Went to a local show yesterday with (purposely) no money. Ended up making a trip to the bank. Walked up on what appeared to be a very clean TC Hawken. I noted the tapped tang for a sight, cleaning screw, pre warning barrel, and an early non-kit serial number starting with 158. The seller purchased the gun from someone who used it as a wall hanger. He said it was covered in 'something' to protect it and he had to clean it off. I located a drop-in bore light and the barrel is perfect, I believe the seller's assertion that the gun is unfired is accurate. The entire gun is pristine, just needs some brass polish. Whatever the original owner had it covered in worked.
As near as I can tell the gun is from the mid-late '70's based on what others have said about their serial numbers and the year they were made. Evidently TC had a catastrophic fire and lost all of the info. Can anyone heard she'd some light on a possible year?
I personally feel your assessment on the date is fairly accurate.
You're spot-on again when you say a fire destroyed most, if not all, of T/C's records sometime in the 1990's.
From the best I can figure out, your statement on a "tapped tang" is best qualifier for a mid 70's manufacturing date. At the time T/C was also making a nifty little tang or vernier sight that, although not that accurate, sold like hot-cakes during the 70's.
It also gave credence to their 1:48 twist for a conical, plus those doing the Marketing promoted it as adding an additional 100 or more yds to the rifle's range when raised up.
Although having owned one, and having shot it a lot, I can assure you that just "making paper" at 175 / 200 yds involved more luck than skill.
Here is a picture of what they looked like.....
BTW; A old timers trick of "preserving' most anything back in that day, was the simple use of women's hair spray...the cheapest kind of hair spray seem to work just fine.
(The same kind of spray that was used to hold up the hair of teenage girls going to the High School Prom, back in the 70's, and even 60's.)
It's still available, and it still works the same.
Supposedly, by those who know about such things, its effectiveness comes from its "sealing" the item against moisture, and even the air we breathe, and it works.....
My wife spent a lot of time "scrubbing" that stuff out of our teenage daughters hair, back then!
Congratulations on your purchase, it was a good find.....At $250 bucks I would say ya did quite well.
A good used one today will sell for twice it's original cost. We hope ya did well!
Uncle Russ...
Topic: Unfired Thompson Center Hawken find (Read 2177 times)