I love a good company

[Dr Mordrid]

I love black powder arms, AKA muzzleloaders. I have real antiques from before & during the Civil War and reproductions dating back to the belt pistols used by navies & the pirates. I love hunting and target shooting with the reproductions, and all are great display pieces.

My favorite reproduction is the Thompson Center Arms Hawken rifle, modeled after the gun designed by Samuel Hawken in 1823 and used by the likes of Kit Carson and Jim Bridger. By changing its load it could be used for every game from rabbits to bison, and for fighting Indians. Flexible doesn't begin to describe the Hawken.

I have both a .50 and a .54 caliber and both have gorgeous walnut stocks, solid brass fittings, engraved case hardened locks and double-set triggers. They look beautiful, and are powerful nail-drivers out to 150-200 yards. A friend has a .50 caliber just like mine, and we both bought them when T/C first brought them out about 1970.

Recently his guns barrel breech plug threads stripped on reassembly after a deep cleaning. He was expecting a huge bill since today the T/C Hawken costs about $900, so he shipped it off and held his breath.

After examining the damage, T/C shipped back not only a new barrel but a new breech plug, pre-mounted front & rear adjustable sights and a container of black powder gun oil. FREE.

Seems they have this lifetime warranty and honor it to the max, even after 40 years.

A T/C Hawken


Details

[KRSESQ]

That looks almost identical to one owned by my bud Steve. He loved that octagonal barrel.

[Dr Mordrid]

I love the way it shoots - accurate & takes a range of loads that lets it take small game to bears, moose, boar or bison. I have a 500 grain solids mold, and with a hardened lead alloy (tin, antimony or silver are used) those beasts could probably drop some African big game.

[KRSESQ]

I think Steve took his hunting maybe once or twice. For hunting he preferred his Model 94 short rifle with the peepsights. I think he thought shooting the lever-action made him look like Clint Eastwood.

[Dr Mordrid]

Mine has both fully adjustable regular blade/leaf sights and a retractable Creedmore peep on the tang. Combine the Creedmore with the double-set trigger and its inherent accuracy and it's a nail driver.

[Dilitante1]

shame of it all, they announced the shutdown of the factory in town and its transplant to other Smith and Wesson facilities.... i remember working in the small parts machine shop years back

http://fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101210/GJNEWS_01/712109872

Springfield Mass is 160 miles away so most wont be able to commute to the new location

[KRSESQ]

I just noticed, Doc, that the first pic is of a flintlock and the second a percussion-cap model. You have one of each? How do they compare as far as firing/misfiring & accuracy? (Steve's was the percussion-cap model.)

[Dr Mordrid]

Mine are both caplocks - that flintlock is off the net but typical.

Flintlocks are slower to load and more sensitive to misfires in the rain, but are otherwise just as accurate.

When I get a chance I'll shoot a pic of my .50 and post it.

[ALBPM]

I use the 54 caliber Thompson Renagade for hunting here in New Mexico. It's a shorter barreled version of the Hawkins and a lot easier to carry around in the mountains out here.



My pride and joy is my David Pedersloi Tyron Rifle in .54 caliber.



Tryon Target DeLuxe

Exceptional reproduction of an American plains rifle, with double set trigger and back action.
It is supplied with blued barrel and colour case hardened steel parts. Equipped with adjustable
rear sight, it is tapped to accept a Creedmoor sight and tunnel front sight. Particularly
appreciated for the quality finishing and the versatility both for the
target shooting and the hunting, It is the ideal rifle also for the neophites.
Exact copy of the original model, the Deluxe version shows rich engravings on
lock and metal fittings. The steel fittings are coin colour finished; the stock
is of European walnut and the barrel is rust brown colour finish.



Fitted with Creedmore Sights:
1989 Pforzheim (D) - “World record”
1990 Leusden (NL)
1992 Camp Perry (USA) - “World record”
1994 Chur (CH)
1996 Warwick (GB)
1998 Warwick (GB) - (Team)
2004 Batesville (USA

It has a 1 in 60 twist so it's for ball and patch only.

[KRSESQ]

Now that I think about it, I recall that Steve got his as a kit along these lines:



He spent many hours on that thing cleaning the edges, bluing the steel, fine-tuning the firing mechanism and finishing the stock and polishing the brass. No wonder he never took it into the field.

[Dr Mordrid]

Kits are great fun, that's how my Brown Bess, Kentucky rifle and Remington .58 Zouave came to be. I prefer to use a brown finish though, except for the Zouave. Zouave's are gorgeous guns -

[Dr Mordrid]

My .50 Hawken -