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ebiggs1

69 Cal.
Joined
Apr 27, 2009
Messages
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I got the flintlock back from TC today. They said there was nothing wrong and this is the way they are made now. Here is the direct quote:
“ This is the new design of the barrel.
Test fired ”“ No misfires.
370 grs. Maxi-Balls
80 grs. FFg Black Powder
4F BLACK POWDER in Pan.
10-8-09
Jack”

OK so I tool it outside and shot ten times straight in a row not touching a thing and it shot ten times perfectly. I have no idea why with one exception I opened up a new can of powder that I just got. Possibly the older can was contaminated? Plus I also used “4F BLACK POWDER in the Pan.” (Just got it too!)
Conditions here were not great either. About 45 degrees and windy and damp.
One other thing I think, at least I was, is we are treating these guns like they are surgical room equipment instead of rifles that our forefathers used as everyday tools. I am sure they didn’t get anywhere near the care and pampering they get now a days!

Next is to see if I can hit anything with it. So I shot 10 more times at a target, standing off hand at 50 yards.

IMG_1090.jpg

This 50 yards standing it measures approx. 6" x 7". 50 cal Hawken TC.

IMG_1091.jpg

This is 50 yards standing it measures approx. 4" x 6". This is shot with the TC Firestorm.

At least I now have a starting place to work from. Maybe I can salvage a part of the deer season after all. My pryor experience sure was a good teacher on how not to flinch!
 
Oh, BTW, those were 10 shots apiece. But I can't see where the bullet hits from that distance so I am really only shooting to a point.
 
Good news that she seems to be working fine. They sure got to it and got it back to you quickly too. Now go get a deer with it!! :thumbsup:
 
TC doesn’t “rock” for me and I don’t care to fight with them any longer.
I did some switching of parts. Parts is parts! Right?
Although TC isn’t going to make good on what I believe to be the proper placement of the flash hole, the fix isn’t going to be too hard. I got my old cap lock gun out and switched the barrels and locks. The touch hole lines up perfectly in the old stock. So, I will see if I can find an old stock. Plus I won’t be out anything because the stock from the new gun lines up the percussion locks perfectly. Makes you think they used a percussion stock on mine don’t’ it?
BTW, I am disappointed with Thompson Center because I have bought 4 guns from them and I use their products exclusively. It only seemed a natural move to get the new flintlock from TC. Maybe they have more customers than they need!?
 
sorry to here tc wasn't willing to help.
i seen a couple tc stocks on ebay not long ago.
hope it all works out for you.
 
I found this old post.

03-17-09 07:21 PM - Post#695470

In response to roundball

here is what happened today.

gunsmith by name JACK called me from t/c.

he said OLD STYLE hawkins did have the vent LOW and off center on some guns.

he said NEW ones are on center and HIGHER.

he said hunters said they could not get the vent out unless they took barrel out or removed the lock.

they said they were also getting missfires.

so, t/c raised it.

NOW SAME PEOPLE ARE SAYING THE VENTS ARE TOO HIGH AND NOT GOING OFF.

he liked the vent where it was only he agreed,you could not take vent out OLD WAY.

he said, like you, that the vent location means nothing on it going off as long as it is not covered.

so, through this i guess he is saying,YES T/C VENTS WERE NOT ON CENTER BUT CORRECTED NOW AND NOW HAVING NEW PROBLEMS OF BEING TO HIGH MAYBE.

he feels if something is working, dont change it.

you know, at times he is right.

he also said there is no correction for the off center vent but i bet if you send in barrel,they will correct it with one on center,he did not say that, just me but DO YOU WANT THE HIGHER VENT HOLE THAT MAY CAUSE ANOTHER PROBLEM, MAYBE?

ALSO, i got to talk to GAIL LYNCH.

she said to ask for her on your e-mails and SHE WILL GET BACK TOO YOU.

i believe that too.
 
That is my exact problem, or is it a problem?
It is even the exact same people at TC.
 
The only problem people with the New T/C have with ignition is banking the powder away from the Vent hole, and using too little an amount of powder. Then, the don't use a vent pick to poke a hole in the main charge to allow more than one granule to be ignited. If they use more prime, and put it under the vent at the barrel, then pick a hole into the main charge, they should have no trouble with ignition.

Because of the Nock Style design to the breech, both designs may require the use of FFFg powder rather than FFg, to get some of the powder out of the powder chamber, and into that flash channel. Opening up that flash channel with a larger drill size, and polishing the channel will also help keep crud from clinging there. The larger hole will also allow the used of FFg powder in the barrel, as the larger hole size will permit the larger size granules of FFg powder to flow into that flash channel.

As long as OIL is kept out of the powder chamber, and the flash channel, the T/C guns should NOT clog up during normal firing. I have "loaned" some of my alcohol to many of my gun club shooters to flush out their Nock Style barrels, to clean oils out of the flash channel, and powder chamber over the years. It always gets them back to shooting, and they can shoot the rest of the day without trouble.

I began putting a bottle of Isopropyl Alcohol in my range box after the first year we shot on January 1, in below freezing temperatures. I used it then to flush out my own rifle, and let every other shooter use it for the same purpose, so they could shoot their guns. They would get one or two shots, and then misfires, as the flash channels were clogged with oily gunk.

We all learned from that experience, and I just left my alcohol in my range box from then on. Some of the guys might not come out to the club for the monthly club shoot for half a year, with their guns stored leaning against a corner of a closet. They would forget to flush the barrel out, and it would be clogged with congealed oil and grease. For a long time, I was the only shooter who regularly had some alcohol in his range box to take care of these problems.
 
ebiggs said:
That is my exact problem, or is it a problem?
It is even the exact same people at TC.

I cannot help but to wonder if T/C changed their return policy because of the current economical situation, I suspect their customer service representatives were told by their big-wigs to be more restrictive on returns than they have been in the past.

Agreed that doesn't help you in your situation, but I am willing to bet that is why they returned it to you saying their is nothing wrong with the position with the flash hole.
 
TC service has been outstanding in the past and I would have bet they would fix it. I had seen an earlier post somewhere where a rifle was sent back with the same issues and it also was returned unrepaired. I have a TC carbine with the same issues but it does fire quite reliably. I have 2 rifles from TC; one has a barrel that is left hand twist (probably breeched the wrong end) and one has the vent issues. TC is not outstanding quality but they did service what they sold no questions asked. I guess that may be a thing of the past now too.
 
Not unless they have changed in the last 2 or 3 months, I have a hawken flinter my brother gave me and they have replaced everything but the stock and the trigger recently, they even sent me a roundball barrel in exchange for the 1in48 barrel i sent back(at my request) no questions asked, hell i have only talked to a person one time the rest has been notes in the box when i sent things back. My liner wont come out with the lock on, and the venthole is a little off center (about 1/16)but it goes off every time, its far from a custom gun but for a production flinter its not too bad. I plug the vent and dump about a tbl spoon of alky down the bore before i shoot, and store all my ml muzzle down to help keep oil from blocking the flashchannels(flinters and perc.) sorry to hear about others having problems, hope you get things worked out. :v
 
I was surprized at the poor response that ebiggs got from TC; I have been dealing with them since 1975 and the customer service has always been the best in the business. The vent should be centered horizontally in the pan more or less, it's obviously not and they should have made it right. Fixing this would have cost them very little (maybe a new stock) and that would have made the customer a happy camper. If I let a rifle out the door with the vent improperly located, I would be anxious to get it back and fix it even if the problem is only cosmetic.
 
It is interesting that some people get good quick favorable responses from TC and others do not all in present time, I have seen examples like this with various manufactures dealing with homeowners over product warrenty and at times attitude can open or close the door.I am not saying this is the case just something to think about, then I have not been around here very long so I probably don't know a great deal about such things
 
tg said:
It is interesting that some people get good quick favorable responses from TC and others do not all in present time, I have seen examples like this with various manufactures dealing with homeowners over product warrenty and at times attitude can open or close the door.I am not saying this is the case just something to think about, then I have not been around here very long so I probably don't know a great deal about such things
About a year ago I bought a use T/C with a badly pitted bore. I sent it to T/C and they sent it right back saying it shot fine with maxi-balls, never mind that I had specified that I shoot patched balls and that the bore was destroying the patch. I didn't dump any "attitude" on them, just sent a business like correspondence explaining the problem. Now perhaps the real issue was that this was a "New Englander" and it seems they don't have any reserve of new barrels for that model. My only other experience with T/C customer service was when I returned a Renegade barrel which shot so far left that I had both front and rear sights way off center to get on the paper. They replaced that barrel with one which shot not quite so far off. So my experience with T/C has not been nearly so outstanding as some others report. I certainly would never consider paying 600 bucks for a new T/C when the nearly identical Lyman Trade Rifle sells for half that. I don't find T/C customer service to be worth the extra 300 bucks. :haha:
 
I do believe the note in the box and no phone conversation is the best way to get things done thru TC. It seems they just replace things and send it back no charge. They obviously have some issues with the vent positioning on the flinters; they need me as production supervisor in that plant and I would fix it for them. LOL; maybe I should send them a resume'; I lost my production supervisors job years ago to a plant closure and got laid off from my CNC machinists job in January.

I know I could get mine positioned correctly with some glass bedding and drilling a new tang bolt hole; might have to drill and tap the trigger gaurd thread because the angle would change a little. Doubt I will ever do it because it's fires just fine the way it is and the looks of it doesn't really bother me.

The longer barrel with the left hand twist is another production error but it doesn't affect the accuracy of the barrel as far as I can see and it has the QLA on it as well. The touch hole lines up perfectly on that stock as well. This barrel is very accurate and bests every roundball rifle I have shot.

I just hope TC stays in the sidelock market and works a bit on their production quality control. It would be a sad day if the bailed out on the sidelock guns. I think they have been the best production rifle on the market for many years.
 
one has a barrel that is left hand twist (probably breeched the wrong end)

The longer barrel with the left hand twist is another production error

WWF, That's not the "problem". Either way you point the barrel the twist will still be left hand (or right hand). Try it with a bolt if you don't believe me. They probably used a barrel from a different source on the rifle. They definitely didn't breech "the wrong end".
 
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