What is the best T/C black powder rifle?

MeekandMild · August 29, 2003, 11:45 PM

What is the best one, guys? And why? Having shot Hawkins and Kentucky long rifles et cetera, I'm leaning toward the Omega myself.

Fiveshooter · September 3, 2003, 01:40 AM

Hi MeekandMild,

TC still makes quality front stuffers but they have discontinued a few models that I really liked.
They used to have a couple of small bore rifles, Cherokee and Senecca.
I was also partial to the Scout and Big Bore .58 caliber.
They also dropped the Scout pistol which was more than powerfull enough for deer.
The gun that I think I will miss seeing the most from TC is the Patriot pistol.
These traditional looking target pistols were both accurate and great looking.
I did manage to find a mint Patriot pistol for my collection but they are getting harder to find every year. I wish TC would see fit to bring them back again.

Best Regards,
Billy

MeekandMild · September 3, 2003, 10:54 PM

That is a beautiful pistol! The double set trigger, the engraving, the wood, all make it a work of art. I remember looking at them back during the times I was a poor but hardworking student and thinking the price (what was it $59? $79?) was just too much to afford. Now $79 just about fills up my car three times.

I never shot a deer with a pistol. Shot at one once but he startled at the cocking of the hammer and ran off.

Having been peppered more than once with primer fragments and powder blowback I'm pretty impressed by the idea of a black powder rifle which has a closed breech, hence my inkling to try an Omega this deer season.

Redlg155 · September 3, 2003, 11:30 PM

The Omegas are nice, but I just don't like the feel of the trigger on them. The angles feel all wrong. I'm sure it is something you could get used to easily, but it just feels strange.

I just went down to Wallyworld today and special ordered a TC Encore frame that I will match up with a SS 209x50 barrel in the next couple of weeks. Prior to that I went to Bass Pro Shops over in Destin and looked at them all the BP offerings they had. I got to shoulder and handle the Knight, CVA, Traditions, Winchester, TC Omegas, and others. I came away with the impression that the Encore was the best balancing and most versatile BP rifle out there.

I like the sealed breach system and relatively decent trigger. The shotgun type action also makes it easier to clean by just cleaning the barrel. I always hated getting water all in the trigger mechanism while cleaning.

As soon as I finish with my BP hunt I'll mount a 12GA Slug barrel on her for hunting deer.

A new Omega will run me anywhere from $350-$450 depending on the finish. A little bit more will get you a TC Encore.

Good Shooting
Red

Indigo22 · September 4, 2003, 07:27 AM

I like the Omega. ... but when will it come out in a carbine, and maybe a thumbhole stock.

MeekandMild · September 8, 2003, 10:32 PM

Looks like the Fire Storm and short barreled Black Diamond are the least popular.

ReadyontheRight · September 17, 2003, 03:47 PM

The Encore carbine w/ 209x50 barrel is my favorite gun to carry around in the woods. It was minute of soda can accurate right out of the box.

After 3 blackpowder seasons, now I just need to get a deer with it.

zahc · September 25, 2003, 03:38 PM

Encore

Omega

Renegade

T/C has good stuff.

gun-fucious · September 25, 2003, 08:37 PM

i have checked out the Firestorm for PA whitetail hunting via flintlock.
It seems like a nice system but IMHO, the plastic stock does not have enough heft
to balance the rifle well. I gather you could install the wood stock from some of the other models.

http://www.tcarms.com/mlrifles/firestorm/

a bunch of the TC models are out of production:
http://www.tcarms.com/mlrifles/

MeekandMild · October 7, 2003, 07:07 PM

Looks like the Omega is the favorite for now.

Poodleshooter · October 9, 2003, 06:36 PM

How about a vote for any rifle that T/C makes for more than 5 years. Good grief, they change models so fast you can hardly keep up.
My vote for traditional would be the Hawken. At least they keep making it year after year. Unlike models such as: the Big Boar, Patriot pistol, New Englander, Grey Hawk, Black Mountain Magnum,Treehawk,etc.....

1911 · October 14, 2003, 04:03 PM

I am hearing some god awful things about the TC omega.

I don’t have any personal experience with one but read a report in American Rifleman the other day that it got something like 4 inch groups at 100 yards and that was the best the author was able to get out of it.

Then a buddy of mine up north had a friend that bought one and they went to the range together and tried out several different types of sabot/powder combinations and the best they were able to get were 6 inch groups. My buddy took the gun home and ck out all of the screws to make sure they were tight and took it back to the range again and still the same results.

He wound up taking into town to the local gunsmith and had a microscope run through the barrel and he said that there were all sorts of major pits in it. He said it was embarrassing that TC would put out this pile of crap.This was a new gun by the way. Cleaned every round during firing.

Anyways they sent it back to tc and they gave him a new one but when the new one came in it had bad pits in the barrel also.

It seems like a neat concept but I think I will pass on one until they get the bugs worked out.

MeekandMild · October 14, 2003, 10:39 PM

1911 no problem with mine except I think the 209 primer is too hot for it. Old Snow, who is a new member I hope will be posting a lot more, recommends using the Remington 209-4 primers, which are designed for .410 shotshells instead of the regular primers.

smokemaker · October 15, 2003, 06:34 PM

My Omega prooved picky, but fed the right combo of powder and bullet, is capable of 1" groups at 100 yards. It cleans easy, but the trigger is a little odd to get used to, as it's a bit creepy, and no real way to get at it to stone the creep out. I shot a savage, a remington, a T/C Hawken and an Omega, a traditions lightning, and a CVA junkerbolt. (All owned by various buddies or family) The Omega fit me the best and it shot the best, so I bought one, and I haven't regretted it.

Tommy Gunn · October 26, 2003, 01:58 AM

Make mine the .54 caliber T/C Hawken percussion rifle.

Maxi-Balls and 110gr of BP will take down any North American big game.

iluv308 · January 25, 2004, 05:08 PM

any comments on the firestorm flinter

444 · January 25, 2004, 06:00 PM

Wow.
All of my T/C guns have been discontinued I guess.
I have a .50 Renegade, a Black Mountain Magnum, and a Patriot.

BIGR · January 27, 2004, 10:16 PM

The Omega is going to be my favorite. Bought it in 2002 and it has taken 5 deer with ease. The Black Diamond I use to have would come in a close second.

Redhawk1 · January 30, 2004, 02:28 PM

Encore 209/50 and 209/45 Muzzleloaders. Hands down. I have shot a lot of different Muzzleloaders and the Encore works best for me.

**4v50 Gary** · January 30, 2004, 04:05 PM

I voted Hawkins. It's not an indictment against the newer guns, their quality, reliability or workmanship. Rather, the Hawkins is easily the most traditional and I'm an old fashion type of guy.

El Hombre · January 31, 2004, 08:54 AM

I must say that I'm very partial to my "Big Boar" 58 caliber Thompson. Those were great guns, It's too bad Thompson doesn't make them any more. My friends laugh at me for shooting "lug nuts" at deer. Those big slugs pack alot of punch! the only bad thing is most shops don't carry 58 cal bullets, so I usually have to buy over the internet or mail order, I prefer to shop local when I can.

View Poll Results: Which is the best T/C black powder rifle?
Hawken	13	27.08%
Renegade Hunter	5	10.42%
Black Diamond	1	2.08%
Black Diamond XR	3	6.25%
Fire Storm	3	6.25%
Encore 209x50	9	18.75%
Omega	10	20.83%
Contender G2 209x45	1	2.08%
Forget it, I don't like T/C	3	6.25%
Voters: 48. You may not vote on this poll

August 29, 2003, 11:45 PM	#1
MeekandMild Member Join Date: December 25, 2002 Posts: 1,884	What is the best T/C black powder rifle? What is the best one, guys? And why? Having shot Hawkins and Kentucky long rifles et cetera, I'm leaning toward the Omega myself. __________________ (Stolen from EddieCoyle) WHINY WOMAN IN LINE: I don't know why anybody would need so many "bullets". EDDIE: I'll bet there are a whole lot of things you don't know.

September 3, 2003, 10:54 PM	#3
MeekandMild Member Join Date: December 25, 2002 Posts: 1,884	That is a beautiful pistol! The double set trigger, the engraving, the wood, all make it a work of art. I remember looking at them back during the times I was a poor but hardworking student and thinking the price (what was it $59? $79?) was just too much to afford. Now $79 just about fills up my car three times. I never shot a deer with a pistol. Shot at one once but he startled at the cocking of the hammer and ran off. Having been peppered more than once with primer fragments and powder blowback I'm pretty impressed by the idea of a black powder rifle which has a closed breech, hence my inkling to try an Omega this deer season. __________________ (Stolen from EddieCoyle) WHINY WOMAN IN LINE: I don't know why anybody would need so many "bullets". EDDIE: I'll bet there are a whole lot of things you don't know.

September 4, 2003, 07:27 AM	#5
Indigo22 Member Join Date: April 10, 2003 Location: N.W. Indiana Posts: 24	I like the Omega. ... but when will it come out in a carbine, and maybe a thumbhole stock. __________________ Take care, John Deus Regnat Exultet Terra

September 8, 2003, 10:32 PM	#6
MeekandMild Member Join Date: December 25, 2002 Posts: 1,884	Looks like the Fire Storm and short barreled Black Diamond are the least popular. __________________ (Stolen from EddieCoyle) WHINY WOMAN IN LINE: I don't know why anybody would need so many "bullets". EDDIE: I'll bet there are a whole lot of things you don't know.

September 3, 2003, 01:40 AM	#2
Fiveshooter Member Join Date: December 26, 2002 Posts: 169	Hi MeekandMild, TC still makes quality front stuffers but they have discontinued a few models that I really liked. They used to have a couple of small bore rifles, Cherokee and Senecca. I was also partial to the Scout and Big Bore .58 caliber. They also dropped the Scout pistol which was more than powerfull enough for deer. The gun that I think I will miss seeing the most from TC is the Patriot pistol. These traditional looking target pistols were both accurate and great looking. I did manage to find a mint Patriot pistol for my collection but they are getting harder to find every year. I wish TC would see fit to bring them back again. Best Regards, Billy

September 3, 2003, 11:30 PM	#4
Redlg155 Member Join Date: December 25, 2002 Location: NW Florida Posts: 1,888	The Omegas are nice, but I just don't like the feel of the trigger on them. The angles feel all wrong. I'm sure it is something you could get used to easily, but it just feels strange. I just went down to Wallyworld today and special ordered a TC Encore frame that I will match up with a SS 209x50 barrel in the next couple of weeks. Prior to that I went to Bass Pro Shops over in Destin and looked at them all the BP offerings they had. I got to shoulder and handle the Knight, CVA, Traditions, Winchester, TC Omegas, and others. I came away with the impression that the Encore was the best balancing and most versatile BP rifle out there. I like the sealed breach system and relatively decent trigger. The shotgun type action also makes it easier to clean by just cleaning the barrel. I always hated getting water all in the trigger mechanism while cleaning. As soon as I finish with my BP hunt I'll mount a 12GA Slug barrel on her for hunting deer. A new Omega will run me anywhere from $350-$450 depending on the finish. A little bit more will get you a TC Encore. Good Shooting Red

September 17, 2003, 03:47 PM	#7
ReadyontheRight Member Join Date: December 28, 2002 Location: Minnesota - nine months of ice and snow...three months of tough sledding. Posts: 4,226	The Encore carbine w/ 209x50 barrel is my favorite gun to carry around in the woods. It was minute of soda can accurate right out of the box. After 3 blackpowder seasons, now I just need to get a deer with it. __________________ "Personal weapons are what raised mankind out of the mud, and the rifle is the queen of personal weapons. The possession of a good rifle, as well as the skill to use it well, truly makes a man the monarch of all he surveys." -Jeff Cooper- "The right of citizens to bear arms is just one more guarantee against arbitrary government, and one more safeguard against a tyranny which now appears remote in America, but which historically has proved to be always possible." -Hubert Humphrey-

September 25, 2003, 03:38 PM	#8
zahc Member Join Date: March 23, 2003 Location: TX Posts: 1,957	Encore Omega Renegade T/C has good stuff. __________________ VOTE FOR RON PAUL 2008 Hope for America "If a consensus of the majority is all it takes to determine what is right, then having and controlling information becomes extraordinarily important"--Masamune Shirow

September 25, 2003, 08:37 PM	#9
gun-fucious Member Join Date: December 24, 2002 Location: centre of the PA Posts: 1,979	i have checked out the Firestorm for PA whitetail hunting via flintlock. It seems like a nice system but IMHO, the plastic stock does not have enough heft to balance the rifle well. I gather you could install the wood stock from some of the other models. http://www.tcarms.com/mlrifles/firestorm/ a bunch of the TC models are out of production: http://www.tcarms.com/mlrifles/ __________________ "The real victim of moral legislation is always the honest, law-abiding, well-meaning citizen." "The Uplifters Try It Again" by H.L. Mencken, Baltimore Sun, Nov. 30, 1925

October 7, 2003, 07:07 PM	#10
MeekandMild Member Join Date: December 25, 2002 Posts: 1,884	Looks like the Omega is the favorite for now. __________________ (Stolen from EddieCoyle) WHINY WOMAN IN LINE: I don't know why anybody would need so many "bullets". EDDIE: I'll bet there are a whole lot of things you don't know.

October 9, 2003, 06:36 PM	#11
Poodleshooter Member Join Date: December 30, 2002 Location: Mr. Jefferson's country Posts: 1,237	How about a vote for any rifle that T/C makes for more than 5 years. Good grief, they change models so fast you can hardly keep up. My vote for traditional would be the Hawken. At least they keep making it year after year. Unlike models such as: the Big Boar, Patriot pistol, New Englander, Grey Hawk, Black Mountain Magnum,Treehawk,etc.....

October 14, 2003, 04:03 PM	#12
1911 Member Join Date: December 30, 2002 Posts: 134	I am hearing some god awful things about the TC omega. I don’t have any personal experience with one but read a report in American Rifleman the other day that it got something like 4 inch groups at 100 yards and that was the best the author was able to get out of it. Then a buddy of mine up north had a friend that bought one and they went to the range together and tried out several different types of sabot/powder combinations and the best they were able to get were 6 inch groups. My buddy took the gun home and ck out all of the screws to make sure they were tight and took it back to the range again and still the same results. He wound up taking into town to the local gunsmith and had a microscope run through the barrel and he said that there were all sorts of major pits in it. He said it was embarrassing that TC would put out this pile of crap.This was a new gun by the way. Cleaned every round during firing. Anyways they sent it back to tc and they gave him a new one but when the new one came in it had bad pits in the barrel also. It seems like a neat concept but I think I will pass on one until they get the bugs worked out.

October 14, 2003, 10:39 PM	#13
MeekandMild Member Join Date: December 25, 2002 Posts: 1,884	1911 no problem with mine except I think the 209 primer is too hot for it. Old Snow, who is a new member I hope will be posting a lot more, recommends using the Remington 209-4 primers, which are designed for .410 shotshells instead of the regular primers. __________________ (Stolen from EddieCoyle) WHINY WOMAN IN LINE: I don't know why anybody would need so many "bullets". EDDIE: I'll bet there are a whole lot of things you don't know.

October 15, 2003, 06:34 PM	#14
smokemaker Member Join Date: September 21, 2003 Location: Western NY...yes, The Peoples Republic of New York Posts: 511	My Omega prooved picky, but fed the right combo of powder and bullet, is capable of 1" groups at 100 yards. It cleans easy, but the trigger is a little odd to get used to, as it's a bit creepy, and no real way to get at it to stone the creep out. I shot a savage, a remington, a T/C Hawken and an Omega, a traditions lightning, and a CVA junkerbolt. (All owned by various buddies or family) The Omega fit me the best and it shot the best, so I bought one, and I haven't regretted it. __________________ Term limits are for everyone!! No, seriously. Gun control has never been about safety. It's difficult to look at politics in NY state and not puke. Brought to you by the number 7.

October 26, 2003, 01:58 AM	#15
Tommy Gunn Member Join Date: March 15, 2003 Location: The Windy City Posts: 223	Make mine the .54 caliber T/C Hawken percussion rifle. Maxi-Balls and 110gr of BP will take down any North American big game. __________________ Member NRA 1911 user 1921 Thompson afficianado The gun that made the 20's roar

January 25, 2004, 05:08 PM	#16
iluv308 Member Join Date: October 4, 2003 Location: British Columbia/Yukon Posts: 28	I'm thinking of a firestorm flinter any comments on the firestorm flinter __________________ gotta luv the bush

January 25, 2004, 06:00 PM	#17
444 Member Join Date: December 26, 2002 Location: Pahrump Nevada Posts: 7,719	Wow. All of my T/C guns have been discontinued I guess. I have a .50 Renegade, a Black Mountain Magnum, and a Patriot.

January 27, 2004, 10:16 PM	#18
BIGR Member Join Date: January 11, 2003 Location: Walnut Mountains Posts: 338	The Omega is going to be my favorite. Bought it in 2002 and it has taken 5 deer with ease. The Black Diamond I use to have would come in a close second.

January 30, 2004, 02:28 PM	#19
Redhawk1 Member Join Date: April 20, 2003 Location: Delaware Posts: 899	Encore 209/50 and 209/45 Muzzleloaders. Hands down. I have shot a lot of different Muzzleloaders and the Encore works best for me. __________________ If you're going to make a hole make it a big one. ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

January 30, 2004, 04:05 PM	#20
4v50 Gary Moderator Join Date: December 20, 2002 Posts: 11,819	I voted Hawkins. It's not an indictment against the newer guns, their quality, reliability or workmanship. Rather, the Hawkins is easily the most traditional and I'm an old fashion type of guy. __________________ TFL Aluminium. Molon Labe!

January 31, 2004, 08:54 AM	#21
El Hombre Member Join Date: January 31, 2004 Location: Elizabethtown, KY Posts: 84	I must say that I'm very partial to my "Big Boar" 58 caliber Thompson. Those were great guns, It's too bad Thompson doesn't make them any more. My friends laugh at me for shooting "lug nuts" at deer. Those big slugs pack alot of punch! the only bad thing is most shops don't carry 58 cal bullets, so I usually have to buy over the internet or mail order, I prefer to shop local when I can.

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