Bedding a Hawken

[sabotloader]

Just completed a project that has really helped my TC Hawken.  I have never really been happy with the alignment of the hammer and the nipple, so I decided I would do some inletting to get a better fit.  I wanted to get the hammer flush on the nipple to keep all the flash or most of the flash in the nipple and flash channel.  

The project ended up being a little more than I planned.  I ended up bedding the tang and the the barrel.  When you put the barrel in now there is no movement at all.  The barrel doesn't touch any wood, so a heated barrel does not effect accuracy.  Should make the barrel channel that much more weather proof also

I know it probabably was not necessary but now that it is done - it was fun...

I am hoping to shoot it this weekend - I will need to make the switch from an inline to a sidehammer soon.  I have been using an inline during regular rifle season here in Idaho and we are about to move into ML season.

[lonewolf5347]

SABOTLOADER :I HAD A LOT OF TIME ON MY HANDS IN THE EARLY PA M/L SEASON SITTING IN THE WOODS LOOKING AT THE TREES,I GOOD NOT GET A DOE TO CROSS MY SHOOTING LANE.
I HAVE MY FLINTER HAWKENS IN 50 CAL. ,LOADED WITH 85 GRAINS OF GOEX 3F AND A WAD AND A REAL 320 CONICAL.@ A HUNTER PEEP
I DID NOTICE AFTER SOME TIME CARRYING THE GUN THAT I WAS LOSEING SOME 4 F IN THE PRIMER PAN OF THE LOCK,WHEN I DID POST I DID REPRIME AND HAD NO PROBLEMS,SO NOW I AM LOOKING AT THE LOCK SEEM THE LOCK HAD TO BE INLETTED A LITTLE MORE SO IT WOULD MAKE A TIGHTER FIT ,IN RETURN THE 4F POWDER WAS BEING LOST BETWEEN THE CHARGE PAN AND THE BARREL,WHEN THE FRIZZEN WAS CLOSED ,PROBLEM WAS CORRECTED WHEN I GOT HOME TOOK ABOUT THREE HOURS,NOW I CAN PRIME THE PAN, FLIP,TURN OVER THE GUN AND NOT LOOSE ANY PRIMER POWDER.
I JUST PICK UP A RENEGADE THAT I BOUGHT FOR $130.00 GUN WAS A KIT MADE IN ABOUT 1975 ONE OF THE EARLY FLINTER IN 54 CAL.
I AM GOING TO GLASS-BED THE TANG AND PROBERLY ABOUT TWO INCHES INTO THE BARREL CHANNEL FROM THE REAR TANG.
MY NEXT QUESTION DID YOU GLASS THE WHOLE BARREL CHANNEL>
AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU SEE ANY DIFFERENCE IN THE GROUPS ,SOUND INTERESTING.
MY T/C THUNDRHAWK 54 CAL. IS GLASS-BEDED ONLY  UNDER THE FRONT BLOCK (FRONT OF THE ACTION) AND ABOUT 1 INCH INTO THE BARREL CHANNEL,THE REST OF THE BARREL IS FREE FLOATED

[sabotloader]

lonewolf5347

I actually bedded the barrel under the greech plug all the way to the under lug and from the under lug to about 1.5 of the end of the stock.  My feeling there was now when I put the pin into the under lug it will pull exactly the same on the barrel each time because the forearm will not be swelling or shrinking.  Plus the forearm portion of the stock is now stronger and less likely to move or flex when I put pressure on it leaning it on a shooting stick, over a branch, or some such thing to get that steady shot off.

The whole thing just feels a whole lot tighter and stronger....

[lonewolf5347]

LET ME KNOW IF THERE IS ANY DIFFERENCE IN GROUPS AT THE RANGE

[roundball]

The bedding sounds like an interesting project but to be honest, after shooting several TC Hawkens for about 15 years, I've never seen anything that suggests a TC stock warps enough to affect a barrel, particularly those big heavy octagon barrels TC makes.

Very possibly, if a rifle is sighted in one particular way, then if it's forearm is rested on a branch or shooting sticks, it may well / probably will give a different POI, but not because only it's own barrel weight resting on the branch would bend the barrel...it would be because it recoils differently off the branch compared to the way it was sighted in.

Just my two cents, maybe I'm all wet

PS: I DO think that the bedding might make the stock stronger...occasionally an older TC stock would develop a split, so it might help in that regard depending on the age of your rifle, etc.

[sabotloader]

roundball

Can not argue your points - it really started out to be a simple project - get better alignment - than it just sort of mushroomed - but it does feel a whole lot tighter...

Another thing I have always been concerned about was the wedge pin slipping in pretty easy sometimes and real tight other times - I am hoping that problem is gone...

Hope to shoot it this weekend or over Turkey Break - I have really have had good groups with this gun, it has a GM fast twist barrel... It was 32" inches but I cut it down to 28" and re-crowned it.  I am really anxious to try the thing...

[lonewolf5347]

sabotloader;what was the cost on the barrel to cut and crown?

[S.B.]

Does your rifle have a synthetic stock? If not, bedding won't stop stock warp but, it may give a better harmonic vibration affect to the barrel for accuracy.