Found T/C Hawkins...

Modern Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Modern Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

bulldog

Well-Known Member
*
Joined
Aug 4, 2005
Messages
113
Reaction score
0
Local gun shop has a T/C Hawkins, 50 cal. that has good wood, but the barrel and side lock is pitted and looks like the gun was left in a barn.
It has a bullet is lodged in the bore, 6" from the hammer. I was told the powder was removed, but they left the bullet in...go figure.
I was unable to see into the bore, but it's probably like the outside.
Overall it's in poor shape, but it has all the parts, and the hammer/trigger does work.
For a project gun, would it be worth $80 to fix/repair?
What would I be looking at to get it to shoot again for a hunting?
Thanks!
Bulldog...
 
Local gun shop has a T/C Hawkins, 50 cal. that has good wood, but the barrel and side lock is pitted and looks like the gun was left in a barn.
It has a bullet is lodged in the bore, 6" from the hammer. I was told the powder was removed, but they left the bullet in...go figure.
I was unable to see into the bore, but it's probably like the outside.
Overall it's in poor shape, but it has all the parts, and the hammer/trigger does work.
For a project gun, would it be worth $80 to fix/repair?
What would I be looking at to get it to shoot again for a hunting?
Thanks!
Bulldog...

If the stock is good, that's a plus. You might find a GMB drop in barrel that if the hammer and trigger work, you'd be ready to shoot. Then you could work on trying to remove the ball and see if you can save the barrel.
 
bulldog said:
I was told the powder was removed, but they left the bullet in...go figure.

How did they get the powder out of a sidelock without taking the bullet out first? I would use a lot of caution with this gun. Short started, maybe double charged.

Be safe & be blessed.
 
I have removed a stuck ball out of a great plains rifle by pulling the nipple and installing a grease zerk fitting (be sure to get same thread).

Took almost a tube of grease, but pumped it right out. Lever grease guns can get about 3000 PSI.

The following cleanup really sucked. Get a head start by pushing a dowel into the barrel to force most of the grease out.
 
A few guys at the range use co2. They carry a small tank with them and when they forget the powder.

Ray......... :yeah:
 
Bought it!
Barrel outside is nasty...rust, and loss of blue...but fixable and it does not bother me for a hunting gun.
Bullet looks to be a 350 gr. maxi hunter...I bet his charge got wet and only had enough to push the bullet so far...
No budge in the barrel, and what I cleaned up to the stuck bullet looks better than expected. very small amount of pitting.
I'm going to try a air hose and see if I can blow it out. Gun shop here supposed to have a way to remove it...that's my plan B if I cannot blow it out.
Bad new is I cracked the ramrod trying to use a bullet puller jag. Some screws in the stock need to be replaced and screw holes filled to be able to tighten the screw.
Brass is clean, stock has a few dings. Overall, it's a project gun...something to play with.
Anyone ever use Navel Jelly to remove rust and bluing?
Thanks!
Bulldog...
 
Oil the barrel before you try the air compressor. If you get the thing moving they side easier.
 
It's been Kroiled...dang stuff overnight passed through the bullet out the nipple and all over the sidelock...had to remove all metal from the stock and clean up the excess...
Plus I cleaned the bore to the bullet with Hopps...
Plan C will be the grease gun...sounds like that will work but messy...
Thanks!
Bulldog...
 
Air compressor did not work...air passed by bullet and out the barrel.
Probably the grease gun is out because of that.
Thinking of slight charge through nipple and tie off and pull string to fire the bullet out.
Thanks!
Bulldog...
 
Well guys, I put a charge in the nipple hole and blew out the.....DIRT DAUBER NEST!!!
Barrel may be toast, I will not know until I do some serious cleaning...
Thanks for all ideas to remove the "bullet"...LOL!!!
Bulldog...
 
Those Mud Daubers nests are pretty hard on the bore of a rifle. My Uncle asked me to clean up to clean up 2 .22LR Rifles that were found in his friends "shop" (more like a shed), after the friend had passed. They had blocked bores too. Both had a mud Daubers nest about 3 or 4 inches down from the muzzle. I punched through them with a cleaning rod. Next I scrubbed them with some hot soapy water, then started cleaning with some Butches. After several scrubbings with patch and brush I switched to JB Bore paste to polish up the bores as much as possible. They cleaned up good but the nests had done their damage. Those spots where the nests were had held moisture long enough to severely pit the bores and eat the rifling up in those spots. The pitting is metal that is gone and can't be replaced. It was a real shame as one of the rifles was a pretty cool little rifle I had never seen before, an Iver Johnson model X. The other was an old single shot Winchester. They both shot ok for open sites and would be good for kids to learn on. I could have cut off the barrels but never did, and opted to leave them as is.

I would try lapping the bore with JB Bore paste for about 100 strokes. Add more solvent and JB as you work, about every 10 or 15 strokes. If you have a used brush that is a little small for the bore use it and wrap the patch around it to keep the patch tighter to the bore, but since it is a closed breech you still need to be able to work it back and forth and a tight brush will not be able to pull back. Then really scrub the bore again to get all the JB out. A real good hot soapy water bath should do it. Then follow that with a good oil. Next.... Go shoot it and see if it shoots well. Since this is a Hawkins it might even help to try shooting a full bore lead bullet, instead of a patched round ball, it might lap it some more. If it shoots, just always remember to keep it oiled good to prevent further erosion. If it don't shoot look for a replacement.
 
ShawnT said:
. Since this is a Hawkins it might even help to try shooting a full bore lead bullet, instead of a patched round ball, it might lap it some more.

Never tried it myself but I've heard of taking some snug fitting conicals and replacing the lube with some fine valve grinding paste, then load & shoot a few - fire lapping. I would think it might help some in drastic cases.
 
I was given a 45 cal. barrel, (dropped right in the stock, no problem) used but in pretty fair shape.
Gave it a good cleaning, bore was easy to swab and it felt smooth. I could see no pits.
Shot and sighted it in with Power belts, and actual took it hunting Sat.
I installed a Lyman 57 SML and the gun shot well @ 50 with my old eyes.

So, I went from a 50 cal. to 45 cal., all I had to do was swap out the barrels. I will work some on the 50 and see what I can do, but I'm afraid it hopeless.
I was also given a replacement 50 cal. barrel with the breech plug removed (plain barrel, no sights, ramrod, etc.)...it had cobwebs in the bore, but they were a lot easier to remove than the dirt dauber nest...The bore looks like it just needs a good cleaning, no pitting that I can see, but has a fine red color (rust?).
I will clean it up as good as I can, and probably just swap over the items on the first barrel and see how it shoots. Only concern is the breech...It may be prudent to purchase a new one, and discard the old one.

Thanks!
Bulldog...
 
Don't try swapping the breech plug. Chances are you will destroy the one you have. Purchase a new breech plug and have it installed.
 
Alright I have to ask whats a "DIRT DAUBER NEST!!!"?
 
Dirt Dauber is a wasp...black and slightly smaller than a red wasp.
They build their nest with mud...you see the nest generally on a wall, under eves, and any thigh spot you can imagine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mud_dauber

Mud Dauber...same as Dirt Dauber...
 
Around here we call them paper wasps because their nests look like gray brown paper. We get them all over the place.
 
cayuga said:
Around here we call them paper wasps because their nests look like gray brown paper. We get them all over the place.
We have both. The one with a paper nest is a different wasp.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top