I'm now caretaker of all Dad's guns and one of them is a percussion Hawken-looking thing. Barrel says Thompson Center Arms Rochester New Hampshire Cal 50.

I know squat about percussion black powder guns at this point.

It's missing the ramrod. I googled them and found several different sizes. How do I know which one to get to replace it?

Thanks for any guidance. J.R.

That Percussion Hawken-looking thing is one of the best muzzleloaders made. Thompson/Center Muzzleloaders are American made and have a well deserved reputation for quality construction and above average accuracy. I would keep it and shoot the heck out of it.

trackofthewolf.com is the best place to look for muzzleloaders and muzzleloader accessories, including just about any ramrod you can think of. One call or email to them will get you exactly what size you need.

TOW or The Log Cabin will have them.

Thanks, y’all!

You can have a choice of wood or brass, wood breaks, brass does not.

The T/C Hawken ramrod is 28-3/4” from end to end. If you can find one, they use to make a fiberglass impregnated wood rod with threaded brass ends.
Aluminum is also a better alternative than plain wood.

T/C 50 Hawken is a fine rifle and probably one of the best muzzle loaders you can get unless you spend big bux on one!
I have the stock wooden ram rod that came with T/C kit and a fiberglass one.
The fiberglass one has a seating tip that screws off and has a threaded jag underneath it to screw into and remove lead balls that are stuck in the barrel.
The wooden one stays in the rifle and the fiberglass is "just in case" as I also have a CVA .45 Kentucky and CVA 50 cal Hawken with wooden ram rods.

The T/C wood/fiberglass rod looks and fits the same as the original. I have them on both my flintlock and percussion T/C Hawken rifles as well as my T/C Renegade flintlock.
I also have an aluminum that fits just as well in my Hawken’s ramrod thimbles.
All are threaded on both ends for various jags.

And add a palm saver or ball to slide over the end of the rod,you'll thank me first range trip you don't use one. LOL

The T/C Hawken is a great rifle. I'm in Frisco as well. Anything that you wan to know about shooting then, let me know.

Edit: But to answer your question, get a range rod in the meantime. I like the wooden rod, but as was mentioned, they are not as sturdy. A fiberglass or aluminum range rod will save wear and tear on your regular rod.

I like the wooden ramrods for looks but usually hunt with an aluminum or fiberglass ones. It was 40 years or more ago I had one wooden one break while hunting, have been hunting with fiberglass or AL since

soak your wooden ramrods in kerosene. theyll get stronger and wont break

RAMROD