T/C Hawken questions.

[Glenbo66]

Hello,
I'm very new to Black powder shooting.  I picked up a T/C Hawken at an auction last weekend and have a couple questions about it. 
The Hawken rifles I've seen have had brass trigger guards and this one is steel?
The only numbers I can find on the gun are/is 5103.  Could that be the serial number (seems low)?
Thanks in advance.
Glen

[rollingb]

Hello,
I'm very new to Black powder shooting.  I picked up a T/C Hawken at an auction last weekend and have a couple questions about it. 
The Hawken rifles I've seen have had brass trigger guards and this one is steel?
The only numbers I can find on the gun are/is 5103.  Could that be the serial number (seems low)?
Thanks in advance.
Glen

That is quite possibly it's serial number, I'm pretty sure the only other number stamped on the barrel is the caliber size.   

[Bigsmoke]

Yep, that is probably the serial number.
And I would say that one that is 5xxx was probably made back in the early 70's.
Someone could have replaced the brass trigger guard with either the guard off of a Renegade if it is the T/C Hawken design, or maybe one of the Hawken Shop parts to "Hawkenize" the T/C Hawken.  You can always replace the wedge plates with Renegade ones and use Brass Black to color the nose cap, the patch box and the butt plate.  Or, I think the Hawken Shop has steel replacement parts for most all the hardware on your rifle.
And if it is a .50 caliber, as most of the older ones were, that can be cured by having the barrel drilled out to .54.
Regardless of what you do, those old T/C's were rugged guns.  If the mainspring plunger has the wasp waist end on it, I would replace that with the newer model.  Those old ones were known to break from time to time.  Else, problem free.
Enjoy.  A photo or two would be a good thing to post also.
John (Bigsmoke)

[KDubs]

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This TC .54 started as all brass but i removed it and bought steel hardware and then rusted/ browned everything barrel too.
 Awesome gun, she's a shooter. .
 Have fun .
Kevin

[Bigsmoke]

Kevin, I sure do like the looks of your rifle.  Good job on it.

Glen, here is a link to the Hawken Shop replacement parts kit.
https://www.thehawkenshop.com/Departments/The-Hawken-Shop/Hawken-Components/Hawken-Shop-Furnishings.aspx
Back in the day, years ago when I used to set up shop at various rendezvous, I used to buy T/C lock parts and furniture from The Log Cabin Shop in Ohio.  I don't see T/C parts listed on their online catalog, but you might give a call and ask.
Enjoy.
John (Bigsmoke)

[KDubs]

The hawken shop has a hawken conversion kit.
 Lacks a steel patch box and steel thimbles but everything else is there .
 I also stripped the stock of it honey color and then just oiled the walnut stock.
 This is probably one gun I won't end up selling.
 Kevin
 
 

[Glenbo66]

Thanks everyone.  I'm starting to wonder if this is actually a Hawken.  It only has one barrel wedge and it's 50 caliber.  I've attached a picture.

[Winter Hawk]

Yes, that IS a T-C Hawken.  They were made with one key, not two like the real Hawkens had; look at the photo KDubs posted of his.

[PetahW]

.

Alternately, someone might have blackened the trigger guard with cold blue - true, if a magnet doesn't stick to it.

[Glenbo66]

OK.  I understand that the original hawkens didn't have the brass furniture?  They obviously wouldn't be blued (that didn't get invented until much later).  Are there any know resources that give any onfo on the history of the T/C hawkens? 

I also see a lot of responses frome Idaho?  I grew up North of Coeur d a'lene

[Glenbo66]

I'll try a magnet on it (trigger guard).

[Bigsmoke]

OK.  I understand that the original hawkens didn't have the brass furniture?  They obviously wouldn't be blued (that didn't get invented until much later).  Are there any know resources that give any onfo on the history of the T/C hawkens? 

I also see a lot of responses frome Idaho?  I grew up North of Coeur d a'lene

How far north of CdA?  For about 20 years or more, we lived on Ohio Match Road, between Hayden and Athol.  And 3 miles east of Hwy 95.  Sure do miss it.
No idea if anyone has written much on the T/C Hawken's history.  You can always do a google search on it.  About all I saw was several you tube videos.  But I didn't look too hard.
I don't know about bluing not being used before the 20th century.  One can brown a piece of metal, put it in a hot water bath and it will turn blue.

Good luck on that.  And enjoy the rifle.

John (Bigsmoke)

[Glenbo66]

I grew up in Rathdrum (My father was the gunsmith there from the early 70s until the mid 80s).
I've used plum brown before, it works well depending on the type of steel the barrel is made from.

[KDubs]

Glenn,
 I'm in spirit lake, listen you and big smoke can come back to visit but you can't stay.. We are full

 My hawken is single a wedge. I first tried brass black on everything, just didn't like it.
 The steel furniture will not be an exact fit, be ready to file and file and file a little more.  But totally worth it.IMHO
 Post up some pics .
Kevin

[Bigsmoke]

Ahhh, the joys of making powder horns for 35+ years on a full time basis, my brain is full of horn dust and I cannot remember things as well as I used to.  Glenn, what was your dad's name?  I just cannot bring it up.  I had him modify my T/C Renegade about 1979 or so.  I went to the Eureka, MT rendezvous and won the black powder event.  They paid a cash prize of $125.00.  With that money, I bought a Douglas Premium barrel in .54 cal.    I had him cut that down to 34" long and install a breech plug and cut dovetails in the barrel for sights and underlugs and drill and tap holes for the thimbles.  I used to get a kick out of setting it next to someone else's Renegade and telling them that was what theirs would look like when it grew up.  Stupidly, I traded that off for something I cannot even recall.  I should have kept it.  It was a real shooter.

Kevin, I noticed how full the place is getting.  I got caught up in a near gridlock situation on Hwy 95 going north a couple of years ago.  I couldn't believe it was taking 3 or 4 lights to get through each signal.

John (Bigsmoke)