Old TC Hawken Barrel

[Zack]

Hi folks.  Did Thompsom Center have their own proprierty breech plugs?
I recently un-breeched an old 70 vintage TC Hawken barrel.    The breech plug measures .600" in the unthreaded portion on the nipple side.  The closest to .600 would be 11/16 but I've looked in all the parts catalougs and 11/16x20tpi  is not a standard size.  The treads are 20 tpi.       
From what I know, standard is:
5/8   18
9/16 18
3/4   16
Anyone else ever have one of these barrels apart?      Zack

[Bsharp]

Do you mean .700?

.687 is 11/16

[Zack]

Yes, I meant .700.  Sorry about that. 

[Hawken2012]

Yes, Thompson Center factory barrels are 11/16-20 threads.   

Track of the Wolf sells a replacement to match the factory threads.
https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/667/1/PLUG-TC-15-11

They also sell the same plug with standard 5/8-18 threads if you are making a new barrel assembly.   https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/667/1/PLUG-TC-15-5

[Bob Roller]

IF it IS .600 it may be a proprietary thread unique to a particular manufacturer to create a captive market,
Buy OUR parts at OUR price or do without.Check a METRIC chart and see what pops up.
Bob Roller

[longcruise]

Unfortunately track is out of stock 😕

[Zack]

Thanks all for your replies.
It's an old barrel I had given to me, not fit to be used again.    I stripped all the usable stuff from it, the pipes, sights, etc.   
Think I chuck it up in my lathe and practice cutting internal threads and fit the breech plug again. 
Saw on Amazon I can get a 11/16x20 tap for cheap and  run it  down on the grinder to make a bottom  tap.  Be good practice for me.     

[Steeltrap]

IMHO the best thing you can do with an old T\C barrel is use if for a tomato steak. The very shallow rifling is key to it's non-accuracy. At least, that's what I thought of mine.....which is now a tomato steak.....

[Zack]

That's true.  The old shallow groove 1 in 48 twist weren't much, at least I never  had much luck with mine.    Early on I   bought a 1in 66 twist round ball barrel as soon as they became available  for my TC  Hawken  and it made all the difference.    It's still a good shooting and accurate rifle.   

[yip]

   IF MEMORY SERVES ME RIGHT I WAS TOLD THE OLD T/C BARRELS WERE MADE BY SHARON BARREL COMPANY,IT WAS MARKED WITH A SPADE SHAPE SIAMP  MY SERIAL# IS 4009 SO IT'S AN OLD ONE. DOUGLAS ALSO MADE EM FOR T/C ALONG WITH OTHERS.

[Bob Roller]

If memory serves ME right I think TC breech plugs were the reason John Baird started The Buckskin Report,a magazine dedicated to condemning the sorry practices involved with modern manufacture of muzzle loaders.The barrels were OK but the people who installed the plugs knew less than notjhng about stress fractures and the failures left the threaded part of the plug IN the barrel.
Bob Roller

[yip]

  to my understanding Sharon did the barrels and installed the breach plugs on early T/C hawkins, sorry if i'm wrong

[Bob Roller]

IF THAT is true then Sharon had people who knew less than nothing and were unsupervised.Breech plugs ARE the barricade between the powder charge and the eyes of the shooter. The Hawken shop when owned by Art Resell had his cast Hawken plugs X rayed for unseen flaws and I saw the one by one plugs,each in its own panel and some showed obvious flaws and were sent back for remelt and recasting.
The late Don Brown asked me about this for his Alex Henry rifles that work at much higher pressures than any round ball gun because of the long heavy bullets.A 451 round ball is what?140 grains?A full weight 451 long range bullet is 550 at least.I told him I would not sell any breech plug made in any foundry that was not inspected by X ray. Sleep worry free by doing it right because sharp lawyers and anti gunners await the careless.I hope the current makers and SELLERS of these plugs see this and start asking questions about QUALITY CONTROL concerning the one item in a muzzle loader other than the barrel that can seriously injure the shooter.
Bob Roller

[Bob Roller]

Unfortunately track is out of stock 😕

Almost every thing,every where is marked OUT of stock concerning guns and components.
What IS in stock is frequently priced for those who worry not about prices on anything.
Bob Roller