Going retro

[Billinthedesert]

My first black powder rifle was a Thompson Center Hawken that I built from a kit in the mid-1970s. I have had two or three over the years, a couple of Renegades and a couple of Lyman Great Plains rifles in addition to assorted Zouaves, Enfields and other muzzleloaders. I am a traditionalist and don't do inlines, as I love the history of the flint and percussion firearms and the eras that produced them. Having only a Model 1860 Army percussion revolver in the house lately, I started pining for a long gun and appear to have returned to my roots, recently acquiring a .50 caliber T/C Hawken that has seen better days, although the all-important bore rates 90 pecent. I'll repair the stock crack and refinish the stock to a darker color, and also plan to "blue" the brass parts after seeing the wonderful job friend Darryl did on his in this thread on our parent forum:
https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/my-black-blue-hunting-tc-hawken.203290/

 

[Alan]

Nice return to the roots. That Hawken project should be rewarding, especially with a strong bore.

 

[ProMike]

That’s awesome. It is hard to beat the history and feel of traditional muzzleloaders, bringing an old Hawken back to life is special.