# T/C Hawken Question



## GAHUNTER60 (Sep 13, 2012)

I bought a T/C Hawken new back in 1974.  The rifle was a tack driver then (with maxi balls) and is a tack driver today with Power Belts, however I did have to replace the barrel a few years back when accuracy went to Hades (lesson learned: do not delay, even a few days, cleaning your muzzleloader after a range session.)  A great many deer have fallen to this rifle over the years on both primitive weapons WMA hunts and during regular season.

The newer barrel is a Green Mountain Hawken replacement barrel and is pretty accurate.  The problem is, ever since I bought it, there is an ever so slight delay in ignition.  Now, the delay is not nearly so long as with a flintlock, but long enough to cause a flinch if not expecting it.  It exists no matter what nipple is used.

However, I have found a way to eliminate this delay:  I remove the nipple and place a smidgeon of powder under it and screw it back in.  This makes ignition at least as fast as when the rifle was new, and rivals in-lines in speed.  I do this now every time I take the gun afield.

My question is, is this safe?  I mean, there is already a tremendous amount of back-pressure on the nipple threads from the main charge igniting.  I can't imagine that my less-than-one-grain primer charge causes much more pressure than already exists.

But I thought I'd ask.


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## 7Mag Hunter (Sep 13, 2012)

Check to make sure the flash holes in the bolster and nipple
line up to the barrel.....
I got a replacement bolster from CVA years ago and if I screw it
in tight to the barrel, the nipple does not line up to the hammer..


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## biskit1216 (Sep 13, 2012)

I have shot all different kinds of side locks, and I've always primed the nipple with a little powder. I've never had a problem. I used the real black powder with side locks, it has a lot more kick than the stuff we use today. I wouldn't worry to much unless you're shooting a really big charge.


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## Desert Rat (Sep 13, 2012)

Could be the nipple itself. I replaced mine with a CVA nipple and had issues with slow fire or miss fire. I went back to a TC nipple, when I found some, and the problem mostly cleared up. I still get the occasional slow fire with Pyrodex, but not Goex.


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## frankwright (Sep 13, 2012)

I would try a couple of different styles of nipples like a Spitfire or a Hot Shot. 
Or change to a musket cap as I did with both my Hawken style rifles. Much more fire and always goes boom.

This is what someone on another forum wrote when having the same problem as you:Then I came up with a really simple solution that works EVERY time.

1)WHEN LOADING THE GUN POUR YOUR POWDER DOWN THE BARREL.
2)TAP THE BUTT ON THE GROUND A COUPLE OF TIMES THEN PROCEED WITH YOUR LOADING PROCESS.
3) THEN POINTING THE GUN IN A SAFE DIRECTION, IF USING A RIGHT HANDED GUN, TURN THE GUN TO THE RIGHT AND TAP THE DRUM WITH THE HEEL OF YOUR HAND TWO OR THREE TIMES. ( TURN THE GUN TO THE LEFT FOR LEFT HANDED GUNS).
4) PLACE THE CAP ON THE NIPPLE AND CONTINUE WITH THE SHOOTING PROCESS.

No pressure loss, no power loss, no accuracy loss. No venting bolster or drilling , or FANCY NIPPLES OR other gimmicks. And it fires every stinking time now on the first hammer drop, no matter what powder or caps. Now I just keep kicking myself for not thinking of it sooner.


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## Okie Hog (Sep 13, 2012)

Try the CCI magnum caps:  They are much hotter than normal #11 caps.


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## lonewolf5347 (Sep 13, 2012)

best cap if you can find them RWS 1075+ the hottest number 11 made


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## 7MAGMIKE (Sep 13, 2012)

I recently installed a 209 nipple in my CVA sidelock ML.  Shoots great with no misfires. http://www.warrencustomoutdoor.com/pl-spark-start.html


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## SASS249 (Sep 13, 2012)

Don't think I would want a hunting gun that I had to pull the nipple every time to reload.  I also would not be that keen in pulling the nipple on and off so much.  Especially if you are in a hurry you could end up cross-threading it.

Bottom line in my opinion is something is not lining up right as 7 mag hunter said above.


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## tv_racin_fan (Sep 14, 2012)

I agree that there is an issue.

TC Hawken uses a snail type breech plug not a bolster style.  Does this replacement have the cleanout screw? (actually that aint what the hole is really but it is generally what it is called)

Pull that screw and check to see what the clearance is below the nipple. Might be as simple as touching the bottom of the nipple to a grinding wheel to increase that clearance.

http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/667/1/PLUG-TC-15-5 

Notice how this snail type breech plug has the "cleanout screw" on the opposite side of the snail. The screw actually fills the hole that was drilled to connect "chamber" to nipple, what some call the "flash or ignition channel".

http://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/807/1

Notice how the nipples are not all the same length from bottom to where it would bottom out when screwed in. May well be the your breech plug is a tad short in this area and grinding on the nipple just a little would give a bit more clearance.

As Frankwright pointed out a great many cap lock shooters swear by dropping powder then giving the rifle a couple raps to jog some powder down into the breech plug chamber and into what some call the "flash channel". Many claim with a correctly made patent chamber breech plug and corretly matched powder it is not neccessry BUT I say why not do it anyway.

Oh and just for the record, a correctly tuned flintlock is not perceptably slower than a correctly tuned cap lock. Fact is a caplock using a substitute powder is going to be slower than a well tuned flintlock.


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## GAHUNTER60 (Sep 21, 2012)

Problem solved.  I went back to shooting 100 grains of FFG and  ignition is as good as ever.  I had been using 777, which I did not realize is slow to ignite.  

I sure am going to miss being able to shoot 5-8 shots without cleaning, though.  With FF, it's two, and sometimes the second one is hard to seat.


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## Desert Rat (Sep 21, 2012)

GAHUNTER60 said:


> Problem solved.  I went back to shooting 100 grains of FFG and  ignition is as good as ever.  I had been using 777, which I did not realize is slow to ignite.
> 
> I sure am going to miss being able to shoot 5-8 shots without cleaning, though.  With FF, it's two, and sometimes the second one is hard to seat.



Good deal.

I'm at two or three shots with Goex FFG before I have to wipe it out, or I can shoot all day with Pyrodex RS. What I use just depends on how I feel when I'm loading up to go kill paper ground hogs and zombies. I think the Goex touches off a little faster.

A guy I shoot with sometimes said with Goex to shoot two with dry patches then one with a lubed patch, etc. I haven't tried it yet, but he shoots all day with his .50 and never cleans it. He puts a lot of Bore Butter on the lubed patch, as in it looks like way to much lube.


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