Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders Value help, please. T/C Hawken 45 cal with lots of accesories

Hi, I have been asked by a freind to help him value then sell a firearm that I don't know enough about to give him good insight. I sell a few cartridge rifles and handguns but have not ever delved into used charcoal burners.

The rifle is a Thompson Center Hawken model, 45 Cal, and is equipped with Lyman receiver peep and Globe front sights. Rifle, sights, brass, wood etc are allin excellent bright almost new condition. Also equipped with sling swivels and a good leather sling. Comes with some patches and over 1,000 round balls and 1.75lbs of Pyrodex RS powder. Ramrod has been replaced with a fiberglass ramrod.

Any help with a fair, but quick sale price for him to ask will be much appreciated. Also, if someone here wants it I will pass the info along to my freind.

THANKS in advance!

MARK

That's a tough one...

It falls under the category of "it's worth what someone will give you"..

With the majority of folks wanting inlines, traditional guns can sometimes be had to move.

However, somebody must be buying them because new TC Hawkens are well north of $500 bucks.

Since it sounds like its a nice rifle with added sights and all the accoutrements, it's probably worth $500 bucks or so..

But, since it's used..he'll probably have a hard time getting that for it, or it might take him a long time to sell it....

Just my $.02 worth, doesn't mean a hill of beans..maybe he'll get lucky and find a buyer pronto...

First , let me say that I have NEVER had an issue with moving a traditional gun and I have been doing just that for a very long time . The thing with traditional muzzleloaders is that Most will bring better then original purchase price IF they are in good condition . I don�t care if its an old CVA or Jukar.
But you have to know where your market is
There is frankly a fairly reasonable traditional market . But that market is every day growing farther and farther away from the production line guns

With a TC if you hold out for the Google prices , you might get that very high dollar if you hold out tell the 2nd coming . But it�s a Hawkens . Its still being made and it�s a 45 .
So IMO 275 low ball , 375-400 high ball .
but then frankly i dont think they are worth the new asking price . but thats just me .

New RR , frankly doesn�t mater . Fairly cheep unless you by them through cabalas or other like retailers
Sling ??? I would have to say that honestly your largest market of buyers , will most likely remove it anyway . But its there so add in a few bucks . You never know , you might run into someone who just wants a hunting rifle with a sling .
The Lyman sights. Those are going to be a plus for some but a distracter for others . Frankly I would yank them and sell them separately
But if not then I would put the rifle in the 375-400 range .
With 1000 balls , unless your talking self cast balls , then I would add another 50 . But that depends on location . If they are self cast then figure � that .
But frankly the powder and ball just sweetens the pot . So you might be in the 450 range for everything .
But frankly , when all is said and done , your probably going to see 350-400 for the whole shebang

As to selling it . I would recommend getting on one of the traditional muzzle loading web rings .
Now im not talking about one that�s heavy on re-enacting and history . You most likely wont have much more luck there then you will on one that has any large amount of modern shooters .
Now im not saying you wont sell it there . Both groups have some folks who dabble in the traditional production gun side .. But the majority are either looking for full custom and more historically correct pieces or the latest modern zip gun .
So look for traditional muzzle loading sites , shooting groups or at least places that separate modern from traditional on their forums that cater more to the buckskinner then places that have alot of history buffs or trekkers .
you might even look at some of the Traditional Artchery web sites . some times they have traditional Muzzleloading section
anyway , as was said by the last poster . thats my oppenion , for what ever its worth .

The value also depends upon whether it's really a Hawken or not.

If it's marked "Hawken" on the barrel - no arguement.

If the barrel's unmarked, a .45 with brass & patchbox, etc, it could also be an early unmarked Seneca - easily worth $100 more than a Hawken to an astute buyer.

FWIW, all T/C Hawkens have 1" or 15/16" barrels, measured across-the-flats (.45 should have a 15/16")

All Senecas have a slimmer barrel, 13/16" (I have one of these).

Of course, if stamped, the barrel stamping rules - it could also say "Seneca" (in case you didn't look )


.

THANK YOU to all who chimed in! It is not a Seneca as far as we can tell. My freind is going to take it to the big 750 table gun show in Spokane the first weekend of November and see what it will bring but thanks to your input a starting price of $375.00 including all of the accesories will be posted and tried. I really had no idea where to start for him. If it does not sell there I might have to post it for him here.

or run it down to the Monroe show thats the first part of march .

I did not know about that one. I have had a table at the Moscow show a couple of times and like that one, can you send me a link for the Monroe gun show? I just love small town local folks type gun shows like Moscow and the one in Clark Fork ID a couple months ago.

http://www.cascademountainmen.com/gunshow.html

Thank you! That looks like a fun place to go to anyway. I might try to sell my much customized Lyman Great Plains hunter there as well. Will you be there?

MARK

my wife and i as well as a groupe of 14 -20 folks make the trip from south western idaho , each year.. only way i wont is if work wont let me have the time off .
While the show has gotten smaller as the economy has taken a crap . Its still a good show with around 175-200 vendors

since your in walla walla , i would also contact the LaGrand group.. that would get you in touch with the traditional groups from not only LaGrand but also Seneca , John day , Troy , Baker , Ontario , Berns ...... basically a very large number of groups through the NW ranging from Buck skinner Rendezvous groups ,, long range shooting groups for both Muzzleloader and long range BP powder cartridge . Not to mention more Historical groups like the NW colonial Association and many of the AMM members .

I think your will find that traditional muzzle loading is not even close to being as dead as some folks want you to believe .
Anyway i would bet that the rifle would sell very quick once the word got out .

Thanks again, and while I do not belong to a group or club I too am a traditional muzzleloader. My rifle is a Lyman Great Plains model with Lyman sights and my possibles bag is made from hair on Bull Elk hide. I have no use for and am against the Stainless Steel, in line round barreleld plastic stocked crap that people are using in what SHOULD be traditional rifle seasons. Don't much care for parralel limb, long riser compound "bows" either, but that is another topic and fight

Your best market for maximizing your sale price will be to sell it to someone walking the floor. The dealers are there to make a living, or at least turn a profit, so they've got to buy at prices that allow them to make a buck. John Q. Public walking the floors might not be as concerned about his margin, but just remember, lots of dealers walk the floor from in front of the tables too.

I know, I am both as well

Have two tables at the upcoming Spokane show.

Sometimes I take a gun off of my table, remove my dealers name tag and the guns pricing label and 'walk it around some' to see if I can garner more interest in that particualr firearm and to see if my pricing is about right or not.