yeoman

I'm looking at a used Cabela's Hawken with the snail shaped ignition chamber/bolster. I'm accustomed to the barrel bolster on my CVA, where I can drop a bore light doen the barrel and look through the bolster. According to the shop owner, the guy from whom he got the gun told him he had never fired it. I dropped a bore light down the barrel and it did look fairly clean, no pitting/rust, though not bright and shiny. I will pull the nipple prior to purchase,make surethe threads are good,and force air through, but is there any thing else you'd do to explore that fire channel?

frontier gander

I'd just pull the nipple and look down in there and see if the threads and everything is ok. The cabelas hawken is really good quality. My dad has a cabelas sporterized hawken and it loves roundballs and powerbelts. Good luck with it if you buy it.

sabotloader

yeoman

Just thinking about correcting a term you are using, and I might be wrong, the term "snail channel" was the trem that TC used to describe the flash channel under the nipple to the rear of the barrel so that you might shot pellets in a Hawken. The normal flash channel comes in at a 90 degree angle to the powder and was not reliable to set off pellets. The channel is internal in the breech plug.

Looking at the breech plug cavity, if you have a bright pen light you can shine that down the barrel and get a look at the cavity, or if you have a fiber optic light you can remove the nipple and stick it in there and shine light into the cavity. Most modern breech plugs now days have a clean-out screws that give you a better view of the plug. Another thing you might do is feed a pipe cleaner into the nipple whole and into the barrel.

Personally if the bore looks good the BP will probably be OK also. And like FG said check the nipple threads.

From your first description of the gun - I would say get it!

yeoman

[link]http://www.possibleshop.com/lymangunkit.htm[/link]

Sabotloader - this was a description from the above website desrcibing a Lyman Great Plains rifle kit. I figured it referred to the shape of the bolster, differentiating it from the barrel (round) type of bolster.

sabotloader

yeoman

I wish I could come up with the two terms - they are in my mind I just can not reach them. The term for the CVA type bolster is the one I am fumbling for.... dang it.

When Pyro pellets came out several manufactures changed the flash channel so that Pyro pellets could be ignited... I am still locked in on that these altered channels were called "snail" - I could be wrong believe me and it is entirely possible that the new Investarms come with a "snail channel" - my older Lyman does not. One of my TC Hawkens does and one does not.

Gosh! I hate getting old and losing things in my mind...

Darn...

yeoman

sabotloader- did you go to the link? I can't figure out what else they'd be talking about.

Losing "things" is bad, losing the mind, really bad........

sabotloader

yeoman

Thanks found it... I am thinking again this refers to the flash channel so that Pyro Pellets can be shot... I think I know TC is the first company to come out with this....

I went to the Traditions sight to see if they would identify the term I was looking for but no luck... Iam still looking for it though...

Tell me! I know! - when I remember....

frontier gander

Dont feel bad, i was restringing my fishingrod today and forgot to put the cap on it twice before i tied the string to the reel! Sad part is im only 22 and old timers disease is already kicking in lol.

yeoman

Sabotloader - "bar lock" versus "patent" breech? Courtesy TOTW parts.

sabotloader

yeoman

Ah Ha! thanks.....