but failed to fire the gun. Do these people EVER place a vent in the right place? Here we go again.
PA Hunter
Hawken
Then came the icing on the cake - the set trigger does not work at all - will not set the front trigger.
I am totally disgusted with this company. I'm looking for opinions - is there any chance this gun will have any kind of reliable ignition with the vent positioned where it is?
Has anyone ever had this problem with a set trigger - is there an easy fix?
I am tired of paying $20-$25 to return this gun to Rochester. I just want to fix it and sell it so I can go buy a GPR. I'd appreciate help from a knowledgeable source.
i got call today from the HAWKIN GUNSMITH at t/c.
he said the OLD guns had the vent off center on some.
they were also LOW and you could not replace the vent without taking barrel off or lock.
NEW guns are on center and HIGHER.
they had complaints of vent being to low and off center.
so, they raised them.
now, the same guys are calling saying the vent is too HIGH.
he felt the vents lower were better.
he also said that vent being off center IS NO PROBLEM on it going off unless the hole is covered.
but, i feel if you are not happy, they will put it on center for you.
i know what you feel, i would like my 3 to be on center, 2 are and 1 is not but they are go off.
actually gunsmith likes OLD way better even tho you have to take the barrel out to remove vent.
he said over 31 years and they all went off.
he also likes the AGATE flints BUT I HATE THEM.
i guess we all have things we like .
also when you e-mail t/c ask for GAIL LYNCH.
SHE SAID SHE WILL RESPOND TO E-MAIL.
she got back to me same day and next day gunsmith called me.
thats something. :thumbsup:
Guest
sproulman said:
It's
good
to
know
they
offer
such
good
service.
Thanks :wink:
