hawken 54 loads/bullets??

[jeep77cj5]

just started shootin my cabella's hawken, I have been using 70-80 (777)grain loads with a lubed patch and hornady lead round ball, with just a few quick shots I had around a 3-4 inch group at 50-60 yds. I am planning on using for mule deer next season and not sure what I should use, I kind of like the round ball, I think these were .530 round balls... what would be the max charge I would want to use in this gun?? I have no documentation on it so I am kind of guessing around 110-20 grains of 777??? seems to like the 70 grain load though, bumped it to 80 and 90 and wasn't even getting it on paper??? any help/advice would be great,,,,been doin lots of reading but only getting confused with all the diff powders and bullet options out there,,, I just want a dependable set up to bring down a deer,,,

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I use a .530 ball in a .010 patch over 110 grains ffg in my Hawken. This is an accurate load and recoil is mild. I have used .015 patches with good results.

 

[IronMan]

I have the same rifle and have just started working on loads for it. Today I used 55grns of PyrodexRS .530 rb with spit patch pillow ticking...dont know how thick the ticking is. Fired 2" groups at 50yrds. I am planning to use mine this season also so I will be increasing the charge but from what I have seen here 70 or 80 grns should be plenty.

IronMan

 

[cayugad]

According to my Investarms Manual the max load for a .530 roundball is 100 grains of FFg and 80 grains of FFFg. Since you're shooting Triple Se7en which has similar pressure closer to FFFg being 15% stronger then regular FFg according to their manual you would be at about a max load.

According to the Lyman Manual also made by Investarms, the max load for the .54 is 120 grains of FFg and 100 grains of FFFg.

Personally in my .54 Caliber Lyman Trade Rifle which is like the Hawkins without the brass, I shoot 90 grains of FFg and a patched roundball.

 

[jeep77cj5]

well sounds like I am on the right road, I will play with it some more when the wind is better and see what kind of results I get,,, sounds like 70 is about where I will stay around but will play with the charge more when the wind is better,, I did notice that the pre-lubed patches were .015 patches, is that a good combo with the .530 RB??

thanks all

 

[IronMan]

jeep and Rus

This may be a little off topic but. In my rifle I can drop a .530 ball down the barrel and it falls free. No obstruction at all and when I load with pre-lubed ox-yoke patchs I have to double patch. The ticking seems to be thicker so I use only one patch. My question is should the ball be that loose in the barrel?

IronMan

 

[strongarm]

There can be a lot of reason for free-fall of rb in your gun. Bottom line is it is too loose, so you need a bigger ball or a thicker patch. Balls and patch should start out hard to push and then comes earsier the farther down one goes. The opposite can also be true, that's called a coned barrel. In any event check the patch thickness look for something heavier.

 

[jeep77cj5]

iron,

the .530 balls with the .15 patch fit tightly at first as described then after a few inches get easier to push but they are still snug

 

[Rat]

Also play around with some real Black Powder. I'll tell you a little story.

My 1861 was shooting 8" groups at 75 yards with 777, the first powder I tried in it. When I say 8" I am being kind. Maybe more like 10.

Switching to Goex Black Powder, my groups shrank to 2.25" at OVER 100 yards. Same projectile, lube and everything.

Some guys get good accuracy with 777, but I've had two guns now where groups shrank dramatically with real BP.

Mulies are a bit tougher than white-tails, I would think that 90-100 grains of fffg, under a ball and a wonder wad would work good on them.

Just a thought.

Where in Washington will you be hunting them? We used to go gunning for them around Rock Lake, south of Cheney. Grain fed mule-deer is mmmmmm-mmmmmm GOOD!

Rat

 

[Zonie]

IronMan: The bore of your gun is .540. The rifleing grooves in the bore are .560 diameter. A unpatched .530 ball has .010 clearance to the bore so it will fall down to the breech in a clean barrel.

If you patch the .530 ball with a .018 thick patch, the ball and patch will be .566 wide. (.530+.018+.018).

When you start the ball/patch into the bore, the lead and the patch both crush down to exactly fit the bore and grooves, sealing it off tightly. :front:

 

[jdixon]

Jeep:
My primary freezer filler here in the east is a Cabela's Hawken. Have been hunting with it for about 4 years now. My main hunting load in the foothills area is 100 gr. Pryodex RS under a Harvester sabot in .54 calibre w/ a .452 Horandy JHP @ 240 gr. I have DRT'd (dead right there) whitetails at close to 100 yrds. with this load. I recently added to my hunting Hawken Lyman 57 ML rear and Lyman #17 hooded front sights. These sights have increased accuracy by 50% over standard iron sights. Effective range on this thing now would be in the 120 yard range in my estimation. My PRB load is what the others here have already stated - a .530 ball w/ .015 patch, a little Bore Butter for lube - good to go out to 90 or even 100 yard with that set-up. Good luck with the Mules!!!

 

[Herb]

Jeep- Is that 2F or 3F Triple 7? Chris Hodgdon sent me 3 pounds each about three years ago and I tested it in a couple of .50 and .54 percussions. First, their loads from Hodgdon's Basic Muzzleloading Manual (free) which they sent me 3 weeks ago: with a .530 Hornady roundball and .020 OxYoke patch, 80 grains of 777 2F gave 1667 fps, 90 gave 1775, 100 gave 1846 and 120 gave 1943 fps. I think these are 28" barrel velocities, yours is 29, very little difference. What I learned right off is, I had to use a Hot Shot nipple for reliable ignition. And I had to use heavy patches. Note they are using an .020 patch. Your heavier loads are burning or shredding the patches. Pick them up and you'll see. Here are my results from a 42" Christian Hawken Lancaster I built: .530 Hornady and an .018 patch, Triple 7 2F: 80 grains gave 1832 fps. 90 gave 1947 fps. 100 gave 2048 fps. 110 gave 2161 fps. 120 grains gave 2238 fps for 5 shots and 2210 for the next 6. Note that I got 295 fps more velocity at max than they did, with 14" more barrel. I wrote Chris Hodgdon about this, to see if this was excessive pressure. He said "you don't get something for nothing", which was no kind of answer. Grouped great, too! Even the lightest of these, the 80 grains, will certainly kill mule deer with hear-lung shots.

 

[jeep77cj5]

it is ffg powder that I have been using, I will be hunting north of pasco so they should be good eats!!! I shot yesterday with 70 grains of ffg and the same 530 ball and 15 patch and off the top of the car was around an eight in group but a couple of shots that just felt right were within 2 inches of center so I think it is more me flinching/moving due to my high tech bench rest on the top of my geo!! I could not find any patches to examine them,,, the ground where we shoot is just covered with casings and junk so they would be hard to see,,, how far out from the muzzle would you look??? maybe that would narrow the search area,, I did also fill a coffee can with sand and shot it at 40 yards, the rb went through to the back of the can and deformed it but did not break the metal, not sure if that is good or bad, seems kind of weak to me??

 

[roundball]

it is ffg powder that I have been using, I will be hunting north of pasco so they should be good eats!!! I shot yesterday with 70 grains of ffg and the same 530 ball and 15 patch and off the top of the car was around an eight in group but a couple of shots that just felt right were within 2 inches of center so I think it is more me flinching/moving due to my high tech bench rest on the top of my geo!! I could not find any patches to examine them,,, the ground where we shoot is just covered with casings and junk so they would be hard to see,,, how far out from the muzzle would you look??? maybe that would narrow the search area,, I did also fill a coffee can with sand and shot it at 40 yards, the rb went through to the back of the can and deformed it but did not break the metal, not sure if that is good or bad, seems kind of weak to me??

FYI...published load data typically shows the max 2F charge for a .54cal patched round ball to be in the 110-120grns 2F.
(I think the entry level is around 60grns)

 

[Rat]

Ahhh North of Pasco...possibly realitives of the Rock Lake Mulies!

Sand will stop just about anything...that's why sand bags are used by people getting shot at! I'd say getting that far through sand is actually pretty impressive.

Having said that, 70 grains of ffg is on the light side.

Sometimes patches go quite a ways. Start looking about 20-30 feet in front of your muzzle. Sometimes they will go 20-30 yards. Have you tried a Wonder Wad?

Rat

 

[jeep77cj5]

thanks, I will try some heavier loads and see how they shoot,, I have not used wonder wads, seems like the patches I am using said wonder something on the package but they are just pre-lubed patches with what looks like bore butter to me..

 

[IronMan]

I normally find my patches about 20 feet from the shooting line. Course thats only useing 55grs of Pyrodex RS. Yours might be farther out with heavier loads.

IronMan

 

[jeep77cj5]

I may shoot at a different spot where it will be easier to find them without all the casings laying around!!