TC Hawken barrel condition

Hey guys, I accidently stumbled on a used TC 50 cal Hawken percussion rifle for a unreal price under $350. Rifle is in excellent condition externally and looked like it was very well cared for. It was not a kit but a manufactured rifle with a 125,000s era serial number. The place I got it didn't have the equipment to further inspect it but they offered me to buy and it bring it back if my inspection didn’t like what I saw. I took some pics with my borescope and was looking for another set of eyes and opinions about said rifle. I'm still fairly new to muzzleloading so any help appreciated. That last picture is the port to the nipple from inside the barrel. Is that rust or something else?

Should clean up fine

Nothing really wrong with it and looks like it will clean up okay. But, with the amount of rust I see, don't believe I'd'a give 350 for it.

Ditto what Bubba said, $250.00 tops here ......if I wanted one. Show him the pics. maybe he cut it in half?

With a good scrubbing with a quality solvent and some good gun oil, I don’t think it’s beyond saving. The small amount of pitting I see in the pictures should not affect accuracy. But it’s going to take some elbow grease, and you want to make sure you do everything possible to make sure that rust doesn’t come back. It was probably shot with pyrodex and not properly cleaned and oiled. I’d do my best to talk them down some and show them the photos. In my area, that’s a decent price for its condition, but not great. Well taken care of versions go for quite a bit more in my neck of the woods. I suppose it all boils down to how bad you want it. My 2cents.

run.
Or part it out and make 200 like others do,,

Thanks for the input. I tried running a brush down the bore and I’m getting flakes out of it so it might clean up good. Problem though is that nipple channel looks almost impossible to scrub clean. I think I’m going to take it back and ask for a lower price or if they won’t budge just return it.

I have a 54 Hawken with a barrel about the same, I thought with nothing lose I'd get aggressive used Brownell's extra thick patch's about 50 strokes with coarse valve grinding paste then the same with fine paste followed up with JB bore shine. Relieved the rifling was still there, the bore is bright, loads much easier I don't need to use a hammer to load a second ball the rifle is now shootable. A tip for stroking the bore is to mark the rod with tape halfway instead of a full 28" stroke do half at a time.

I bought the rifle from a guy that bought it to hang on the wall in 1985, his son couldn't resist shooting it borrowed some pyrodex and balls from a buddy took a few shots then hung it back up without cleaning I bought it in like new condition for $150 because the bore looked hopeless, OP should get a better price it's a lot work.

does nipple come out? i have several t/c barrels with stripped threads from people trying to remove them from rusty barrels without soaking first. might want to check.

Poof said:

I tried running a brush down the bore and I’m getting flakes out of it so it

Click to expand...

There are plenty of posts about running a brush through the barrel. And said brush getting stuck in the barrel. And plenty of posts about removing the stuck brush. Just sayin'.
I have used 0000 steel wool wrapped around a cleaning jag. Some WD40 and some elbow grease will clean the barrel quite nicely, without getting stuck. Just a thought, take it or leave it. My $0.02 worth.

If the nipple can be removed and the flash channel is clear, the bore looks to be in decent condition

Kroil does a number on penetrating that rust if you are looking for a solvent to soak it in. It will be the first of many steps in the cleaning process as outlined by other folks here. I do believe it’s salvageable but it’s going to take some elbow grease to bring it back.

Plug the breech with a machine screw in place of the nipple. Fill the barrel with evapo rust and wait. Don’t get any on the bluing or it’ll take that off too but that barrel should be fine. Evaporust will remove the rust. After that the other techniques, steel wool, etc. can smooth out any damage caused by the corrosion.

You can never get all the gunk out, no matter how hard you work at it. As others have said, those bore scopes will make you lose sleep at night, so never use one again. Daniel Boone never saw one and he got along just fine.

That gun will clean up with a little work. Even if it doesn't, I've seen some real sewer pipes that shoot three inch groups at a hundred yards. Worst case would be maybe a rebore, but then you get the barrel you want in pretty much new condition.

The T/C Hawken .54 I bought was a bit worse than yours. I did the regular routine. A good scrub of the bore with stainless steel scrubbing pad wrapped around an undersized brush and soaked in Kroil, then several sessions of scrubbing the bore with green Scotch-Brite soaked in Kroil. It is still ugly inside the bore, but it shoots and I am getting close on a fairly accurate load for it.

Go back and offer to keep it for $200. Take the 150 you save and have it bored to a 54.

I no longer suggest anything more coarse than WhiteDiamond metal polish, works fast with a felt pellet. This is the tool I made for holding the felt, I've used it with 357 and 50 sized felt. You can tighten the nuts to make the pellet expand for tighter contact.

Brass screw that fits your rod, brass nuts. Chuck in drill to reduce the size of the head and nuts with a file. A #8 screw should clear 50 and larger without needing to be filed down. A #10 might be a problem and also won't fit through the pellet very well. The #8 needs to be threaded through the pellet.

Scotch bright on an undersized jag works like a champ. 40 cal for a 50

as a chamber brush in the patent breech of TC's i use a chamber brush for a unmentionable nasty weapon of mass destruction.
i shorten the 30 cal portion and twist it in a circle to match the breech.

Poof said:

Thanks for the input. I tried running a brush down the bore and I’m getting flakes out of it so it might clean up good. Problem though is that nipple channel looks almost impossible to scrub clean. I think I’m going to take it back and ask for a lower price or if they won’t budge just return it.

Click to expand...

Listen to necchi.