I have two muzzel loaders that were given to me last year. They are both .54 caliber. The TC hawken is a beast that I have had trouble getting to fire after cleaning and drying, I don't trust it enough to take a chance. The traditions is a sweet little short muzzleloader that fires every time. Any information on these? I seem to like the smaller traditions muzzeloader better because it hasn't failed yet.

can anyone reccomend the amount of powder I need to use for both of these old guns.

The Thompson Center hawkins might have the old style frizzen and hammer. When you are at half cock does the flint point at the center of the frizzen or the upper 1/3rd? If it is more to the center, that is the old style. They will still fire but the new style is much better. Also make sure that the flint is the correct distance from the frizzen. I was shooting mine today and as soon as that flint starts to wear down, the rifle misfires...

Also you said, . I am wondering if your leaving water or fluids near the vent hole or in the wrong place. I have a T/C .50 caliber Hawkins. I swab and clean with pure alcohol. Then wipe it with a dry patch. I think 80-90 grains of Goex FFg would not be all that out of line in the .54 caliber with a patched roundball. Use goex as your main powder charge of course and goex 4f as the pan charge (but of course I am sure you know that).

You might want to call Thompson Center arms and discuss the rifle with them. I am sure they will have suggestions as to how to fix the problem. With my flinter, they had me mail in the old lock and replaced it with a brand new one... This is now a sweet shooting rifle...

good luck with your rifle... There are others who know a lot more about this then I do...

its the new style, I think I was having trouble with a little bit of oil getting in the port. No Ive been using pyrodex powder and the maxihunters from TC.

Borty I dont know much about the old TC (other than I HATE sidelocks, I dont drive a horse and buggy so I dont like the same in guns but I knows its a personal choice) but for a strict safety point of view WATCH OUT with that old Traditions. They are NOT very strong guns!!! I know alot of guys will get mad and call me names but that doesnt bother me. The Spanish built barrels on ANY muzzleloader is a disaster just waiting to happen. They are barely proof tested to handle a decent blackpowder charge. They are WAAAAAY away from handling anything like 100+grains of Pyro and surely NOT ready for T7.

I wouldnt recommend anything over 90 grains of Goex, same for Pyro and -70 for T7. Anymore is just asking for it. Earlier this summer I had a customer that brought in his old break action muzzleloader with a hole in the barrel, a bent Nikon scopetube and luck on his side. The genius' at Traditions drilled the screws for the front scope mount in FRONT of the breech plug. Add the fact that he was shooting 150grns of Pyro through it and in short order the thin metal between the bore and the bottom of the tap (basically only half the barrels wall thickness) was eaten away and one shot spit the front screw in the front mount OUT. It tried to go into the Nikon scope, which it caused a dent in the tube sufficient enough to render the scope useless. I dont know where the screw ended up but the customer is lucky it wasnt in his skull!!!

That is a design flaw of more than one blackpowder gun on the market. That is why you see the taps on a TC Encore/Omega being spaced so closely. They are over the breechplug and not in front of it. The strongest is place is behind the plug on a reciever like found on a Knight, Savage etc. The weakest is straight into the barrel like many old CVA and TC Hawkens used to be mounted. Cutting into the barrels wall for simple sight mounts is bad enough.

Good luck,
RA

Borty77 the pyrodex could be what is causing your problems. I would only shoot a pure black powder like Goex in a Flintlock. Pyrodex although does work will take a lot more spark to fire. I am wondering if your ignition seems like it takes for ever to take off?

Run an alcohol patch or two down the barrel then two dry ones before you load. Also wipe the frizzen, flint off, and pan out with the same alcohol patch then load it with some Goex and see if that is not the cure to your problems. I was shooting 90 grains of Goex FFg and moose milk patched roundball out of my T/C Hawkins the other day. It was really a good time and the ignition is really fast with black english flints.....