Oops I did it again.

[RhinoDave]

Well I went to my gun clubs regular Tuesday mini-rondezvous today and since we are having temps in the 60s and heavy rain, the river next our camp is over flowing. Stayed until the raising water flooded the firepit and then left. 

River bank is about 50 feet from the wood pile behind the three trees in the center of the picture.

On the way home, I stopped at a small newer gun shop I haven't been in to drop off some club flyers and to check out the store. I noticed a couple of half stock Hawken rifles stuck in the back corner of the store and asked if he did any business with muzzleloaders. He stated that they were left by an friend and was told to get whatever he could for them. After a short education session and a little haggling I walked out the door with a .50 TC Hawken and a .50 cal Investarms Hawken. Both bores are in pretty rough shape but both locks function well. 

The price..... $20.00 each. The karma gods were smiling on me once again.

 

[Smokin' Joe]

Hey RhinoDave, I was just about to share my .54 Investarm Hawken that I just purchased but then I read your post.  I don't know how I could top $20 each!

Congrats on the great find........ and your "haggling" skills.  I can tell you've been around the block before.

 

[exMember]

Good lord! I should ban you over this! :lol!:

 

[RhinoDave]

At least I didn't steal them outright,... just almost. He started out at $50 apiece but really just wanted them out of his store.
 P.S. Joe I paid alot more for my .54 cal Investarms but it's a lot more purty. <img src="<a href=" alt="Oops I did it again. <a href=" />

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[Smokin' Joe]

I can relate to that RhinoDave!  

 

[RhinoDave]

Oooh. Nice lookin set of big bores. Most Investarms I've seen have pretty nice stocks. The one I just got is rather plain. Now if I could just come across a deal on a smoothie..........

 

[Kentucky Colonel]

That's nothing. I once got a fella to pay ME $20.00 for taking a BP rifle off his hands. 
I just let him know it was loaded and 'Gee, the tools you'll need to buy are 
at the store somewhere...' That leg pull was free. :lol:

Nice score.

 

[Smokin' Joe]

RhinoDave, searching the internet, I found some "INVESTARM" date codes on an old 2010 Firing Line Forum that someone had posted.  It was interesting to see that my rifles are 1988 and a 1993.

The following "Date Codes" up to 2008:
Using Roman Numerials, starting with 1954 as 'X'.

X = 1954
XI = 1955
XII = 1956
XIII = 1957
XIV = 1958
XV = 1959
XVI = 1960
XVII = 1961
XVIII= 1962
XIX = 1963
XX = 1964
...continues without skipping until

XXVI = 1970

Then, for some reason not really explained, they switched to:
XX7 = 1971
XX8 = 1972
XX9 = 1973

Then back to:
XXX = 1974

Then it changes to a letter code. Should be simple, but they skipped various letters throughout the "A" code, then decided to skip OTHER letters through out the "B" code. Didn't want to make it too easy I guess.

AA=1975
AB=1976
AC=1977
AD=1978
AE=1979
AF=1980
AH=1981 (notice they skip AG)
AI=1982
AL=1983 (skipped AJ and AK)
AM=1984
AN=1985
AP=1986 (skipping AO)
AS=1987 (skiping AQ and AR)
AT=1988
AU=1989
AZ=1990 (skipping AV,AW,AX, and AY)

BA=1991
BB=1992
BC=1993
BD=1994
BF=1995 (skipping BE)
BH=1996 (skipping BG)
BI=1997
BL=1998 (skipping BJ and BK)
BM=1999
BN=2000
BP=2001 (skipping BO)
BS=2002
BT=2003
BU=2004
BV=2005
BW=2006
BX=2007

BY=2008 (Bought a Pietta 1860 new in dec. 08 with this code)

 

[RhinoDave]

I'm familiar with the Italian dating system. It's on all of the Italian gunmakers rifles. My .54 is dated AT or 1988. The one I just got is code AN or 1985. It's proving to be pretty difficult. There is a load in it and I've pulled two different sized ball pulllers out of it trying to get it out. Next step is a co2 cartridge but not until I've soaked it with Evaporust for a few days. I left the breech end in a bucket of water after I discovered that it was loaded. Neglect is an aweful thing in a muzzleloader.

 

[Old No71]

My twin has that luck too...  Not me though!

Anyway I had to laugh, as "Oops I did it again" is the name for the fancy goal-scoring maneuver the U.S. Women's  Hockey Team used the other night.

Old No7

 

[dbowling2]

Just checked my barrel I got off ebay to replace a trashed one and its dated AD= 1978.

 

[Buck Conner1]

Good lord! I should ban you over this! :lol!: :afro:

Do it kid .... Gone in 60 Seconds   :Beating Muley:   :shooter:

 

[RhinoDave]

Good lord! I should ban you over this! :lol!: :afro:

Do it kid .... Gone in 60 Seconds   :Beating Muley:   :shooter:

?????? Am I really that persona non grata?  :twisted: :ss:

 

[RhinoDave]

Things are not looking good for the barrels on these. The Investarms is really rough and the ball or whatever it is ,is proving difficult to remove. The TC looks like the bore is salvagable but it looks like someone used a pipewrench to try and remove the breech plug As of right now it is gouged up pretty good and is slighlty out of alignment with the barrel. I don't know if this is due to it just being moved slightly trying to remove it or trying to replace after it was out. Either way, I'm going to have to pull it to check the threads and finish polishing the bore.Now if I could just find a TC breech tool....

 

[Smokin' Joe]

RhinoDave, my suggestion would be to chuck the barrels.  Clean up the stocks and furniture and put them on ebay.  The money you get from the sales would go along way towards the purchase of a muzzy you really would like to have.  Or sell one of the stocks and get another barrel.  Very good market on ebay for the stocks especially when fully furnished.  Because you don't have much of an investment you have lots of options.

 

[Buck Conner1]

Agreed

 

[RhinoDave]

I'm kind of leaning towards these suggestions since I really have no need for another .50 cal halfstock. (Already have three). I just really dislike Fleabay. Might try to sell them off some other way.  I'm holding off on doing anything for a couple of weeks since there are a couple of large shows coming up soon here in Michigan.

 

[patocazador]

You could have Bobby Hoyt bore them out to .54 and then sell them off if there's a market for them.

 

[rmlarsen22]

Rhinodave, seeing those pics of the river flooding sure brought back memories of my youth. I grew up in Grand Haven near the Grand River and every spring it did this.

 

[RhinoDave]

Well, after letting the breech ends of both barrels to soak in evaporust for a week, I pulled both breech plugs. As I expected, the Investarms bore is toast. I now have to decide if i want to ship it off for reboring. Does anybody know if you can get a 15/16 barrel bored out to .58 Would be nice to have a big bore Hawken. If not I guess another .54 is okay. The TC looks to be salvagable and I plan on lapping it and then reassemble. The gouges on the breech plug look like I can dress them up so I'm going to give it a shot. It'll go up for sale after refinshing.