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Thompson Center Hawken hurts my face

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T/C stocks are too straight. The high adjustable sights make them fit most people. I once redid one, removed all finish, browned the metal and put lower regular Basket sights on it. It was impossible to shoulder that too-straight stock and align the sights. But it sure looked good.
 
If you firm up your grip on the forestock by pulling the entire gun into your shoulder the gun doesn't get a running start in recoil before smacking you. Pulling the buttstock into you combines your mass with the weapon's mass. I believe we all shy away from that egg slicer crescent butt plate, freeing up the rifle's mass to launch into our shoulder.
 
towgunner11h said:
My Investarms .50 has the same problem- has it since 1976- still need to fix it! People used to think I'd been in a fight because my cheek was black and blue. Shoots great, though!
Click to expand...
I guess at times we have to suffer for our art!🤪
 
N.Y. Yankee said:
Hold on a minute. The T/C Hawken has a crescent butt plate on it. Any kind of recoil pad or spacer will be difficult to mount. The renegade and Hawken are two different stocks. The Hawken crescent butt is intended to be mounted out between your bicep and your armpit, not in on your shoulder like the Renegade or a shotgun would. Mounting it out on your arm would cause you to lean your head over a little and down to the stock. This should make it easier on recoil, not harder. If your face is black and blue, there is something really wrong somewhere. Myself and a friend both have those guns and we both have NEVER complained it hit our face. Are you sure you are mounting the gun correctly? Shooting off a bench will cause you to change position a bit and unless you shift around toward the gun a bit more, you may be getting hit because of that. Too many shooters do not realize they are holding the gun wrong.
Click to expand...
It is my cheekbone that is getting walloped. However I will try not to put my face over the stock but more maybe on the side. Thanks for the input!
 
the folks at Pecatonica make a half stock inlet for Thompson Center ... available in various grades (they are very generous in their grade - you'll get a lot fancier than you pay for), and as i understand it, you won't have the drop at comb problem ... if you call and chat them up, i'm sure that they'll be able to help you.

http://longrifles-pr.com/thompsoncenter.shtml
best of luck with your project :)
 
EN said:
I have a TC Hawken and when fired with any decent charge it hammers my cheek bone. A friend said that it might be the shape of my face so he took it and tried it. He came back with a small blue bruise on his cheek bone. The charge was 70 grains of ffg. Has anyone else had this problem and if so how can I fix it? The gun is very accurate, so I don't want to get rid of it.
Click to expand...
Probably means little to the OP, but in the past few weeks have taken both a T/C Renegade and a Hawken to the range a number of times for some accuracy testing. The Renegade was set up with a GM LRH barrel and was shooting 400 grain bullets with 80 and 90 grain charges of Swiss 3F. The Hawken is bored out to 58 with a roundball radius twist. Shot patched roundballs over 80 to 90 grain loads of Swiss. Alternated between the two guns and shot 15 plus rounds out of each with no ill effects. Each is held differently, but hold them wrong or too loose and they will let you know, slapping your check and/or busting up your shoulder.
 
Good advice on using the crescent buttplate between the shoulder and bicep

I feel your pain, all of my Enfields smack my cheekbone so bad that 40 rounds has me leaving the range feeling like I got punched in the face . It's just the stock shape. I just deal with it, the soreness only lasts a day or so
 
The TC stock design is modern. The TC people apparently did not bother to look at a real Hawken or any period guns. They apparently were not shooters either. The stock is uncomfortable and looks wrong. The scallop where your thumb goes is thoroughly modem and not seen on old rifles.

Somebody mentioned Enfield rifled muskets. Those stock are of extremely poor design. The idea was to use an open "tactical" shooting stance. IT is quite a pity. I have minty Parker Hale 2-band. I could not bring myself to modify the stock. So, I added sight height extensions.

To make the TC work the comb line needs to be dropped. She my doctored photo. The actual comb can be move back a smidge to make it look right. The comb needs to be thinned a lot, see the photo of the SMR for inspiration. The cheek piece is much to large. IT will also need to the thinned to blend at the front. Original cheek pieces are small and thin, mostly not functional. Original stocks were dainty by modern standards. While you are working on it, eliminate the flat spot along the barrel channel. That is also modern and inappropriate. Fix the lock panels, they should be very thin.

Don't worry about copying an original Hawken, the TC is not a Hawken. For inspiration though, here is link to a real Hawken.
https://auctions.morphyauctions.com...___HIGH_CONDITION_SAMUEL_HAWKE-LOT470518.aspx
 

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Scota@4570 said:
The TC stock design is modern. The TC people apparently did not bother to look at a real Hawken or any period guns. They apparently were not shooters either. The stock is uncomfortable and looks wrong. The scallop where your thumb goes is thoroughly modem and not seen on old rifles.

Somebody mentioned Enfield rifled muskets. Those stock are of extremely poor design. The idea was to use an open "tactical" shooting stance. IT is quite a pity. I have minty Parker Hale 2-band. I could not bring myself to modify the stock. So, I added sight height extensions.

To make the TC work the comb line needs to be dropped. She my doctored photo. The actual comb can be move back a smidge to make it look right. The comb needs to be thinned a lot, see the photo of the SMR for inspiration. The cheek piece is much to large. IT will also need to the thinned to blend at the front. Original cheek pieces are small and thin, mostly not functional. Original stocks were dainty by modern standards. While you are working on it, eliminate the flat spot along the barrel channel. That is also modern and inappropriate. Fix the lock panels, they should be very thin.

Don't worry about copying an original Hawken, the TC is not a Hawken. For inspiration though, here is link to a real Hawken.
https://auctions.morphyauctions.com...___HIGH_CONDITION_SAMUEL_HAWKE-LOT470518.aspx
Click to expand...
Thanks for the link. The TC trigger guard with the spur looks similar to this Hawken. Pricey!
 
My T/C Hawken has pounded my face for decades. The only ML I have that does this. I finally bought a product designed to raise your cheek up to scope height on some guns. It is an elastic sleeve that slips over the stock with foam inserts of various thicknesses. Solved the problem.
 
gustrolland said:
Had the same issue with one back in '74, but it shot really great. I got smart and had it re-stocked and then it fit. Stock shape makes a big difference
Click to expand...
Gun fit. This is just another aspect of gun fit. It seems to me that shotgunners as a group are more aware of and interested in gun fit. Whereas rifle shooters will contort themselves to fit their stocks. Possibly a legacy of military use of rifles? No army I ever heard of custom fitted stocks for grunts.
The target rifles that come with multiple stock adjustment options argue in my favor.
An ill fitting rifle will have you reaching for an aspirin after a long afternoon at the range.
 
TrophyGuy said:
If you firm up your grip on the forestock by pulling the entire gun into your shoulder the gun doesn't get a running start in recoil before smacking you. Pulling the buttstock into you combines your mass with the weapon's mass. I believe we all shy away from that egg slicer crescent butt plate, freeing up the rifle's mass to launch into our shoulder.
Click to expand...
Yes! With proper gun mount felt recoil should be a push. Not a jolt.
 
I will be trying out some of these suggestions in a couple of days and will let you guys know what worked for me. Thanks for all your help!
 
Well went to the range and tried shooting off hand and from the bench. Still got smacked. Added a slip on rubber butt pad that gave me an extra inch. Still no bueno. Added 1/4 inch thick sponge to the comb and BINGO!. No pain. So next will be lowering the crown as per Waksupi. I really don't want to add anything to the stock if I can help it. Thank all of you for your input. đź‘Ťđź‘Ťđź‘Ť
 
N.Y. Yankee said:
Hold on a minute. The T/C Hawken has a crescent butt plate on it. Any kind of recoil pad or spacer will be difficult to mount. The renegade and Hawken are two different stocks. The Hawken crescent butt is intended to be mounted out between your bicep and your armpit, not in on your shoulder like the Renegade or a shotgun would. Mounting it out on your arm would cause you to lean your head over a little and down to the stock. This should make it easier on recoil, not harder. If your face is black and blue, there is something really wrong somewhere. Myself and a friend both have those guns and we both have NEVER complained it hit our face. Are you sure you are mounting the gun correctly? Shooting off a bench will cause you to change position a bit and unless you shift around toward the gun a bit more, you may be getting hit because of that. Too many shooters do not realize they are holding the gun wrong.
Click to expand...
Well pardon my ignorance but I've had T/C Hawkens since 1971, right out of high school, and I've always mounted it on my shoulder (as well as Lyman GPRs) and never had one hurt my face. This could possibly that its because I'm a lefty.
Now I have heard of some shooters mounting rifles as you stated but never saw it done nor did it.
 
Mike in FL said:
T/C stocks are too straight. The high adjustable sights make them fit most people. I once redid one, removed all finish, browned the metal and put lower regular Basket sights on it. It was impossible to shoulder that too-straight stock and align the sights. But it sure looked good.
Click to expand...
What he said!!
T/C stocks are too straight to fit properly. Try this.. Close your eyes and hold the rifle level with a comfortable stance as if you are sighting it at a target. Open your eyes. You should be looking down the sights, but I'll bet the T/C is pointing up at about a 30deg. angle. Factory made cheek slapper. T/C also sold a scope mount that would mount on the back sight screws.
 

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