Everyone's thoughts about these rifles ?

[flintlock lover.]

Get the TC 45 and find a 50 barrel to have.

My first BP rifle was a Thompson Center Hawken in 45. It was accurate with Round ball as long as you didn't exceed 60 grs of 3fg and a tack driver with 80 grs of 3fg and a maxi ball. Great gun. Stolen out shipping when changing duty stations, but it cemented a love for BP hunting and shooting Black Powder guns.
Not even sure how many deer the latter combo load let me take home but it was plenty. Most dropped it place. A few ran but only around 60 yards or less. Shot placement and load construction trump's caliber in most cases.

 

[smoothshooter]

I have been inactive on this forum for quite some time. I dont have a muzzleloader yet and I have been meaning to get around to it. I walked into a local outdoor shop today and they had some muzzleloaders on the wall for sale. Only three stood out to me the rest were old rust buckets that werent taken care of. The three rifles were a Dixie Gun Works Lancaster .45 caliber, Dixie Gun Works Tennessee Mountain Rifle .50 caliber and Thompson Center Hawken .45 caliber. All rifles are in a 9 or 9.5/10 Condition they have been well taken care of and were in someone's private collection. The Lancaster is a .45 caliber flintlock and is listed for $550. The Tennessee is .50 caliber percussion but the rifle comes with a new L&R Flintlock and would just need a vent hole amd me to convert it. Lastly the Thompson Center Hawken is .45 caliber and is $600. All these prices are high in my opinion. I wanted to know what fair prices are to ask for these rifles ? The store owner said that all prices arent final and these rifles have been on the rack for some time as no one wants and rifle without a scope. They are being sold on consignment but the seller is flexible. I only want to pick up one rifle if I can. I just want something nice to use and practice with before I move up to a custom build or a kibler. The rifle will be used in Maryland to hunt deer in the Chestertown area. If anyone has an idea on a fair price to ask please feel free to comment.

No contest.
Buy the Thompson at a fair price ($450-$500 if bore is good).
Solid performers, good workmanship, and good resale value.
Replacement barrels available too.

 

[morehops52]

Walk in with four $100 bills and have some hidden 20’s for backup. Offer the 4 bills for the T /C and he him-haws around go another 20 as needed. $500 tops IMO. You will love it though.

 

[sheriff john]

If the Dixie SMR is the Miroku-made one, Dixie no longer has parts but it is more authentic than the T/C (parts easy to find). Around here (rural Missouri), those prices are a bit high, but finding anything sitting in a store is rare. Being able to physically examine a used gun is really good.

I've had Dixies and T/C's. Enjoyed them all. Bore condition is, to me, more important than the rest of any individual M/L rifle if I intend to shoot it. Replacement barrels are easy for the T/C. Replacing a bad barrel on the Dixies would be difficult.

 

[CWKNOX]

I have been inactive on this forum for quite some time. I dont have a muzzleloader yet and I have been meaning to get around to it. I walked into a local outdoor shop today and they had some muzzleloaders on the wall for sale. Only three stood out to me the rest were old rust buckets that werent taken care of. The three rifles were a Dixie Gun Works Lancaster .45 caliber, Dixie Gun Works Tennessee Mountain Rifle .50 caliber and Thompson Center Hawken .45 caliber. All rifles are in a 9 or 9.5/10 Condition they have been well taken care of and were in someone's private collection. The Lancaster is a .45 caliber flintlock and is listed for $550. The Tennessee is .50 caliber percussion but the rifle comes with a new L&R Flintlock and would just need a vent hole amd me to convert it. Lastly the Thompson Center Hawken is .45 caliber and is $600. All these prices are high in my opinion. I wanted to know what fair prices are to ask for these rifles ? The store owner said that all prices arent final and these rifles have been on the rack for some time as no one wants and rifle without a scope. They are being sold on consignment but the seller is flexible. I only want to pick up one rifle if I can. I just want something nice to use and practice with before I move up to a custom build or a kibler. The rifle will be used in Maryland to hunt deer in the Chestertown area. If anyone has an idea on a fair price to ask please feel free to comment.

I was looking for a .50 cal and a friend suggested a T/C Hawken would be a very good starter gun. So the search begin and Track of the Wolf had one for $650.00. I almost pulled the trigger, than saw one out in idaho for under $400.00. My brother lived nearby and I had him take a look, he said it looked like it had hardly ever been fired, so thats the one I now proudly own, and learning what the dark side is.

 

[SwanShot]

If the 45 is legal in Maryland the TC is the safest (sight unseen) bet. Prices around here are $4-500 for a nice one.

I will second that. A very good gun to get started with.

 

[Resolve]

As you are starting out in muzzleloading I would definitely go with the TC. In my opinion, which my wife will tell you is worth about as much as a pee hole in the snow, the TC will be easier to hunt with and less touchy and prone to any problems. As time goes on and you decide you really enjoy the sport you can then consider the longer and more traditional rifles.
Good Luck and Have Fun!
R

 

[IronHand]

The TC is a good gun but the SMR is better, IMHO. Also, 50 cal components are easier to find than 45.

I have had a Dixie SMR 50 for about 40 years now. Second BP gun I bought. Shot competition with it. Shot it so much that I had to have the frizzen refaced. Highly recommend it.

Before you choose shoulder each gun. The Dixie will feel different from the TC. The sights will also be different. This can effect your choice.

I would say get the SMR. The second lock is an added bonus and they were actually designed to be converted. TC guns are fairly common and the 45 is the least popular caliber. If you decide that you want one they are not hard to find. The SMR is a lot less common.

Enjoy
IronHand

 

[mmull56]

Best deal $375.00 offer for the TC!

 

[ColonialRifleSmith]

I have been inactive on this forum for quite some time. I dont have a muzzleloader yet and I have been meaning to get around to it. I walked into a local outdoor shop today and they had some muzzleloaders on the wall for sale. Only three stood out to me the rest were old rust buckets that werent taken care of. The three rifles were a Dixie Gun Works Lancaster .45 caliber, Dixie Gun Works Tennessee Mountain Rifle .50 caliber and Thompson Center Hawken .45 caliber. All rifles are in a 9 or 9.5/10 Condition they have been well taken care of and were in someone's private collection. The Lancaster is a .45 caliber flintlock and is listed for $550. The Tennessee is .50 caliber percussion but the rifle comes with a new L&R Flintlock and would just need a vent hole amd me to convert it. Lastly the Thompson Center Hawken is .45 caliber and is $600. All these prices are high in my opinion. I wanted to know what fair prices are to ask for these rifles ? The store owner said that all prices arent final and these rifles have been on the rack for some time as no one wants and rifle without a scope. They are being sold on consignment but the seller is flexible. I only want to pick up one rifle if I can. I just want something nice to use and practice with before I move up to a custom build or a kibler. The rifle will be used in Maryland to hunt deer in the Chestertown area. If anyone has an idea on a fair price to ask please feel free to comment.

Personally, the Hawkin is high, however the two Dixie's seem fair priced. Semper Fi.

 

[flintlock lover.]

If the Dixie SMR is the Miroku-made one, Dixie no longer has parts but it is more authentic than the T/C (parts easy to find). Around here (rural Missouri), those prices are a bit high, but finding anything sitting in a store is rare. Being able to physically examine a used gun is really good.

I've had Dixies and T/C's. Enjoyed them all. Bore condition is, to me, more important than the rest of any individual M/L rifle if I intend to shoot it. Replacement barrels are easy for the T/C. Replacing a bad barrel on the Dixies would be difficult.

I would offer around 75 percent of the asking price for either the Dixie Mountain Rifle or the TC.
Which one would depend on what I intend to use it for. If plans are for shooting in competition requiring patched round ball as much or more that hunting then the Dixie Mountain Rifle would be best ( my opinion).
Dixie parts for that rifle are rare BUT L&R locks and parts for them are easy to find.
Converting the " DMR " from percussion to flintlock and back is no more effort than dropping a $200 L&R flintlock that the mortise has already been (presumably) fitted for, since it has the percussion L&R mounted in it, after unscrewing the drum, then screwing in the flash hole liner that is threaded to fit right in. This was a feature that helped make these rifles popular in their day. The barrel ( if it was cared for in the past) will shoot as well as any other production rifle of that time.
I've owned the 50 cal DMR in the past and still own the Squirrel Rifle version with an L&R flintlock on it. When last listed by DGW, they were over $900 per copy with shipping/ insurance being around $100 even then.
On the other hand, if you're looking for a hunting rifle where a conical bullet will be your go to answer then the TC is a better choice. Owned and loved a .45 TC Hawken for several years using it for that role.
Hard to beat how that gun handled from a deer stand and in thick woods. However, it will never be a target gun without buying a $400 or more 1 in 60 twist barrel and even that won't give you that sight radius that the DMR has. But your tool to fit the job.
Just my 2 cents

 

[springfield art]

I have been inactive on this forum for quite some time. I dont have a muzzleloader yet and I have been meaning to get around to it. I walked into a local outdoor shop today and they had some muzzleloaders on the wall for sale. Only three stood out to me the rest were old rust buckets that werent taken care of. The three rifles were a Dixie Gun Works Lancaster .45 caliber, Dixie Gun Works Tennessee Mountain Rifle .50 caliber and Thompson Center Hawken .45 caliber. All rifles are in a 9 or 9.5/10 Condition they have been well taken care of and were in someone's private collection. The Lancaster is a .45 caliber flintlock and is listed for $550. The Tennessee is .50 caliber percussion but the rifle comes with a new L&R Flintlock and would just need a vent hole amd me to convert it. Lastly the Thompson Center Hawken is .45 caliber and is $600. All these prices are high in my opinion. I wanted to know what fair prices are to ask for these rifles ? The store owner said that all prices arent final and these rifles have been on the rack for some time as no one wants and rifle without a scope. They are being sold on consignment but the seller is flexible. I only want to pick up one rifle if I can. I just want something nice to use and practice with before I move up to a custom build or a kibler. The rifle will be used in Maryland to hunt deer in the Chestertown area. If anyone has an idea on a fair price to ask please feel free to comment.

TC definitely over priced. Good luck either way.

 

[springfield art]

I would be cautious of the Dixie Lancaster. I had one years ago and never could get the flintlock to work reliably. It also had very shallow rifling. I think they were made by Palmetto arms and weren't exactly a top of the line rifle. Mine may have just been a lemon, but I would be cautious.

Good info.

 

[Dale Allen Raby]

If the bore of the T/C looks good, that is the one to buy. The price they are asking in the current market is not just too outrageous. Won't hurt to offer a hundred less, but if you can get it for what the store is asking, you are pretty safe.

 

[SnowCrow]

I would go with the southern mountain rifle, I had a DGW smr in .50 caliber and it was a great rifle. Unfortunately years ago I traded it for a saddle.

Did you by chance do that trade in South Park Colorado at a small rendezvous outside Fairplay?????
I traded an old school vaquero saddle for my DGW 50 cal mountain rifle ( left hand ) back around ‘86-‘87