Buying a BP this Sunday and have some ?'s

[strand]

I am purchasing a .54 Cabelas hawken at a very good price and I have been browsing the manual a little bit and it has some recommended loads to use, my question is should I just try these loads or should I buy a combination of materials and try them. It only recommends pyrodex or black powder, so is triple 7 and the like out of the question? I also plan to shoot conicals because I am told that velocity is substantially higher than a round ball, is this correct?

Thank you

 

[Rebel]

You should pick up a box of .530 and a box of .535 rd balls for it, and some pillow ticking for patching. You can use 777 in it, but why? Real BP or Pyrodex works fine. You will get your higher velocities with the rd balls since they weigh less than the bullets. Also, with a .54 cal rifle a rd. ball is all you need for hunting, and they are a lot cheaper, so you can afford to practice more.

 

[Stumpkiller]

The round ball, being lighter, actually has higher initial velocity than a conical for any given weight of powder. Depending on the rifling of the barrel, you may not be able to drive the ball as fast with any accuracy ultimately. The conicals are more efficient and carry their retained energy farther, so if you want to stretch past 100 yards or so the conical is a better choice.

Or, you could learn to hunt and get within roundball range. :winking: If you want range you might be better off with a .338 Win or .340 Wby. Primative weapons are supposed to be a challenge.

 

[strand]

Thanks guys I think I'll stick with a round ball. Stump, I didn't mean to come off as not wanting a challenge that is why i'm getting into BP hunting but I also want to make a quick and efficient kill and given I am extremely new to the sport that is why I asked, to gain the knowledge of you guys. I haven't shot a deer with my rifle past a hundred yards for a few years now, so I am pretty sure I do not need to learn to hunt, but I do respect your reason for posting such.

Now I have a whole new question to ask, what is the most efficient method of cleaning while at the range and in the field. I am told to run a spit patch and a dry patch between shots, I have also been told to "foul" the barrel before I begin shooting. What do you guys do?

 

[Rebel]

Personally i don't do the fouling shot, and i don't swab the bore between shots while hunting. Even when target shooting i can usually go 10-15 shots before i need to clean the bore. Then i either use a spit patch or rubbing alcohol and then a dry patch.

 

[cayugad]

When I clean the fowling out of my sidelocks I use pure alcohol. Nothing else. I run an alcohol patch before loading the first time to get any oils out of the barrel, then a dry one.

For fowling, the damp alcohol patch will still bring up the fowling and it will dry by itself in the barrel. I then run a dry one or even two down the barrel to make sure, and they are used as the next fowling patch. I swab depending on how the barrel feels. If the roundball are loading fine without problems and the accuracy is still good, then I do not swab.

Fowling shots are not always necessary. You will have to experiment with the rifle to see if they really make a difference. When shooting some sabot loads the fowling shot seems to be a bigger concern, but I seldom if ever fowl with the sidelocks.

Your rifle has a 1:48 twist and will shoot the roundball just fine. A friend has the same rifle and he shoots 90 grains of Goex FFg and a .530 hornady ball and .018 patch. His accuracy is exceptional.

If you want to try some concials, Black Jack Hill's sells them very reasonable. You can get some from him and you do not have to worry about spending a lot of money to try them. If they work for you, like they did me, then I bought the molds and cast my own.....

 

[Stumpkiller]

Now I have a whole new question to ask, what is the most efficient method of cleaning while at the range and in the field. I am told to run a spit patch and a dry patch between shots, I have also been told to "foul" the barrel before I begin shooting. What do you guys do?

I have two systems (for two different rifles). With one, I wipe the bore with a saliva damp piece of ticking between every shot. That rifle I am using patching dipped and dried, twice, in castor oil moose milk. The other rifle I use a castor oil & beeswax lube (Moose Snot) and wipe with a saliva damp patch every five shots. Who knows what the next rifle will prefer? The only way to find out is to spend time at the target range.

In both cases I pre-lube with a lubed cleaning patch from a alcohol wiped barrel BEFORE loading the first charge, and with a percussion pop off a cap to make sure no oil or lube is hiding in the ignition channel. I find this gets the first shot "in group" with a cold barrel, and gets my hunting shots on target. And, I know the bore is coated when out in the elements.

 

[strand]

Thanks guys for the info, I can't wait.