Pyrodex Loads

[ugly old guy]

You can contact T/C.
They will send you a PDF download of the manual; either the Hawken Specific
(covers up to and including the .50 caliber only) and/or the "Shooting T/C Sidelock Rifles" which covers .32 caliber to .69 caliber inclusive.
Both will have the load data for your .50 Hawken.
I don't have it open at the moment, but I believe the "mimimum" reccommended load for the .50 is 50 grains FFg regardless of if shooting a round ball or a conical. The "maximum" load is 110 or 120 grains FFg, again, regardless if a PRB or conical.

As others have stated, a lighter projectile will kick less than a heavier progectile with the same powder charge.

I'd start at 50 grains and work up to the most accurate load for your rifle (every rifle is different) at 5 grain intervals.

The most accurate is generally somewhere between the minimum reccommended load and the maximum.

 

[longcruise]

I have a PDF of it if anybody wants a copy.

 

[Maven]

You can also download it from this site: https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/shooting-thompson-center-sidelock-firearms.92083/

 

[30coupe]

Shooting that heavy bullet in a TC Hawken for "fun" certainly gives a whole new meaning to the word! Mine generates all the fun I want with patched round balls. Mine is not fond of Pyrodex RS. I haven't tried the Pyrodex P, but 3F black powder gives great groups and makes deer die, not that that would matter to you I guess.

 

[Bad Karma]

I am new at this and have been looking for some loading data. Have had no luck online.

Rifle: T/C Hawken 50 Caliber, 28" barrel
Powder: Pyrodex RS
Bullet: T/C 320 grain Maxi-Ball
Caps: CCI No. 11

What would be a good load for a beginner? And where can I go to find good loading data?

Thank you in advance.

I would start at 60 grains, work my way towards 100 grains measured by volume. The rifle is completely safe with those charges assuming it’s in good repair, etc... find out what it, and you, like. Some people cannot tolerate 100 grains behind a moderately heavy bullet such as yours. The Hawken bites if it doesn’t fit you well. I like mine but most of the time I’m shooting 230 grain round ball (mine’s a .50 rebored to .54 caliber) and my rifles favorite powder charges are 70 or 80 grains Swiss fffg.

 

[Bad Karma]

That TC manual is a great resource but don't follow the advice to clean with boiling hot water! Use tap warm or even cold. The boiling hot will set off flash rust even before the barrel has a chance to cool off.

I don’t clean with boiling water or usually any water, but I used to and I’ve never encountered flash rust. If you do, wipe with a patch loaded with Eezox (or Barricade etc.) and you will stop it in its tracks.

 

[Bad Karma]

You will find the Maxiball has a lot more ‘fun’ in it than a roundball. More a rainbow like trajectory to work with. More recoil to help knock the plaque off your teeth. Slightly cleaner holes in your paper target.

You may want to consider trying roundballs. Easier on you and your gun. Doubt paper targets will care one way or the other.

+1... a good friend wanted to kill a big bull elk on one of the Apache reservation hunts so he enlisted my help in working up a load. He’s a very experienced rifle hunter having hunted around the world, Africa, Alaska and so on. Also semi famous maker of mountain gear, many of you have used his products.
Anyway, long story short, he doesn’t really trust the “ancient technology” so he picked the heaviest .54 bullet he could find, I seem to remember a 460 grain Great Plains. At any rate, he settled on 120 grains of 3f Goex and shot a bunch maybe two boxes when I noticed the egg on his cheekbone and the color coming up around his right eye. He had about all the fun he could handle alright.
He did kill a nice bull but that was his last black powder hunt. Maybe he didn’t like all the cleanup...

 

[30coupe]

...Maybe he didn’t like all the cleanup...

Yup, I bet that was it.

 

[Goose]

when I had a 50 and shot maxi-balls I found great accuracy and consistency around 97gr

 

[longcruise]

I don’t clean with boiling water or usually any water, but I used to and I’ve never encountered flash rust. If you do, wipe with a patch loaded with Eezox (or Barricade etc.) and you will stop it in its tracks.

Well, possibly we can get together sometime and i will show you flash rust. Your barrel, of course.

 

[Tannehill]

I have the same rife, the factory barrel is a 1 in 48 twist, it does refer comical over PRB. I switched to a green mountain 1x66 twist barrel now shoot70 grains fffg horchata, .490 home cast round balls using ballistoil lube pillow ticking patches. Deadly accurate.

 

[Bad Karma]

Well, possibly we can get together sometime and i will show you flash rust. Your barrel, of course.

I ain’t eskeered... I used boiling water for a long time because that’s the way I was taught, I should not have said I’d never seen flash rust. Of course I’ve seen it, I have browned and rust blued barrels and guns... it’s never been a problem.

And yes, definitely! If you’re ever in western Colorado look me up. We’ll go shooting or hunting, I’ll cleanup with boiling water, wipe down with dry patches, and then a wipe with Eezox. Afterward you can inspect for any remaining flash rust, (there won’t be any...) then we’ll grill some burgers and enjoy good local brew.

 

[longcruise]

Not that far away. I'm in Arvada so give me a clue on where to look for you . Beer and burgers sounds great.

 

[Bad Karma]

I live in rural Garfield county. South of Silt. We get down to the front range fairly often too!

 

[longcruise]

Do you ever shoot over here? Where do you shoot over there?

 

[Bad Karma]

We don’t usually shoot down there, I’m not really sure about where we would go. Here we step out the back door, up to 150 yards, or go over to a neighbors range. He’s got 1000 yards of backyard but for the most part we’re shooting unmentionables at that range.

 

[longcruise]

I understand the advantages of living where you do.

Colorado Springs Muzzle Loaders have regular shoots. Ft Lupton muzzle loaders too. My more modern club has an ml shoot last Sunday of the month. All of these are weather dependent of course.

So if you have any reason to be in the area check with me and see if it migh not be worthwhile to drag a gun along.

Can also shoot as my guest at my club sunrise to sunset 7 days a week.

 

[renegadehunter]

I wonder if it has to do with the additives in different local tap water causing the flash rust? I've experienced it every single time I've used boiling, hot, warm, or anything over room temperature. I can't run a patch fast enough after cleaning to prevent it. The first drying patch will show it, but also removes all of it. I've found that cleaning with room temp or cold cleans just as quickly and I never see the flash rust, it just takes a little more effort to get the bore dry afterwards. One of these days I'll buy a gallon of distilled and heat it up to see what the results are.

 

[Bad Karma]

I’ve also wondered if relative humidity has anything to do with it. Although the humidity here is very low typically, it’s higher where @longcruise is at but not alarmingly so...

I understand the advantages of living where you do.

Colorado Springs Muzzle Loaders have regular shoots. Ft Lupton muzzle loaders too. My more modern club has an ml shoot last Sunday of the month. All of these are weather dependent of course.

So if you have any reason to be in the area check with me and see if it migh not be worthwhile to drag a gun along.

Can also shoot as my guest at my club sunrise to sunset 7 days a week.

Thank you, I will certainly take you up on that. Probably not this weekend, we’re coming down tomorrow, celebrating like crazy for a couple days and then rolling back this way Saturday morning. Have a happy Thanksgiving @longcruise and all the rest of you throwback charcoal burners too!

 

[longcruise]

Got about 14 inches of snow here yesterday and today so not a great time anyway.

And a happy Thanksgiving to you too