Thompson center Hawkins???

I am new to the black powder rifles. Did TC make a kit for the 50 cal Hawkins rflie? I don't really care, I bought one to enjoy. Just wanted to know about the quality difference? Also; how do you tell the difference if they did? What are my opthions on the projectiles to run through it? I will be using pyrodex.

At one time TC offered both finished rifles and kits for the Hawkin rifles, either way good quality guns.

As for what to shoot, their Hawkins have twist rate that will work with the conicals or patched round balls. The Hawkins I have shot we were using TC Maxi-ball and patched round balls with pyrodex.

My 50 cal. Hawkin shoots patched round balls the best.

T/C Hawken Rifles are great sidelocks. They made both a factory and kit model. Essentially the same rifles except the finish on both the barrel and stock. The kit gun's barrels were market with serial #s beginning with the letter K.
I've hunted with one since 1978, I shoot T/C 370 gr. maxi balls with 90 grains of FF Goex black powder.
Sighted in at 65yds, it cuts the top of a 3" bullseye at 30yds and cuts the bottom at 100yds. Killed many deer with this factory recommended load. Never had a need to change.

The factory finish was a polished blue steel barrel, blue case hardened side lock and walnut stock with brass hardware.
The kit guns are finished to the preference of the owner. Browned barrels are common.

Got a factory gun from 1976. Maxi balls and 90gr. powder

SowHntr,
If you are using pyrodex make sure you are measuring your loads by volume not weight.
Pyrodex is about 25% lighter than black powder which would cause problems from overloading.
Good #11 caps are also important. Remington caps have been extremely reliable.

Pappybear, thank you for all the info! There is no k on the serial #. I have put in for out of state hunts this next season. I bought a probhunter and this Hawkins. I have yet to shot either, but both of them have got me exicited about hunting again! I hunted this past season seeing 2-10 deer a hunt and never pulled the trigger. I feel like black powder will put the challenge back in the sport.

I plan on using my T/C Hawken for elk if I ever decide to apply for a Colorado Muzzleloader tag instead of an archery tag. I pass up bulls every year during the archery/muzzleloader overlap that don't offer a good shot with a bow but would be chip shots with the muzzleloader.
We have a unique, flintlock only, late season,muzzle loader hunt here in PA. It starts the day after Christmas and extends into the second week of January. We usually have a lot of snow and very cold weather but it's a fun hunt. It's a little more challenging, it that occasionally you get a puffff instead of a bang when you squeeze off a shot. I have a .50 cal. T/C Renegade flintlock rifle that I hunt with. The Renegade is essentially a Hawken with a 26" barrel and no brass hardware.
Good luck with what is sure to be your new found passion for hunting.

I put this 30-40 year old kit together for my friends uncle last fall. Its a T/C Hawkin

[img]https://texashuntingforum.com/forum/pics/...0_7556179342109[/img]
[img]https://texashuntingforum.com/forum/pics/...0_8272045496949[/img]

Nice colt!

Any one had any luck shooing sabot's? I also have many packages of powerbelts for my prohunter, anyone tried these and is it possible in the hawken?

SowHntr, I don't think the TC Hawken rifle barrels have fast enough twists to stabilize sabots. That being said I never tried them in any of mine.

Never usd saboted bullets in my Hawkens or Renegades. I have used them very successfully in two .50cal Traditions flintlocks and a Lyman Deer Stalker.
Both Traditions shot the Hornady XTP .44 cal 240 gr. sabots very accurately with 100gr of pyrodex. Providing good penetration and quick dispatch of the deer I shot with them.
The Lyman shot the 245 gr Powerbelts with 80 grains of FF Goex, very accurately, but I was concerned about the numerous reports of bullet fragmentation and lack of penetration. I switched to the T/C 275 gr maxi-hunters that produced the same accuracy and superior penetration.
Maximum factory recommended loads for your 50 cal Hawken is 110 gr. of FF black powder. Most BP shooters recommend using less for better accuracy. As I said earlier I found that 90 grains was plenty.

Pappybear,

What are the barrel twists in the Traditions and Deer Stalker? Maybe I need to give it a shot (sorry, no pun intended).

Thanks.

Both the Lyman Deer stalker and Traditions PA Pellet have a 1 in 48" twist. The Lyman has a 24" barrel and the Traditions has a 26" barrel.

We put in for unit 39 muzzleloader in CO. They had leftovers last season, but we went in with two points. We will see! I am going to to put up the seven mag and a spend a few months with the two TC's. I cant wait to see what happens

Good luck on the draw. Colorado requires loose powder, non saboted bullets and open or iron sights so the Hawken is perfect.
I wouldn't hesitate to use the 370 gr maxi balls with 90 gr of FF.

Never do, but I stopped by gander. They had 350gr maxi hunters. I grabbed them and some Hornady 50 cal .490. They didn't have any patches. I will be taking out both tc's tomorrow after the turkey hunt. I will post some pics!

The 350gr maxi hunters shot well out of an older Renegade that I bought used. They came with the gun so I decided to try them for sighting in. Haven't hunted with that gun yet so I can't say how well they work on deer or other game. Not sure if they will get the same penetration as the 370 maxi balls.

I did a kit model, during the process while doing one of the screws, I split the stock, sent it in, replaced for no charge, the replacement was 2x better looking than the original, have regretted selling it.

Yes, T/C was a great company until they were bought out by S&W. They are not honoring the T/C lifetime warranties on classic slide lock and flintlock muzzleloaders anymore. They stopped all producition of replacement parts.

I bought a second T/C Renegade when the problem began, just to have replacement parts. The gun was used but hardly fired and well taken care of. Cost me less than what a replacement stock would cost now. If you can find one.

Well I'm hooked! The pro hunter is picky! After many tries we finally found a load it liked. We went with 90gr pyrodex and a 250 grain saboted bullet. We tried the powerbelts with different grains of powder, and it did not like them. I pulled out the Hawkens put 90 gr in it, and tried to start the maxi hunter in it, I ended up break my bullet starter in half. After more force than I will ever do again, I got the bullet seated. I then put in a cap, set the trigger, aimed..... and nothing. I tried ten caps and was so upset the rifle never fired. We went into town to eat and I found a video about the billet puller, I had never seenone. I went back to the land and stated shooting other guns and calling for turkey here and there. When I went through the black powder box I found a bullet puller, my range rod was to short for the hawkens, disappointed once again. I put one more cap on it walked over and POOF, it fired! Barrel was cleared! I decided to try the powerbelts in it. At 50 yards I had one hole and was so impressed with the gun. I then moved out to 100 yards and the pics and my smiles says the rest.



These are my first two shots at 100 yards with the hawkens



Finished with a third shot



I need to find another bullet beside a sabot for the pro hunter. Strange thing, this same load had a 5 inch group at 50. I said screw it try at 100, and we got this group. It will work on the pigs for now.

Looks like you have two great shooters.
Did you get precluded maxi's? I never had a problem loading them in any of my T/C's or Lyman.
I run a dry swab down the barrel after each practice shot to make loading the next round easier.
Also before I load for practice or hunting I fire a cap or two with the barrel pointed at a leaf on the ground to make sure the fire is getting to the chamber.
The force produced by the cap alone will move the leaf.

I've shot deer with T/C Hawkens using the Lee conicals, and had very good results. They are easy to make and load very easily. Accuracy has always been good for me with a 75 Gr. load in a .45, and they are very effective doing what they should do on a deer.

It was the pre lubed, they smelled like mint. The rifle was new unfired, but I cleaned it well when I got it home, and ran three dry patches down it before i fired it. It being new I put two caps in it before I loaded it. However; it still had the wax, cosmalene in it when I bought it. You learn on the fly, I didn't put a pic in the breach hole before I fired the two caps. I'm going to grab some 295gr powerbelts and 90gr, hopefully it will like them too!

We had quite a few Kentucky and Hawkins rifles in 45 and 50 cal over the years.
They were all pretty good guns and shot well.

Then my older brother got a TC Hawkins kit in 50 cal.
He was pretty experienced from building "sporters" from various milsurp bolt guns back in the day and it turned out very nice.
He was a job superintendent working away from home and lived in a travel trailer at the job site during the week so he had lots of time to work on it.

The real surprise was shooting it.
It was pretty amazing using patched round balls but when he tried some maxi's, it was really accurate.
He hunted deer and varmints with for a few seasons and did quite well for a smokepole.
Don't remember what bullets or loads he was shooting in it as it was many years ago.

But I do remember the rifle well!

Put up a post and had two great forum members help me out, I got more than I bargrned for. One of them has yet been shot by us.



Needless to say I'm hooked! Here is the first two shots at 100 yards with the powerbelt 295gr with 90 gr poyrodex, out of the latest Hawkins by my uncle.

We tried patch round balls at 100 and 50 yards with the same rifle my uncle is holding. I tried 70,80,90 grains. .49 bullet and .01 and .015 patches. They shot horribly. We will keep working on it.

If I remember correctly all the T/C muzzle loaders (classic style anyway) were rifled 1 turn in 48" so they could shoot either round ball or the Conical type bullets. This was before people thought about shooting Saboted pistol bullets. Since most pistol bullets are shorter than the Maxi Ball they should be able to shoot ok.

I've got a Hawken 50 caliber with the 15/16" barrel, and a Seneca 45 caliber. Finally shot the Hawken few days ago with round balls, about 2" or so at 50 yards without trying too hard.

My buddy back up north has their 45 cal Hawken kit rifle and his seems to like patch and ball the best. Great looking rifle.

Has anyone shot elk with powerbelt? Everywhere I read they say use the 338gr. Is the maxi hunter the way to go?

My old TC Hawkins worked good on on two elk. One was taken above Toketee? Falls @ elk camus. Camus = isolated mountain meadow. Who wouldn't hunt one named Elk? The second in Beaver Salvage, another camus area a few miles from the first. Both shots right at 100yd, and +/- 3,000ft above sea level. Both traveled over 100yd (second one waay over) leaving good blood trails. I know the rifle can still do it - but my old body can't anymore.