Load question

[kd8jgu]

Son gave me a T/C hawken 54 cal.
Have not been able to find any load information.
If anyone has any idea for loads.
Please help me out.
Thanks

 

[BrownBear]

A guess based on my own, it's real fond of a .530 ball, .018 ticking patch lubed with mink oil grease, and either 90 grains of 3f or 100 grains of 2f. Decent starting point for adjustments either way to find what's sweet for your gun.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Wow, I guess BrownBear goes "loaded for bear". :grin: Seriously, though those loads are fine, but I think they are toward the upper end of the scale...

I use a .530 ball and .018 patch on top of 70 grains of 3Fg..., it works fine out to 110 yards on whitetails, and normally goes through both sides of good sized does..., in fact this morning at 08:17 it went through and through on a doe at 42 yards. :grin:



LD

 

[BrownBear]

Wow, I guess BrownBear goes "loaded for bear". :grin: Seriously, though those loads are fine, but I think they are toward the upper end of the scale...

Actually I'm after the trajectory that suits my hunting fields. Sighted in dead on at 75 yards, the ball strikes roughly an inch high at 50 and about 3 low at 100.

If I'm loaded for bear I'm carrying a 58 cal with its 280 grain ball (compared to 225 for the .530) on top of 140 grains of 2f or my 62 cal with its 340 grain ball on top of 120 grains of 2f.

Truth be known, if I'm really worried about bears in a particular location I climb into my Toyota time machine for a ride back to my modern home. :rotf:

 

[Davemuzz]

lubed with mink oil grease,

Really Brown Bear?? Really?? Minl oil?? Not Bear grease?? Not Bear Grease??

So....you go out and whack those tiny little mink with those big 'ol 58-cal PRB's....squeeze the oil out of 'em.....so you can go and shoot a Bear? :blah: :rotf: :rotf:

(I couldn't resist)

 

[William O.]

Son gave me a T/C hawken 54 cal.
Have not been able to find any load information.
If anyone has any idea for loads.
Please help me out.
Thanks

Start with a .530 ball, 55 grains of 2f and a .015 lubed patch. Shoot three times then increase in 5 grain increments until your groups get nice and tight. Don't adjust your sights until you find the best powder charge for your rifle. You may need to swab the bore in between shots or every few to ensure easy loading, and an alcohol dampened cleaning patch removes most of the powder fouling in that regard. My .54, 1:48 twist shoots a charge of 85 grains of 2f the best.

 

[Zonie]

Before you go out looking for mink to squeeze the oil out of, just about any non petroleum oil can be used for a patch lube.
If your going to shoot the gun within less than 30 seconds after loading even spit will work.

Because your gun is a percussion style, your powder can be any synthetic or any real black powder. Never use any smokeless powder of any kind.

My .54's like either .530 or .535 diameter balls. The .530 is a little easier to load.

Any shooting patch .015-.020 thick will work but the shallow depth of the rifling seems to work best with the thicker patches. As was mentioned, the pillow ticking sold at cloth stores works great. It can be either red/white or blue/white striped.

My .54's do their best shooting at around 80 grains of either 2Fg or 3Fg black powder but I've gotten some really good groups from Pyrodex "P" as well.

The minimum powder load should probably be a little larger than 40 grains and the maximum powder load will be around 120 grains.

 

[Bill Hall]

I usta shoot a T/C .54 renegade, and also used it for hunting deer. I found that about 80 grains ffg goex was about the most accurate, but I beefed it up to 100 grains for hunting. Typical .015-.018 thick patch, .530 ball, and some kind of beeswax based lube. Your Hawken should behave about the same as the Renegade. One thing about those T/C guns, you can shoot pretty hot loads without worrying about too much loss of accuracy.

Like already mentioned, probably best to start with a light charge, say 50-60 grains, then work your way up. More systematic that way, and you can compare your results. Have fun. Bill

 

[Davemuzz]

Before you go out looking for mink to squeeze the oil out of,

Oh....great Zonie....I just spent the last 3 hours out in the pouring rain looking for a mink to squeeze the oil out of!! And now you tell me I don't need it. :idunno:

Good thing someone didn't post that I needed fresh squeezed Griz crap. :rotf: :rotf:

 

[Bill Hall]

I squeezed a mink once, but I didn't get oil. :shocked2: And the stitches will be coming out soon. :thumbsup: Bill

 

[tg]

I have squeezed a few Mink a bit harder that I should have and the "oil" was not something I would use for anything on a regular basis except as Skunk lure and I did not need that as I had no problem getting Skunks to check out my Fox/**** sets, I certainly did not find myself in need of any more of them.

 

[Rat Trapper]

Wow, I guess BrownBear goes "loaded for bear". :grin: Seriously, though those loads are fine, but I think they are toward the upper end of the scale...

I use a .530 ball and .018 patch on top of 70 grains of 3Fg..., it works fine out to 110 yards on whitetails, and normally goes through both sides of good sized does..., in fact this morning at 08:17 it went through and through on a doe at 42 yards. :grin:



LD

NO Loyalist Dave they are not too heavy. Those are good loads to start out with! The max load for a TC 54 caliber Hawken is 120 grains of 2F with either patched round ball or maxie. Loyalist Dave don't try to push off your wimp loads on this guy. I have had excellent accuaracy with some pretty hot loads of Triple Seven 2f with Hornady great plains 390 grain bullets. My hunting buddy uses a .530 ball with 15 thousands patch lubed with wonder lube and 90 grains of 2F Goex.

You can get an owners manual from TC by email or phone call.

Your son gave you one very fine rifle, enjoy it and welcome to the forum.

 

[MeatStick]

I shoot 530 ball, .020 patch and 80 gr 3fff out of a 40in barrel, it will do fine out to 100 yards and burns all the powder.

 

[bobman]

My TC hawken likes 100 grains of FF a 535 ball and a 015 patch

My renegade like that same combo with a 120 grains of FF

 

[Semisane]

My accuracy/hunting/target load is 95 grains GOEX FFg, a .530 cast Lee ball, and a .018 pillow tick patch lubed with Liquid Wrench.

(Did he say "Liquid Wrench"??? Yes, he did. But that's a petroleum product! Yes, it is. But so is that Ballistol that many people like so much. But doesn't it gum up the bore? No, it does not. If fact, it cleans up quite nicely and gives me better groups than any of the 639 other patch lubes I've tried over the last twenty years.)

 

[catman]

If it's a 27" 1:48 twist barrel start with a Goex 2F charge of 70 with a wad on top of it with pillow ticking with your lube of choice with a hornady .530 ball. (don't use bore butter)
Try differnt lubes, it will tell you what your stick likes.. I use BirdDog6 lube (board member)

Or try this, it works very well.. http://www.whitesboots.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&...


This has been my hunting load for years out of my old 4 digit TC .54 that the inside of the barrel looks like a gravel road bad, not by me but from the old guy I got it from, out to 75 yards it deadly.
Everyone I turn on to this load kills deer in my parts and we all use .54's 1:48 for hunting.

 

[huntsman247]

I am curious Catman, you say don't use bore butter. Why is that? Been using it for over 15 years now with excellent results.

 

[VEARL]

Here is an online TC Manual. It will give you load data.
www.tcarms.com/assets/manual/noncurrent/Shooting_TC_Side_Lock_Black_Powder_Guns.pdf

 

[kd8jgu]

Thank you everyone thanks for the link.
That is what I was looking for.

 

[crockett]

No mink down here in Florida but a similar situation. My girlfriend wants alligator shoes. Why I don't know. I've spent weeks out in the swamps turning over alligators but have yet found any with shoes.