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You can find a suitable close range deer load using the 5.5" barrel, but it is not ideal. I have shot the 8" and 5.5" side by side using the same loads, and the 8" is significantly more powerful. I also am better able to place an accurate shot with the full-size gun as compared to the "stubby"...

I watched that video, and i disagree with one thing he said. Ethan said if you were in Walmart and saw some caps, to just buy a few tins, and leave the rest for some other fellas. Well, that is a nice gesture, and it is exactly what I did last fall. I got plenty of caps, so I just got 3 tins...

Actually, getting near 500 ft.lbs. of energy is quite doable in either a Remington 1858 or Colt 1860. Using a Kerr Bullet (225 grains) and 30 grains of 3f 777, I get right at 1000 fps. That is 499 ft.lbs of energy. Swiss 3f and Pyro P are not lagging far behind, they get around 950 fps...

It has been my long observation that Pietta's Remington .44's size the ball too small upon loading. From the factory, in my guns, the Pietta chambers shave the ball/bullet to about .445, while my bore is .452, resulting in a ball bouncing down the barrel and barely engaging the rifling. When...

Let's keep this simple. That short barreled rifle will not burn "magnum" charges of powder efficiently. Additionally you don't need those kind of loads to take deer, bear or even elk. Get some .530 round balls, a pre-lubed .015 patch (or .018 ticking, doesn't matter) and charge with 60 grains...

I like 60 grains in about every gun I own, from .45 thru .58. That powder charge just seems to work well, and kill effectively in a variety of calibers Nowadays, I am just a one buck a year deer hunter. I don't shoot girls, and I am too soft to kill cute little critters anymore. 60 grains...

I put a Lyman 57 SML on my Cabela's "Hunter Hawken", and it was a perfect fit. I think (pretty sure, but could be wrong) that the Lyman rifles, Great Plains and Trade Rifle, use the same tang as my Investarms Cabela's rifle. I love mine, it puts 3 prb's thru the same hole at 50 yards using...

Alternative Season includes any method, except fixed stock rifles with a barrel longer than 16". Handguns, short barreled rifles with detachable stocks, crossbows, etc. It used to be we had to buy a muzzleloader or rifle tag. We could use a muzzleloader during rifle season, but then we had...

We are in the midst of "Alternative Season" here in Missouri, an abomination that used to be strictly for muzzleloaders, but now anything goes, including short barreled AR platforms with detachable stocks. That's a rant for another day, however. For the first time in a week, it didn't rain...

Keep it simple. When I got my .54 Hawken, it came with a jug of Pyrodex, 100 .530 round balls, 100 caps, 100 unlubed patches, and an empty .45-70 shell for a powder measure. Fella at the gun store gave me a 3 minute tutorial. Didn't know Pyrodex wasn't "Holy Black", just used it as it worked...

Check and make sure it is unloaded by running the ram rod down the barrel. It should reach the breach, if not, there is something in there. I have handled a lot of used muzzleloaders that were loaded, many for years without anybody suspecting. What you got is an Investarms Hawken, with a...

I do have good distance vision, 100% attributable to my contact lenses. But even so, I for sure don't see the "cross hairs" on my drawn target at 100 yards. What I do see is a black spot on a bright white background. I use the "cross hair" pattern so I can see where my shots hit, using...

I just decided on 70 grains as a mid-range load. I actually use only 60 grains hunting, and it does just fine. 60 to 70 grains is an accurate load in every .54 I have ever shot. I have tested many heavier loads in different guns, and those results are on this forum. I get good accuracy in my...

Why? Part of the test was to see if age/open cans have an effect on performance. Hint, if stored properly, is does not, as I have observed over three plus decades of shooting tens of thousands of rounds over chronos in a multitude of guns, long and short. If you would like to run tests of your...

I originally started this thread in the General Muzzloading section. I thought I would also place it here, as there may be other folks interested in this data who did not see it there. Copy and pasted from that previous post, with a totally gratuitous pic added of my Labradane, Jake. Pastor...

My belief, not based upon thorough and exhaustive scientific analysis, but upon many observations, is that regular #11 caps do not fully ignite 777 in a sidelock. In my muskets, using musket caps of course, 777 is reliable and gives a definite boost in performance. Same for revolvers, as...

It appears to be a standard US 1861 contract musket that has been modified for use as a hunting shotgun. Pretty common alteration after the conclusion of Civil War hostilities, as there were literally thousands of obsolete muskets laying around. Could be all original parts, or just as likely a...

As the title states, I took 2 different rifles and 5 separate powders to the range today to test performance of both accuracy and velocity. The powders tested were as follows: Pyro RS, Goex 3f, Pyro P, Swiss 3f, and 3f Hodgdon 777. The rifles were my old Investarms Hawken I've had since the...

My Pedersoli RMH in .54 is not "fresh" as i have had it for 10+ years now, but I will share my observations. I have hunted extensively with it, and the finish has held up fine. A few dings and blemishes, but that is to be expected as I drag it thru the woods. It is a great shooter using...