I have a friend who has a TC Hawken with a 45 cal green mountain barrel 32" long in percussion,we took it to the range over the weekend for me to try out as I am considering buying it,with a load of 50 grs of 3f and a .451 RB and .018 patch it was touching nearly all shots at 50 yds from a rest,my question is would this be a good choice for an offhand match rifle? would it win if one were capable of shooting it well enough? price is 300.00
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Offhand Target Rifle?
- Thread starter w_dexter
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zimmerstutzen
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At 50 yds, for a decent light bench gun, it should be one ragged hole. Touching is slightly wider. Whether it makes for an offhand rifle is something else again. Most offhand shooters are not as accurate as their guns. Holding a gun offhand is another thing also. If the gun is front heavy and unbalanced it will be difficult to hold & aim. For an offhand gun, it doesn't sound bad. For offhand, I prefer that the butt plate have more hook to wedge into the arm pitt. ie no shotgun butt. TC is ok, Lyman GPR has a bit more crescent.
For some matches, sights may not be adjustable.
For some matches, sights may not be adjustable.
flintlock50
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My suggestion would be for you to shoot it 15 or 20 shots in a row offhand before purchasing, if possible and see how it fits and feels to you, if it feels good it willl make a good offhand gun for you we,re all different,what fits me might not be comfortable to you.
What you are describing is very much like what I call my half-breed target rifles.
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/260952/post/1040906/hl//fromsearch/1/
Yes, a heavy barreld rifle can be great for offhand shooting provided you like a heavy barrel. Many shooters do. If you can hold steady and like, go for it.
However, the advantage of something like the TC 'hawken' is the interchangable barrel feature.
I have another thread where I brag about a 100 yard bench target I show with my half-breed. Another couple points and I woulda whupped some real bench rest rifles.
What you are considering might be a great thing to have. If you like it.
Yes, a heavy barreld rifle can be great for offhand shooting provided you like a heavy barrel. Many shooters do. If you can hold steady and like, go for it.
However, the advantage of something like the TC 'hawken' is the interchangable barrel feature.
I have another thread where I brag about a 100 yard bench target I show with my half-breed. Another couple points and I woulda whupped some real bench rest rifles.
What you are considering might be a great thing to have. If you like it.
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ohio ramrod
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The gun is capable of winning if you are. The price is right on for a good to excellant T.C.. I doubt that you would loose any money if you bought it and took good care of it and wanted to sell it later. :idunno: :idunno:
The best offhand rifle is the heaviest you can handle and that is a totally individual thing. Up to a certain weight the mass of the gun will dampen out those small nervous vibrations and you will shoot better offhand. Beyond that weight, the stress of holding the gun on target will induce muscle tremors and you would shoot better with a lighter gun.
But it's not just total weight that counts, the balance is an equal factor, a short heavy gun may seem easier to handle than a lighter but longer gun. For myself a .45 caliber with 15/16" octagon barrel of 28-32" length would be about ideal, but I've gotten old and scrawny and just can't handle a heavier gun as I used to shoot. :haha:
But it's not just total weight that counts, the balance is an equal factor, a short heavy gun may seem easier to handle than a lighter but longer gun. For myself a .45 caliber with 15/16" octagon barrel of 28-32" length would be about ideal, but I've gotten old and scrawny and just can't handle a heavier gun as I used to shoot. :haha:
Yes it will make a fine offhand rifle. I used on just like it to win our local silhouette match in which almost all the targets were off hand. Bet you had to use a hammer to get those .451 balls started didnt you.
Bob
Bob
W Dexter said:
FWIW, in my half-breeds with Douglas .45 barrels I use .457 balls, tick patching. All put down the barrel with a short-short starter, long starter than seated with the rod.
Rat Trapper
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The price is right and it sounds like a good shooter. Will get you into the game and you can always upgrade later on. You won't lose any money on it if you wish to sell it later on.
contenderfan
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Keep in mind also, that you have only tried one load so far...a little heavier charge of powder just might shrink those groups down to one ragged hole. I have always found that 70 gr. of 3F does really well in the .45 T/C Hawken rifles, combined with a fairly snug patch.
W Dexter said:
Yes, there have been a lot of matches won with T/C and GM barrels at the National level and the price is fair. The 45 has a following more so than other calibers.
You said you were wanting an "offhand target rifle", but your only experience is shooting the rifle off the bench. You need to shoot the rifle offhand to answer your question, no one can answer it for you.
Does the stock have not enough drop or too much drop to fit? Shooting off the bench will not answer stock fit as well as shooting offhand.
I have a T/C Renedage with a 1" GM 45 barrel and a T/C Hawken 15/16" 45 barrel. There is a world of difference in the 2 rifles for me. I struggle with the 1" barrel weight and win the lighter barrel.
You need to shoot the rifle at 25, 50 and 100 yards to see if you can handle the weight, it all depends on your upper body strength. The rifle can win, but if you can not handle the weight, it will not work.
I did try it offhand on the second outing it holds great! The stock has been shortened to just shy of 14" over the buttplate,the comb height fits me just right dont hit me in the cheek when I shoot it,shot a 25 yd NMLRA small bull target with it offhand...48-2x...I havent actually paid for it yet but hopefully will this week
W Dexter said:
It would be too light and short barreled for me but this is something YOU need to figure out for yourself.
Longer barrels slow the wobble/swing at the muzzle.
Shorter barrels swing faster and thus are technically less stable in offhand. Weight also is a stabilizer.
Dan
Well I picked it up today,I was just taking my time about buying it with money being tight and all,my buddy calls me up and says,if ya want that gun for 250 bucks come get it....which I did right away,took it to the range and shot 3 - 3 shot groups at 50 yds from a rest...they were all 1"ctc,he advised me that if I upped the powder charge to 60 grs instead of 50 grs it would probably shoot even tighter,I will try that next time,thanks to all for your input on this,fell free to comment more
