TC Thunderhawk and 209 primers...

[akbearhunter]

Hello all...

My friend Rene' has a TC Thunderhawk...and the Louisiana deer season is almost here. If he were to replace his rifle's nipple to accept a 209 primer...could he shoot pyrodex or 777 pellets? If he could shoot them...what should be his maximum load? And where could he purchase such a nipple to replace his. I have heard that many of the Thunderhawks are poor performers...could this change with the 209 primers?

Thanks!

[snicker]

If it's a .50 cal the max load is 110 gr of powder and 120 gr in a .54 cal Thunderhawk.  In order to use 209 primers you would need the 209 adapter kit which replaces the bolt and bolt spring and comes with a new nipple.  If you look at the current bolt it has a smooth face and will not set off a 209 primer.  The new bolt has a small nipple on it like a firing pin.  Might be able to get an adapter kit at Midway or Midsouth if not then Fox Ridge has them.  If you decide to go that route I would not use more than 2 pellets as that would be a max load.  Loose powder is better and you can tailor your load and it's cheaper in the long run.  Don't know where you heard that the Thunderhawks were poor performers, all the ones I have shot and seen shot were very accurate and reliable.  I still have a Thunderhawk Shadow that I use as a backup and is very accurate with 90 gr of powder and a 320 gr maxiball or a 240 gr T/C sabot.  The Thunderhawks were very good rifles just a tad harder to clean is all.

[nrb]

I've used a stainless T/C Thunderhawk 50cal since they came out many years ago. It worked well and gave fine groups with pyrodex and caps. I converted to 209s with a factory kit as described by snicker. I now use 90gr of 777 and either a 45 or 40 cal sabot. These are very accurate and dependable. My Thunderhawk is scoped with an old 3x and crushes any deer within 100yds.
As snicker states, the conversion requires a new bolt as well as breech conversion. I like the 209 conversion, but in retrospect, I think the old caps and 777 work nearly as well.
My Thunderhawk is a very accurate and dependable rifle, and I never heard of any "poor performers"

best,    nrb