Hawken Sporterized

[BUERICH]

im new to the forum. was thinking about buying a ahwken sporterized rifle in 50cal outa cabelas. i like the traditional look of it, but i'm not a big fan of hte modles with all the polish brass. seems like it'd be ahrder to take care or. is this a good choice for texas deer & hogs? can i shoot pyrodex pellets out of it? anyone got advice on laods for game, types of powders etc? thanks for any help.

Erich

 

[jaybeach]

Hi There Erich,
Welcome to the forum!
I took a look at the Cabela's web page, and it looks to me like the rifle (or carbine) that you are talking about would work well for Texas deer and/or hogs.
A few things I noticed that you might want to consider:
1. The twist rate of the barrels is 1 in 48", meaning they would probably shoot best with the patched round balls (as is offerd in the "kit" version). This is in keeping with the "Traditional" muzzleloading scheme of using round lead balls rather than the newer plastic sabots with different kinds of bullets. Thsy usually shoot best from barrels with faster twists, like 1 to 28", or so.
2. These appear to be available in either percussion or flintlock versions. If you want to go with the flintlock version, it is a bit MORE traditional, and there are lots of guys on this forum who like to use nothing but flintolcks, or even older types of weapons. You could get a lot of into from them, too.
3. The brass stuff really isn't hard to take care of. I have a hwaken that I bought in the 1970's, and it is easier to keep the brass (if that's what it truly is) clean than it is the blued barrel.
4. As I understand it, this type of weapon does NOT do well with the pellets. They have a higher flash (ignition) point, and require a hotter flame than either a percussion cap or a flint gun normally produces. The manufacturers of pellets usually state that they are to be used in "inline" guns only.
5. The .50 cal is a good all-around choice, but I've seen lots of guys say something like, "if I was going to have only one gun, it would be a .54." It seems like the larger caliber will take down anything a 50 will, PLUS gives you more options if you ever want to ga after something bigger, like elk.
That's :m2c: worth - hope it provides you with some initial information.

IM jaybe :thumbsup:

 

[Big John]

Hello Erich,
If you don't like the brass fixtures, look at t/c Renegade Hunter,pretty much the same rifle, but single trigger and larger trigger guard, no brass. .54 cal is better for the larger game, but it's easer to get .50cal accessories at wal-mart or most sport stores. Also pellets are a no-no, use loose powder and t/c mini-balls,not round ball. :m2c:

 

[Plains99]

I have a Cabela's Sporterized Hawken carbine in .54 caliber. 1:24" twist with a 22" barrel I believe. It has a coil spring lock rather than flat spring. It is made by Investarms, the same people who make several high end production side hammer guns. Mine has the black furniture, recoil pad, chromed lined barrel, set trigger design and some awfully nice wood. It is every bit the muzzleloader that the T/C's and Lymans are and probably a bit better than some of the others. At a little over $300 I believe they are one of best bargains out there. You will not go wrong with this gun. I highly recommend it for traditional black powder hunting.

 

[cayugad]

I personally think that the rifle would do real well for hunting. As long as your shots are 100 yards and under you will find the 1:48 twist more then able to do the job. They will shoot even further with practice. Shot placement is of course critical.

If you do not like the brass, then look at the Lyman line of rifles. D&R Sports has then for good prices. The Lyman rifles are made by the same company as the Cabela's rifles. They can be obtained in true roundball twist barrels in the GPR with 1-60 twist, the Trade Rifle and the Deerstalker with 1-48 twist and the Great Plains Hunter with 1-32 twist for conical shooting. Any of them would be excellent rifles.

If you are just getting into the sport of black powder you might want to stick with a cap lock, although the flintlock would be a great challenge. I just ordered a .54 caliber Flintlock Trade Rifle so I am looking forward to seeing how well it shoots.

Also get the .54 caliber. You want the most stopping power the bigger the bore the better. Granted a .50 caliber would get the job done, but you might as well have the bigger. Then learn to cast your own projectiles. This is another great hobbie.....

 

[Castlewoods]

I have owned a .54 Cabelas Hawken for around 15 years. The brass is not a problem to maintain. Actually, I don't think I've ever polished the brass, just wiped it down with Rem oil. After a year or so the brass dulls/tarnishes (better for hunting - less glare). As for loads in the .54, I've had good success with 435gr TC Maxi-Hunters and 100gr Pyrodex RS. It shoots better groups with the patched round balls, but at the ranges of my typical shots (30-70 yards)I like the knockdown power of that big 435gr bullet. I'm partial to the .54 but the .50 is a good choice as well.

 

[BUERICH]

thanks for all of the info. looks like a lotta good advice. my two reasons for concern with the brass was the glare like someone said, and the tarnish, but that doesn't seem to be a huge problem. The gun i was lookin at has all blued fixtures, which i'm still kinda partial too. i kinda like the .50 because its easier to find shooting accessories. i'll be hunting texas deer and hogs in brush, so pretty well all shots will be 100yds or less. and if they are farther than that i'll just have to get closer. The deer i shoot are hill country deer, they are around 100lbs on the hoof, most of the hogs end up bein around 100lbs or so dressed. so not massive animals. if i'm inside of 60yds i should have no problems keepin my bullets in the head. i've shot iron sights for a while. are round balls good for hunting? i don really care what kinda bullets i shoot long as they do the job. if anyone is familiar with them i was thinkin a simple lead conical like the cva buckslayer, or buffalo ballet like shown in cabelas? would those work allright? just as good as round balls? i intend to use it on a private land i lease, and on public land chasing hogs, so all i need is accurate, reliable, knockdown out to 100yds, although i'll probly seldom shoot beyond 60yds.

i'm very new to blackpowder, so if there's anything i should know regardless of how obvious lemme know.

Erich

 

[tg]

". I highly recommend it for traditional black powder hunting."

I just cannot help but ask how they chromed the barrels and what type of recoil pads they used on the original (traditional) Hawken type guns...

 

[jim gray]

I order a .58 cal. renegade from Fox Ridge Outfitters. This is a T/C Renegade with a 1:48 twist, all steel trim and best of all the set trigger. All of this for about $350 is not a bad deal abd the percussion is $10 less. It is also available in .50 cal, if you want to go with that, as well as .54. The advantage to the larger two calibers is that the stock will be inletted for a 1" wide barrel (across the flats). That means a lot more options will be available for drop in barrels; mine will eventually have a .62 cal. smoothbore barrel to drop in.

I like both of my .50 cal. Lyman's, too. I have a trade rifle and a great plains rifle. The barrels are 15/16" though, pretty much ruling out the .62 smoothie. These guns are both excellent shooters, well built, and attractive. The trade rifle is outfitted with brass, and the GPR with steel.

Personally I think any of these guns is well worth what you'll pay, but I kind of like the idea that the T/C is American made.

 

[jim gray]

Oh, and for some reason, and maybe it's just me, I find the .54 caliber to be a lot more accurate than the .50. I'll have to let you know how the .58 pans out.

If you really want to shoot conicals, try as many different bullets as you can in your rifle. All guns have different temperments toward conicals and even two identical rifles may not like the same type.

The conicals that I've tried are the Buffalo Ball-ettes and Hornady's PA conical; both are designed for slow twist rates. In my experience you give up accuracy (but not much)in exchange for impact energy. :results:

 

[TexasMLer]

I just cannot help but ask how they chromed the barrels and what type of recoil pads they used on the original (traditional) Hawken type guns...

Sure, you can. :relax: :crackup:

 

[Plains99]

And, you're absolutely right. It is not a strictly primitive rifle but then neither is the T/C Hawken or the Lyman Deerslayer. I guess I'm referring more to black powder and round ball use. I use black powder in nearly all my sidehammers because I don't like the way some of the other powders work in that design. But again, the Sporterized Hawken is not something I would take to rendezvous or a historical reenactment. It has the ambiance of a primitive gun but not the strict historical accuracy. That is all some guys are interested in.

 

[BUERICH]

I still like the Hawken. from what yall've said it sounds like it'll do what i need it too. I'm considering going with the .54 because several of yall seem to recommend it. lotta people said that the slower rate of twist in this gun would be best with round balls. are round balls effective for hunting? what about like the buffalo ballets, or cva buckslayers outa cabelas?

 

[silverfox]

Erich: I see no one answered your question on bullets. Yes at the ranges you mentioned roundballs will work very well. The CVA deer hunters and the Buffalo ballets should work just as well and carry a little more punch. Any of these would be fine just pick the one that gives you the most accuracy and use it. Those little Hill Country Deer and small hogs won't know what hit them with any of the above.
Fox :thumbsup:

 

[Rebel]

Round balls have been effective for hunting for over 200 years, and they still are. You don't need a CVA deerslayer or Buffalo Ball-ett to hunt with. You can give them a try if you want to spend MORE money for something you don't really need. A well placed .54 cal. rd. ball will take any big game animal you are likley to hunt.

 

[WSmitty01]

I kilt elk, bear, turkey, deer, and antelope with my .520 round ball Hawkins from ranges of 50 to almost 200 yards. It will do the job if you do yours,,,big stuff gets 120 grains FFg smaller stuff gets 80,,but mostly when out huntin always load for the bigger stuff! The round ball is the most accurate and effective thing to stuff down the end of a muzzleloader with anything from 1 in 48" up!!!! That's my story and I'm stickin with it!!

 

[BUERICH]

ok, thanks, that answers pretty well the questions i had about bullets. i thought i had settled on a .50 cal, but after seein so many people support a .54 over it, i may go with the 54. not sure yet though. i'm not usually a fan of carrying a lot more firepower than i need just because i don like to tear them up too much. Is there a noticiable difference in the wound that a 54 will make vs a 50?

Erich

 

[Rebel]

Not that much difference in the wound channel, only in the ability to down big game better with the .54 under similar circumstances. It is better to have too much gun than not enough. And you can always download the .54 for smaller stuff.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Wait a dad gummed minute! :hmm:

"Sporterized" Hawken? When was a Hawken ever a military issue? They're already sporterized. :crackup:

 

[Livbucks]

Can you get the gun in a flint model? When I looked at them they were only available in caplock. I sure liked the way they looked. Real pretty stock and black furniture with no patchbox.....I fell in love with the pic of it but wanted a flintlock so I passed....