# 5O Caliber Thompson Center Hawkin Muzzle Loader



## hashbrown (Sep 2, 2013)

Jake and I decided we would hunt late muzzle loading season this year. With our tags we can get a couple does. I had 2 muzzle loaders in the back of a closet that were my Grandfathers. I pulled them out and started to clean the bore on the Thompson, I'd sort of forgot about it but my Grandfather kept every gun he had loaded at all times. I put the ram rod down the bore and yep true to his ways it was loaded. It took a good hour for me to pull the bullet and another hour to clean the bore and the rest of the gun. I shot it twice it didn't blow up in my face and it shot plenty good to take a deer and then cleaned it again. Ill start on the 58 caliber this weekend and I'd bet it's loaded as well and I'll have the same job in front of me.


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

Sounds like a fun & educational time, the more you know the less you have to carry.
The more you train the better you are with the many tool in your survival chest.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

Beautiful! My Dad has one just like it. I bet pulling that ball was a pain in the butt. IIRC my Dad made up a screw tip ram rod for just that very task.

I have harvested more deer with a muzzle loader than every other method combined. There is just something about only have one shot that makes you appreciate that kill even more. Just the same in my teens I could reload fast enough that if the deer was really slow or stupid I could take a second shot.


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## hashbrown (Sep 2, 2013)

Sentry18 said:


> Beautiful! My Dad has one just like it. I bet pulling that ball was a pain in the butt. IIRC my Dad made up a screw tip ram rod for just that very task.
> 
> I have harvested more deer with a muzzle loader than every other method combined. There is just something about only have one shot that makes you appreciate that kill even more. Just the same in my teens I could reload fast enough that if the deer was really slow or stupid I could take a second shot.


I was going to make one, but someone left the gas on their mig welder and it was empty.... I was able to pick one up in town today. I had tried to blow it out with air first I pulled the nipple and put 175psi on it hoping I could blow it out and that didnt work. He had last loaded it with one of those copper coated sabbots and it was really difficult to get the screw to grab it.


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## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

hashbrown said:


> Jake and I decided we would hunt late muzzle loading season this year. With our tags we can get a couple does. I had 2 muzzle loaders in the back of a closet that were my Grandfathers. I pulled them out and started to clean the bore on the Thompson, I'd sort of forgot about it but my Grandfather kept every gun he had loaded at all times. I put the ram rod down the bore and yep true to his ways it was loaded. It took a good hour for me to pull the bullet and another hour to clean the bore and the rest of the gun. I shot it twice it didn't blow up in my face and it shot plenty good to take a deer and then cleaned it again. Ill start on the 58 caliber this weekend and I'd bet it's loaded as well and I'll have the same job in front of me.
> 
> View attachment 21627


I have a .50 Thompson just like that, that I put together from a kit when we lived in Colorado, I had the barrel glass bead blasted and I browned it. I hunted elk with it a few times, got a shot at one but never killed any game with it.


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## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

I made the same Mistake of leaving a Muzzle Loader Loaded. Bad JU-Ju. They can't stay loaded for long periods of time since the Black Powder loves to attract Moisture. My Gun was loaded with a Buffalo Bullet, and Boy was that thing hard to remove. Lesson Learned.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

On many muzzle-loaders the nipple thread is the same as a common grease zirt. Unscrew the nipple and screw in the grease zirt. Use your grease gun to easily and very safely push the load out of the barrel.


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## terri9630 (Jun 2, 2016)

Couldn't you just go to the range and shoot it?


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

terri9630 said:


> Couldn't you just go to the range and shoot it?


Possible but black powder is a moisture collector and might not ignite or fully ignite. It could also go kaboom too. I came across a loaded muzzle loader once. I had to remove the nipple and add some powder to get it to go. Even then I put it in a vice on a picnic table and pulled the trigger with some para cord.


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## RedBeard (May 8, 2017)

hiwall said:


> On many muzzle-loaders the nipple thread is the same as a common grease zirt. Unscrew the nipple and screw in the grease zirt. Use your grease gun to easily and very safely push the load out of the barrel.


That's a good idea. Have you done it? Make a good mess but sounds like it would work.


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## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

My TC BP rifle has a threaded breach plug and possibly other BP rifles do as well, thing is, if they don't have anti-seize thread compound on the threads, they may be impossible to open up.


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