Thompson Center Hawken .50 flintlock

[zbones6]

Hey guys. I was in the antique store yesterday, and i saw the unmistakable outline of a muzzle. I had found a Thompson Center .50 cal Hawken flintlock rifle. The owner said he would sell it for $200. It appeared to be in good shape, but i dont know for sure. It had no ramrod, and no accessories, no ball starter, no powder measuring tool, no nothing. Is this a good deal? And do you think I will be able to talk him down a little bit? To like $150? Thanks in advance.

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

Can you get a hold of a bore light? for a look see would be the best thing you could do.
Otherwise that's cheap for a T/C flinter. Its worth a try to bargain it down a little But I wouldn't be disappointed at 200.00 myself.
You might want to check the barrels engraving for the letter K which means it may have been put together from a kit. Is the barrel finish blued or has it been rust browned? Otherwise look carefully at its overall condition nicks, scratches, dents, & cracks in its stock or metal. Bore is the most important of all to check prior to purchasing. If allowed? Take it to a gun shop and have them check its bore if your unable to. Just my opinion is all. Maybe others here have other topics/things to add.

[zbones6]

Thanks, the barrel was blued. I dont have a bore light, but could i use a flashlight and look at the inside of the crown?

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

Crown area: Not good enough. You really want to see deep down into it if you can. CVA makes those little battery bore lights. Or they did once? Maybe check around for one. EBay is a good start. Might be able to catch a "Buy it now auction" on one. Oh almost forgot those lights came in different color luminances. Yellow / lime green is the best for checking a barrels bore with.

[jackpine]

quick answer is that it should be a good deal and if you find mechanical problems T/C has exellent customer service

[Hawg]

Methinks if you had to rebarrel it its still not a bad deal.

[Pahoo]

And do you think I will be able to talk him down a little bit? To like $150? Thanks in advance.
Sure Shot has listed some very good points and condition is important. At face value, it's a very good deal and even as a wall hanger, for $150.00, it's a good deal. Remember that you can always part it out and get more than your investment. ..... :rolleyes:

As far as a bore light, the easiest one to get and cheap, is a "Bobbler" light, from Walmart. You should swab the bore as many that have sat, are loaded with dust. I doubt that the bore will be perfect but luck may be with you and do wish you the best. . ... :)

Be Safe !!!

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

"Bobbler" light, from Walmart. You had me scratch'en my head here for a bit Pahoo. Oh!! a (replacement bobber light and battery) for night fishing Bobbers. I never thought of that one. That's an excellent tip for this individual & me too.

[shafter]

Drop an empty 38 special casing down the bore and then shine your flashlight. It will light it right up, especially if its a nickle plated case.

[Pahoo]

That's an excellent tip for this individual & me too.
Not a problem and these little guys will even fit into the .32's. The last ones I bought, were about $3.00 each. .... :eek:

Here is an even better one; There are various small multi-tools and pocket knives, that have a small flashlight on them. These take buttom batteries. I just hack-saw them off their blade and use them as a bore light. The O.D. will just fit into a "clean".36. The last one I bought, cost me $5.00 a knife. Everytime I use ones at a Gun Show, dealers and folks ask me where they can buy one. Sure wish I had an answer as I know they would sell. ..... ;)

Be Safe !!!

[zbones6]

I do have a very powerful small flashlight, can i shine it through the flash hole to get a look at the bore? Im really restricted with my tools at college.

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

A flinter you say? If that is correct you could un-screw its Vent Liner out of its flash hole (its slotted for a flat bladed screw-drive) and hold a really bright flashlight up against the empty flash hole Be careful not to strip the V/L's slot. It should offer enough light to get a reasonable look into its breech & bore area. Not the best lighting but enough to check for rust or a stuck ball.
If you can't see any light at all. Than there's probably a stuck ball or patch some-where's in its bore. And (it) would need to be removed prior to doing your bore check. But that's a whole different issue for the time being.

I have a 50 T/C hawken flinter barrel here and tried what I just wrote and it works. A small thin Flat bladed screwdriver and a bright flashlight are all the tools you'll need to accomplish this task. It would please us here to know what you found out. Good luck zbones6.

S/S

[mykeal]

Actually, I'd use a ramrod to check for a loaded ball before I looked down the barrel for a light.

[zbones6]

Thanks a lot guys, you've been tons of help.

[Pahoo]

Hold up; zbones
We are going to expect you to get back to us on how you make out on this. So many times we give advice or opinions and the OP fades into the sunset. What do you think ?? .. :)

Be Safe !!!

[zbones6]

Yeah. When i buy it, ill give you guys the lowdown. It will probably be after the New Year, just so you know.

[zbones6]

Her guys, I finally bought the rifle! Turns out its not a Hawken, but a Renegade. Im still happy with my purchase. Ill post pics as soon as I can.

[USMCGrunt]

Yeah, I used to have a bore light that went MIA then the other day I got a CVA one at the local gun store. However, when I got it, the battery was dead so I returned it. Having a new to me TC Hawken .50 percussion rifle coming in, I needed to check the bore before my 7-day inspection was up. I have a ton of .45 ACP ammo around so I just dropped a loaded round down the barrel nose first and used the base to reflect the light from my flashlight. I found the bore was in good shape and she shoots good so I'm happy. :)