New to the flintlock community

[buffalo]

Just wanted to say hello everyone on the forum.

I just purchase my first flintllock rifle. It's a 50 cal. T/C Hawken. I can't wait to start developing a load with real black powder and big lead conicals.

This could get addictive.

 

[stinkyfeet]

Hey welcome to the world of rocklockin..

 

[don hepler]

Welcome to the forum, and yes, it can be addictive. I have three flintlocks, two are TC's. My Hawken is a very early made rifle, and I replaced the frizzen and hammer(cock) with the newer one's and replaced the flash hole liner with the newer one, that uses a allen wrench instead of screw driver. I didn't even try the older ones, they might have been fine, but just decided to start off with everything new. The Hawken shots as good as I can see, and is a great rifle to shoot.

Good shooting, and if we can help, I'm sure the answer can be found here.

 

[ohio ramrod]

It is definitely is addictive. You can find everything you need to know here on the forum. Just remember the advice here is worth every cent you pay for it. :idunno:

 

[MSW]

welcome to the wonderful world of rockbanging ... now that you're hooked, I hope you don't plan to waste your money on useless junk like groceries and mortgage payments ... by the way, don't get worried 'cause your co- workers think you're a little weird when you get excited by sharp rocks ... they just don't 'get it.'

:haha:

don't get too excited about "big lead conicals..." although your T/C barrel is most probably a 1:48 twist, which will stabilize both conical and roundball well, you don't really gain (in my opinion, anyway) any great advantage by putting more lead downrange ... depends on what you're hunting ...

if you're going after the elusive X-ring, shoot roundball. it costs less (in lead, and in powder) and you'll see less by way of felt recoil. This way, you can get more range time, shoot more shots, and become more proficient. (by the way, once you get a few X-rings, they make a nice blanket, if you skin them out properly)...

if you're looking to put Bambi into little white packages, do not fall victim to the siren song of what many call 'magnumitis.' ... this is the mistaken assumption that the mechanism of all things which go 'bang' is the same - it's not. a modern centerfire rifle projectile hits the flesh at a velocity which is, as a practical matter, unattainable in a muzzleloader, and when it does, it sets up a shockwave through the tissue, which causes shock and eventual death.

blackpowder guns have a different mechanism - basically, you put a big hole in Bambi, after which blood pressure falls to zero and the animal looses consciousness and collapses, and exsanguination follows.

so, if you're burning charcoal in your powder, make a bigger hole... not a faster hole or a heavier hole ... if I had it to do over, i'd still have my T/C renegade, but it would have a .54 or a .58 barrel.

OK - now you're smart ... we can continue with whether the flint goes bevel up or bevel down, and whether you should use lead or leather for your flint wrap ... stroke your chin and nod knowingly...

mind you, these are just the free opinions of one guy ... no doubt worth what you just paid...

good luck, and make good smoke!

 

[Swede50]

I took out the slot vent hole liner and put in one that uses an allen wrench.
Round Ball suggested this and it helped a lot with my Flash in the Pan miss fires.
Does your TC have the QAL(sp) or did you get lucky and get a Flint lock without it?

 

[DJC]

Switching the touch hole liner was the best thing I did. took out the T/C standard issue and put in a larger one with an allen wrench... and it re-ignited my interest in flintlocks, amazing what firing on a regular basis will do for you.

 

[zerb]

Yes, what MSW said. Don't think that conicals are the way to go. I have a .50 TC Hawkin and it shoots balls very well. I once tried conicals just to see how they shoot, and I wasn't very impressed with the accuracy. If you do your part round balls will kill a deer every bit as well as a conical will.

 

[buffalo]

Thanks for the welcome. Been shooting a T/C Hawken 54 caplock since 1989 when the wife and got married. Just started casting my own round balls two years ago after I switched to a 1:66 twist barrel. What a great improvement over the 1:48 twist barrel.

I little pillow ticking from Wally World, crisco from the grocery store, and 240 pounds of pure lead I got in a deal from a friend along with a 20 pound lee pot and I'm pretty well set.

 

[buffalo]

Oh I forgot the most important part of this whole topic. I ended up buying the T/C Hawken flinter used for $150.

I figured the stock and hardware was worth that even if the barrel didn't shoot or was in poor shape. However, the barrel appears to be in great shape.

The serial number on the barrel say 1857. Can anyone give me a time frame of when the gun may have been manufactured?

 

[don hepler]

That's a great price. I paid 300, but the rifle appeared unfired and had a globe front sight and a lyman peep sight, both of which had never been put on the rifle, and a box of flints. My serial number is within 9 of your rifle. They started building the Hawken in 1970. I have been told that 4 digits were the beginning number. If this is true, then our rifles were probably sold, that year or at least by 1971. There is no real way of knowing, since records were destroyed in a fire. The first barrels were made by Douglas or Sharron, so the story goes. There should be a Maltese cross on the bottom of barrel. The early stocks, had higher cheek stocks, and sharper lines that look better than later guns.

 

[buffalo]

That's a great price. I paid 300, but the rifle appeared unfired and had a globe front sight and a lyman peep sight, both of which had never been put on the rifle, and a box of flints. My serial number is within 9 of your rifle. They started building the Hawken in 1970. I have been told that 4 digits were the beginning number. If this is true, then our rifles were probably sold, that year or at least by 1971. There is no real way of knowing, since records were destroyed in a fire. The first barrels were made by Douglas or Sharron, so the story goes. There should be a Maltese cross on the bottom of barrel.
The early stocks, had higher cheek stocks, and sharper lines that look better than later guns.

Yes there is a Maltese cross on the bottom of the barrel. Never gave it a thought to compare it with my T/C Hawken 54 caplock.

 

[jamesthomas]

It looks like you got a very good deal to me :thumbsup: . A Douglas or Sharron barrel from back then where (are) very good shooters from what I've read. The barrel itself is probably worth more than $150.00.

 

[kopfjaeger]

Welcome, You'll learn a lot here.