load questions

[running horse]

I have a 50cal hawken and am wanting to take my kid out shooting it does any one know if there is a minimum load to still get the ball out but not much of a kick or is there a way to load blanks to work him up to a regular load. He's never shot any thing bigger than abb and the smallest gun I have is a 45lc he is 10 but takes after his mom and is pretty small and I want him to enjoy it thanks for your help

 

[coloradoclyde]

I kind of have an odd opinion on that subject but I will share it anyway.
When I was that age I went hunting with my older brother who was carrying a 12 gauge. And I asked him if I could shoot it and if it would hurt me. He said if I was afraid it would hurt me then it would hurt me.
I shot that 12 gauge. And he soon found himself out of shells, I loved it and have never looked back.
I will let you find your own moral in that story.

 

[ccmountainman]

Not really.
But the hawken design is pretty heavy and will absorb most of the recoil. Remember BP doesn't have the hard recoil smokeless does.
Start at about 40 gr ffg. Take a bath towel and fold it up to cushion it. Use a sitting rest at a table and help hold the gun so it don't kick back
My youngest was 4 and could shoot my BP 44 by himself with just a little help to steady it.
Mostly after it went off.

 

[coloradoclyde]

The ball will not pass into the patent breech, so for safety you need enough powder to fill the patent breech. It may be as much as 30 grains.

P.S. if your gun has a patent breech

 

[Zonie]

I suggest using a 30 to 35 grain powder load under the patched ball.

This is close to a pistol load and the weight of the rifle will absorb almost all of the recoil.

 

[necchi]

I suggest using a 30 to 35 grain powder load under the patched ball.

This is close to a pistol load and the weight of the rifle will absorb almost all of the recoil.

:thumbsup: Sage advice.

With the Hawken just be sure he get's it off his shoulder (out a little) so that the curve of the toe doesn't dig into his shoulder,, and have him firmly hold his cheek to the stock so he doesn't get slapped.

 

[Ken Cormier]

Don't forget to tell him that that you wouldn't do anything to hurt him . Start out with a few blanks because if he gets SCARED it will take years to get him to like shooting. Let alone love it. Just my thoughts Good luck.

 

[running horse]

Never loaded a blank before what do you use

 

[necchi]

Wad of paper,(TP, Paper towel, Newspaper) I usually make a damp "Spit ball" type thing. It doesn't have to be a round ball thing just a wad on top. I wet it cause dry paper can catch fire from the charge and end up starting a fire down range in dry conditions.
Damp, not wet,, wet will mess with the powder right?

 

[Rick Boylan]

Wad of paper,(TP, Paper towel, Newspaper) I wet it cause dry paper can catch fire from the charge and end up starting a fire down range in dry conditions.

Sounds like an incendiary round to me. :haha:

 

[silly goose]

My 10yo has a blast with 25gr of 3ffg with his .50. He just shoots and smiles. Priceless.

 

[Ron_T.]

Our club had a "New Shooter's Day" wherein we opened the club to new shooters, men, women and children over 8 years old accompanied by a parent.

I was selected to offer the public an opportunity to shoot a flintlock or percussion cap at the muzzleloader, black powder" station.

I used my .50 caliber flinter (weight: 7½ lbs) and my .50 caliber older CVA cap-lock Hawken Hunter (weight: 7½ lbs) for the rifles and loaded each with 20 grains of Goex FFFg since the target was only 10 meters from the bench-rest.

As luck would have it, that 20 grain load was perfect for the range to the target (10 meters) as the rifle balls struck in the center of the bulls-eye at that distance and recoil was almost non-existent.

And so, depending on your distant from the shooting position to the target, I'd suggest you load 20-25 grains of FFFg and recoil should be very light with a heavier muzzle loader and you should be in the black as well.


Strength and Honor...

Ron T.

 

[paul54]

Good to see you getting your youngster out shooting...we need to do more of this so the tradition can be passed on. :bow:

 

[Billnpatti]

Actually, it takes only a tiny charge to get the ball clear of the muzzle. As little as 10 grains, or even less, has been used to blow out a "dry balled" ball. Load your rifle with something like 25 or 30 grains of powder behind a patched round ball to start him out. The one thing you absolutely do not want to do is to scare him with a big recoil. You can always increase the charge as he becomes accustomed to the recoil. Shooting a patched round ball is important simply because conicals will weigh more than a round ball and will give a greater recoil than a round ball. Felt recoil is largely a function of the total mass being fired out of the rifle (ball, powder, etc) and the velocity at which it is fired. Of course the weight of the rifle figures into the equation but let's not cloud the issue with too many technicalities.

I am sure he will be shooting from a bench rest at targets about 25 yards away, so a charge like 25 or 30 grains behind a patched round ball will be a great starting load and will have the recoil not much greater than a .22....well, maybe a .223. :thumbsup: