i went to clean my TC hawken flinter after a useless sight in session today.......went to take the BRAND NEW touch hole liner out with a allen wrench and it wont come out......started to move and then it stripped out!!!! i cant get it out with anything...dont know what to do im thinking on that still....im fuming.....its actually a common problem with me and that gun though......is there a reason why??? or something to do to prevent it??? i tried putting some lube on the threads but i think it burnt and made it harder to take out......any tips before i email TC fuming??? im sure ill get it out sooner or later......but it ticks me off that i need a new touch hole liner every time i go out and shoot........are the older TC hawkens threaded diffrent then the new touchhole liners or something?? when i baught it it had a plain old flathead screwdriver slot.....man was that a beast to get out.......now these liners either crack or strip out...yes...ive had one or 2 crack just from shooting......this one in the gun now is cracked but i cant say if its from shooting or if it happend when i went to remove it..........anyone make a GOOD liner that will fit? tips, hints, tricks, comments?? anything....im dying here! about to take the gun to the bridge and see if it floats!!!!!!!!

I've used the hex head vent liner since I got my rifle and have not had the same problem your describing. I do put some anti seize on the threads when I put it back in the rifle, just a big dot of it with a tooth pick. Also I never try and remove it until I have pumped some hot soap and water through the barrel first. I figure that helps break any seizing that might have taken place.

As for removal of the vent liner, if it is cracked, I would take it to a gun smith. That or maybe a would a tap work to get it out, then you could replace it. The big thing is you do not want to hurt the threads there...

Good luck, and calm down. It will all come out in time.

I have a TC Hawken nearly 25 years old and have never replaced the touch hole liner. Why do you need to replace it so often? Also, I've read in Chuck Dixon's book that he never removes the liner, and he is the man in flintlocks, so far as I'm concerned.

I remove my vent liner every time I clean the rifle. I get more water with greater pressure that way to pump through the barrel when I clean. I figure more pressure, cleaner barrel. Also I clean the vent liner all out, put some anti seize back on it, and replace it when the rifle is clean. I also know should I ever need to remove it, that is not a problem.

I know some others that never remove the vent liner which is fine, their rifle, their business. I personally like to clean every little part of a rifle I can every time I clean it. I also pull the lock and clean behind it every time I clean the rifle...

hmmmm maybe ill try the antiseize thing if i ever get it out!! i pump water through it first also.....as cayugad said...i take it out to clean it....and also it does help when pumping water through.........youd be surprised what stays in there if you dont remove it.....i am just anal about cleaning.......i also take the lock out and clean all that too......youd be surprised where BP and residue ends up after a shooting session........i shouldnt have to replace them as often as i do..but mine always end up stripped!! maybe i should just leave it in there! lol

ok im calm now......got it out with more fighting and cussing...with a screwdriver!!! seems when i put it in the last few turns are VERY hard...think thatmay be my problem......thread damage...or dirt.....or rust......put antiseize in it and put it back in........and did try to clean it out before.........thanx guys........hopefully ill shot again tomarow.......

mauser 06.. I always clean the threads with a very small brush you can buy for cleaning the breech plug hole on the modern inlines. It works perfect for cleaning the threads on the vent liner. I wrap a thin patch around it and slowly turn it into the threads. It really leaves them clean. Q-tips will also clean in there.

I am so glad you got it out. Sometimes when things are going bad for me I just have to put the thing down and come back to it at a later time after I have calmed down.. I've even been known to do serious damage to things when frustrated.

Next time it will work better....

Not to threadjack, but...

Cayugad's comment is true for just about anything. I am an I.T. guy. When things just aren't going the way they should be, there comes a time when you just have to step away. The difficulty for me has always been the stepping away. You want to keep at the task, but then comes that little voice that says: "Robert, this just ain't gonna happen right now. Walk away and chill out for a while..."

Kind of reminds me of the time when my new Ruger 17HMR wouldn't boresight properly. I spent weeks selling stuff on eBay to save up for it. Was all stoked when I picked it up. Put my Leupold scope on it... it looked realpretty. Took the rifleto the range and the darn thing just would not sight in. My friendly gunsmith told me the receiver was all whacked out and the brand new rifle would have to go back to Ruger for repairs. I was so pissed I just about threw the gun in the wood chipper.

Thankfully I don't own a wood chipper!

Best of luck Mauser06. Situations likeyoudescribed are incredibly frustrating. If it is any consoloation: 1. it happens to all of us from time to time (God is not singling you out for personal punishment!) and 2. there is a personal growth opportunity here you can benefit from. That is after the pain and frustration have gone and you can look back on the situation and learn from it.

Just my long winded 2 cents worth.
~Robert

Ya know I would send it back to T.C. with a letter of explanation. They are the greatest Co. to work with I bet they will fix your problem and ensure that it dosen't happen again. I bought a black dimond when they first came out and kept getting rust around the ignition area. Well they redesigned that area of the gun and sent me a new one. I have had nothing but a good experiance with them. Maby its a problem they don't know about or you could have a flawed gun. Give them a chance see what they can do for you. Good Luck Mike

yep...i get myself into situations like that often.......im always taking stuff apart........thats why i WANT to become a mechanical engineer........and am in college for that right now.....typing from my dorm actually.....i know i need to cool down and forget about it for a while.....then sit down and think it out and fix it later.........i took my WHOLE lock apart to my flintlock a few days before i left for college........i was smart and drew a detailed drawing of it first......took it completly apart(im anal and wanted to clean it all for once......and poilish and oil a few contact pieces and the spring real good.......)...i had major trouble getting a few parts to all line up and fall in place.....fought for a while....then put it down and took a break.....looked at it.....and it all went back together easily after i thought it out.....i went shooting today....and after cleaning i wanted to see if the touchhole liner would come out....it wouldnt.....but i didnt strip it trying to hard.....so this spring when i dont need the gun ill send the barrel to TC and see what they say......along with a few stripped and cracked touchhole liners i think i have saved somewhere...thanks for the encouraging words guys....i guess its a GUY thing...how we get frustrated and have no patience sometimes............i know how i get and try not to ruin or break anything...and try to take a break before i do.....