We love T/C guns. Our collection includes Hawken, Renegade, Thunderhawk, Firehawk, Omega, G2 and Encores. We consider the T/C to be amongst the best muzzleloaders available today. That said, we also know most guns can be made better than they are with a little tweaking. For the T/C guns, the most obvious tweak is removing the QLA.

The QLA, as it is called by T/C, is really nothing more than a false muzzle. A cutter is pushed into the barrel at the muzzle end to remove the lands. This process is supposed to make loading a bullet easier and this it probably does accomplish. The down side of the QLA is that seldom is it square. In other words, the crown is not 100% square to the muzzle. In fact the worst Encore barrel that we crowned was .026" off square.

Why would it matter if the crown is not square?
It means that the gas from the powder escapes on one side of the base of the sabot before it escapes the other side. This gives the sabot and bullet a kick. This effects accuracy in a big way. If your T/C barrel shoots best with bullets that are short and stubby, your QLA is probably cut off square.

How much barrel do I lose?
To remove the QLA and square the barrel, we remove less than 1" of total length. Of that length, there is generally less than .050" of functioning barrel. The QLA portion of the barrel adds nothing to the velocity developed by the barrel as it does not have any lands or grooves.

Do I lose my front sight?
If you intend to use your front sight, we will drill and tap the barrel and reinstall the front sight. The actual location will move about .75".

Is the barrel marred in any way during the process?
No. We have made a fixture that holds the barrel and protects it from the jaws of the lathe during the machining process.

What is the turn around time?
Maximum two weeks and the barrel is on its way back to you.

What is the price for the work?
To remove the QLA and machine a recessed target crown is $45.
To drill and tap the barrel to reinstall the front sight is $20.

Any competent gunsmith can provide this service for you. I would seriously look at your groups and decide whether this is something that can help your accuracy. Personally, I have never seen a barrel shoot worse by getting a new crown and the vast majority of them shoot a whole pile better. Should you decide to send us your barrel, please call us on the toll free first so we can give you specific shipping instructions.