Help with Disassembling a Thompson Center Hawken .45

[RedJak]

I recently acquired one of these things completely free, and I later learned why: There's still a projectile stuck in the barrel. Since I don't want to go looking/poking down the barrel of something that may-or-may-not be dangerous, I'd rather just take the barrel off and take the patch/powder/whatever-else out-from-under the bullet so as to lessen any possibility of Injury. (I'm completely new to Muzzle-loading, can you tell?)

Thus comes my Problem: I don't know how to go about taking out the barrel.
I've searched all over the place online, and I can't find any manuals or Disassembly guides, (and I sure don't want to hurt the thing) so, I was hoping you guys could help.

Thanks in advance.

-RedJak

 

[Gun Smith]

Remove the ramrod, next pull the wedge pin. This will let the barrel lift out of the stock. As for removing the ball I remove the nipple and use compressed air with a blow gun. The ball and powder come right out much easier than a screw type ball puller.

 

[TheWall]

Thompson Center Manual for sidelocks

Also, check out this manual:

http://www.tcarms.com/assets/manuals/current/Shooting_TC_Side_Lock_Black_Powder_Guns.pdf


See page 56.

Good luck!

 

[armedandsafe]

I would not try to take out the breech plug on that rifle. Many are assembled with the drum screwed into the plug. The ball discharger ("CO2 Load Discharger" #21-4461 from Cabellas and others) will push out that stuck charge safely and quickly. When you order, make sure you include a fitting for your rifle. The one for #11 caps, in your case.

Otherwise, you have to put a screw fitting in your range rod, attach a T-handle to the other end and screw the screw into the ball. Then you can lie on your back, place your feet on the T and hold the rifle while pushing hard to get the ball out. Dribbling hot water or penetrating oil into the nipple hole or the cleanout hole helps.

Pops

 

[arcticap]

Beside the methods already mentioned, another way to remove a projectile is too make sure that the projectile is seated in the bottom of the barrel, and then take the nipple off and dribble a couple grains of powder under it and replace it.
You can then cap it and try to shoot it out BUT, you don't know how much powder was already loaded into the barrel if any.
It was either dry balled (loaded without powder), or the ball was rammed along with a powder charge (normally either a light or heavy one, but again you don't know).
If it was dry balled, shooting off a cap should easily expell the ball, once you place some powder under the nipple.
If it was a light or heavy powder charge, the may be a very big boom.
If it was loaded with a double charge, it could be very dangerous.
You could tie a string to the trigger, and set the gun off from a safe distance while hiding behind a tree or such, and you should quickly be able to determine if the ball was expelled.
A few grains of powder would hardly produce any noise, yet the ball would be expelled.
Then place the ramrod in the barrel, and then measure how deep it goes into the barrel to see if ball is still in there. Or snap a cap on the barrel again, and see if the air that comes out of the muzzle will move blades of grass. If the barrel is empty, it should. Or, if you can see light coming through the barrel from the nipple hole when you shine a light into it, then the channel is clear.
You must assume that that there is at least a maximum charge loaded in the barrel though, although it could have more. Make sure the gun is secure if you decide to shoot it off using a long string.
Wear safety glasses and be careful!