Thompson Center Hawken 50 Caliber Rifle

Thompson Center made many different black powder rifles over the years. The Hawken was the top of the line. Made in several calibers. The 50 caliber was the most common.
Shout out for GunDrone.
/ gundrone

[@robertmauldin4987]

Nice old TC Hawken! Got one in the gun safe too. It's brought down several deer.

[@1957Shep]

My 1st deer was taken with a 45 caliber version of this rifle.

[@3ducs]

I built one from a kit forty some years ago, I picked out the best wood from several kits at the shop. Wish I could still see as well as I could then, I have a couple of projects pending, a Brown Bess and a restocking of a CZ full stock rifle.

[@1957Shep]

I remember those kits.

[@KSFWG]

Aw....c'mon.... tell the truth! You went to that auction, it called your name, and it followed you home. Simple as that. I know, something similar has happened to me many, many times.... lol. Thanks for the video! Nice T/C !!

[@1957Shep]

Things have a habit of following me home from gun shops and auctions. Just last week a Star model F followed me home from Soap Creek Armory. :-)

[@dennishein2812]

Used to have one. Great rifle. Hated to have to let it go. Well balanced and great for shooting off hand.

[@1957Shep]

They are really high quality rifles.

[@straightpipec6099]

Nice one Shep

[@1957Shep]

Thanks 👍

[@tinman8518]

Nice old smoke-pole!

[@1957Shep]

Thanks

[@Smooththatsme]

I have one just like this one in the video, my farther bought and put it together as a kit in the early 1980’s. It’s a really nice muzzle loader that most of the time a safe queen in my gun safe. I really need to get out and shoot it

[@1957Shep]

Nothing like the smell of black powder. :-)

[@8626John]

I had a .50 caliber Thompson Center Hawken that I built from a kit and I killed my first deer with it. I found the stock shape uncomfortable for me and I sold it and got a Lyman Great Plains rifle that fit me better. The Thompson Center rifles were very nice.

[@1957Shep]

The Lyman is a great rifle.

[@georgiaboy4410]

Nice rifle👍🏻. I just refinished a CVA frontier rifle made in the early 80’s. Haven’t shot it yet.

[@1957Shep]

Thanks

[@olhemi1]

I had a brother-in-law that had a 45 that took many deer He really enjoyed it and it shot nice

[@1957Shep]

They are good rifles.

[@jimdent351]

I never could get my .54 T/C Hawken to shoot round balls well. I put around 30 PRB's down range with it and haven't shot it in nearly 20 years. The patch is always heavily damaged when I'm able to find it. I think the rifling is too sharp.

[@3ducs]

I think the twist rate is optimized for Maxi-balls, not round balls. In .50 caliber they have a 1-48 twist, round balls like something around 1-60 iirc.

[@jimdent351]

@@3ducs Yes, you are correct. It's my understanding that if I started my loads at 55 grains that I should be able to maximize accuracy to 3" as I work up. I read/heard that the sweet spot should be around 65-90 grains. I think the best I could ever manage was closer to 12"

[@1957Shep]

If the patch is being cut, try a slightly thinner patch. Since it`s a 54 Hawken, it`s probably one of the later ones. The 1 in 48 twist they used in the early ones worked pretty good for either round ball or maxi-ball, but it wasn`t ideal for either one. I think somewhere along the line they changed the rifling to work better with conical bullets. And changed the depth of the rifling.

[@jimdent351]

@@1957Shep I bought it used so I'm not exactly certain how old it is. The owner's manual that came with it was printed in 1980, however. That could also be the wrong manual too, though, because the person I bought the rifle from was also selling a 50 cal. at the time. I tried getting info from T/C but was told they lost their records in a fire. I think the patches I was using were 0.010". Do they make thinner than that?

[@1957Shep]

@@jimdent351 I think you can get patches down to 0.005, or make your own. Old sheets and pillow cases work ok. I don`t think they made the Hawken in 54 caliber until around 1990. Before that I think only the Renegade model was made in 54 caliber. But I could be wrong about that.

[@genarolopez6299]

Do you Kano the age of the rifle I have one same like your with serial start in #2

[@1957Shep]

No I don`t, sorry.