Shot in a T/C Hawken

[Ctavano]

Just wondering if you can use small shot in a TC Hawken .50 cal. Can't see hunting squirrel with a .50 cal round ball .

 

[Mike Boettcher]

Not really sure what you're asking.

If you mean a smaller size round ball...never tried it and never would try it. So, I'd say no, not recommended.

If you mean small shot like shotgun shot...I guess you could, but why? You'd have to be pretty close and there would be very little if any accuracy and if you did hit a squirrel, would there be anything left of it?

 

[Bobby James]

I am no muzzleloader expert but I know that if you shoot shot in any rifle barrel it will mess up the rifling.

If you shoot them in the head only they should be good eating.

On second thought try this.

Load your powder then a wad. Then melt some wax down your barrel, maybe about two inches thick then before the wax dries poor a bunch of shot down there. Once it dries poor the extra shot out. Now you have a way bullet with shot in it.

 

[Mike Boettcher]

If the question were: Should I use small shot...vs....can I use small shot...

You can do anything...should you? Not recommended. At least I wouldn't. Each to his own.

 

[Bobby James]

I myself would never use shot to hunt squirrel since I do not like to bite into shot when I eat it. A 22 is the only way to hunt squirrel in my limited opinion. In muzzle loading I would get a .36 cal and hunt with it if you can. I am thinking of getting a crossbow to squirrel hunt with.

 

[newtewsmoke]

Just wondering if you can use small shot in a TC Hawken .50 cal. Can't see hunting squirrel with a .50 cal round ball .

please use the search function, type in:
"shot in a rifled barrel"
you will find some REAL advice from guys who have been there done that. :wink:

 

[Ctavano]

Good point! Just curious. Saw someone do it on YouTube, and he must have had a smooth bore. Thanks everyone!

 

[Zonie]

Generally speaking, shooting a shot charge in a rifled barrel makes a very poor pattern.

The rifling gets the outer part of the shot charge rotating while the inner part doesn't.
This often creates a doughnut shaped pattern without a good concentration of shot in the middle.

The outer doughnut shaped area shot concentration is unpredictable.

When added to the possibility of leading the rifling and the rather poor shot pattern, although it can be done, it's not usually recommended by those who have tried it.

 

[Mike Boettcher]

Even if you think it's a silly question....Nothing wrong with asking.

That's one way I learn.

 

[Leatherbark]

Shot will not work. The rifling will cause the shot pattern to fan out into a donunt shape with a large hole in the middle of the pattern.

Sight your 50 in with about 25 grains of powder to hit dead on to about 25 yards. The 50 loaded lightly will do less damage to the squirrel than a high velocity 36 or 40 will.

I would suggest only shooting the big ball at squirrels on the ground or on the side of a big tree out of concern about who is standing on the other side of the mountain.

Bob

 

[majg1234]

yep what he said,I've taken many small critters with reduced 50 loads before I had so many front loaders and 50 was all I had :thumbsup:

 

[BrownBear]

Sign me up with those who use reduced charges and bigger bores for small game. A head shot is a head shot, no matter the ball diameter. I've shot more small game with my 50, 54, 58 and 62 cals than I have with my smaller bores. Excellent field practice with your "big game" guns.

 

as already mentioned, no you can not use a rifled barrel as a shotgun.
For off season practice, I often used a lighter load to shoot rabbits with my 50. You need to improve the accuracy of your point of aim. Head shot or dead center body of you wanted to save the legs where most of the meat was.
Practice makes perfect.
Now you could in an absolute emergency as a home defense and all you had was shot or nails etc to stuff down the barrel, but you'd need some good wadding to compress the charge!

 

[Rifleman1776]

Don't forget, drop in smoothbore barrels are available for the TC 'hawken'.

 

[Scota4570]

I did it in my TC 50 cal flintlock, way back when. Use equal volume shot and powder. Maybe the 50 grain measure. You can use newspaper for wads. I was able to kill some flying blackbirds using that load. I never patterned it, I imagine it would be a 20-yard deal. I don't recall leading being a problem.

Please do not put melted wax down the bore. It would make an obstruction. You could damage your rifle or possibly worse. I do not under stand the logic behind the idea.

 

[Bobby James]

Correct, I should not have said to put wax down your barrel, it could cause problems.

Where I got it from is a video that is playing on You tube. People are taking shot shells and cutting the ends off and then removing the shot and poring it into a bunch of melted wax and then poring the shot and still liquid wax back into the shell to dry. It is producing some very powerful projectiles. Very little velocity loss do to the shot not spreading out because it stays in one piece.

I cant post the video here but some surfing on that video site will show you what I am talking about.

My apologies for giving bad information as I do not want to see anybody get hurt.

 

[Scota4570]

I have done that kind of thing too, when I was a kid. I once put flourists clay in place of shot in a shotshell. Blew a hole in the basketball backboard from 15 yards. A friend shot a carrot out of a musket. Blew a hole in the fence. Many of us have ringed/cut shotshells to make a slug, terrible idea. These exersizes are kid stuff and dangerious. They have no usefull purpose. Please be carefull.

 

[54ball]

A friend shot a carrot out of a musket.

This is about hunting squirrels not wabbits.
Do acorns and hickory nuts come in 50 caliber? :hmm:

 

[huntsman247]

No comment............

 

[Walks with fire]

I wish using my .50 were legal for small game in PA and I have always heard shot doesn't work well in a rifled barrel. A shot cup might work; never tried it though.