T/C Hawken accuracy

[Dr5x]

All the hunting seasons are, I believe
, over and all the Muzzleloading rifles have been put away till next deason.
The rifles will tend to rust a little , particularly the ones put away without a thorough cleaning and so also will the skills of the riflemen.
Coaching at the range as I did for a number of years I witnessed riflemen you goy fine tuned for this year's deer season would show up the the following Fall thinking they were in tip top shape but discovered over the past ten or so months had forgotten a lot of what they had learned.
I had long considered that it wouldn't hurt to keep in tune by visiting the range during the off season to keep their accuracy in aiming as well as loading up to the good practices they had developed for the season itself. So that handling their rifle became second nature to them and when the season returned they didn't have to give themselves a crash course to bring themselves back in line


It's amazing what can slip your mind over ten or so months of inactivity.


That's also why I suggest you write down everything your doing when you are doing everything right.

Nag Nag

Dutch Schoultz

 

[Griz44Mag]

I had long considered that it wouldn't hurt to keep in tune by visiting the range during the off season to keep their accuracy in aiming as well as loading up to the good practices they had developed for the season itself. So that handling their rifle became second nature to them and when the season returned they didn't have to give themselves a crash course to bring themselves back in line

AMEN Brother Dutch..... :wink:
I meet up with a group from our local club once a month at minimum and we shoot a variety of arms, just to stay and tune and to get some "old man" visiting time away from the Mrs....
(I will deny saying that of course)

TX GRIZ

 

[Dr5x]

Old Grizz,
You are too unkind to yourself.
You don't go to the range to shoot, tell lies and get away from the Mrs.
You realize that she took you for better or for worse.
She did not take you for funch. She gets tired of you hanging around all the damn time so you really in good conceive have to give her some space.

How can she miss you if you won't go away.

It is also good to keep acquainted with your rifle so that it becomes in small part, a part of you so that your rifle isn't a stranger you have to reaqaint yourself with every fall.



When you do a kindness to for bride you should take some credit for it.



Dutch

 

[azmntman]

Well said Dutch!

I work outta the home with the wife. It's great ANY time I wanna take off for a weekend she is all for it! Ya gotta chase em hard till they want the break more than you do! :grin:

 

[Griz44Mag]

Old Grizz,
You are too unkind to yourself.
You don't go to the range to shoot, tell lies and get away from the Mrs.
You realize that she took you for better or for worse.
She did not take you for funch. She gets tired of you hanging around all the damn time so you really in good conceive have to give her some space.

How can she miss you if you won't go away.

It is also good to keep acquainted with your rifle so that it becomes in small part, a part of you so that your rifle isn't a stranger you have to reaqaint yourself with every fall.



When you do a kindness to for bride you should take some credit for it.



Dutch

Your wisdom is legendary. Accumulated from many decades of life and observation of all living things that surround you. I can only pray that in another few decades that I too, may be blessed with the insight of the master..
:bow:

 

[mamero]

Three shot groups, .018 pillow ticking, 65 grains of FFFg Goex, CCI mag #11 lubed with 50/50 Murphy's soap and denatured alcohol mix. The orange dot is 2" diameter.

Top group is 2" and bottom which I shot with a clean barrel is 1.670

 

[Griz44Mag]

Very good. Where did the little holes come from????

 

[mamero]

Ohh just being responsible and recycling old targets that other range members leave behind.

 

[Grenadier1758]

That is good shooting, but I have a couple of questions. With one round displaced from the other two, you should be able to improve your group. Something is not consistent.

Do you know what order the shots were fired? There may be some reason that there is one round that is about an inch from the others.

Are you wiping between shots? Fouling may be building up changing the pressure. Of course that doesn't explain why one group is horizontal and the other group is vertical. Even when I wipe between shots I often have problems with the third shot. I know its me. My old eyes get tired and the sight picture is not as sharp as before.

Have you tried five shot groups? Record impact in the order fired. Note changes in wind or lighting. Keep shooting.

 

[Dr5x]

My guess is that the one inch displacement just might be a mini flyer caused by an unweighed ball being slightly off balance.

Dutch

 

[Grenadier1758]

Yes, it is a good procedure to weight the balls you are going to shoot for group. While a difference in weight may explain a ball flying out of the group, I wondered why the holes were in a reasonably straight line. Luck in that the wobble from an out of weight tolerance ball veered off in a straight line? A cross wind blowing the ball to the right? A change in pressure in the barrel due to a build up of fouling? Did the first group start with a clean barrel as the second group did?

 

[mamero]

Both groups were fired with balls out of the box, I did not weigh them in my haste to get out. The first group on the green/white target was with a clean barrel. I did swab up and down, flip the patch up and down motion in between every shot.

There was a slight breeze right to left when I fired the group on cardboard. This barrel always shoots better with a squeaky clean barrel. If I dont swab between shots by the time I fire shot #4 it turns patches in to burnt strips.

No I did not note what order the shots were fired, ill try to next time I go out the range. Im now wondering should I try .445 diameter balls. I would have to chamge patching as well since the combination I shoot right now is very tight

 

[mamero]

So here is the long in the making range report. The session started out with me testing (off course starting with a squeaky-clean barrel) my hunting lube. I use a mix of deer tallow, beeswax and olive oil. My patching was (and is for the rest of the range report) .018’’ pillow ticking cut at the muzzle, 65 grains of Goex FFFG and CC#11 mag percussion caps shooting this time pre-weighted .440 Hornady balls.
All groups were shot from the bench at 50 yards

Nothing to brag about a little over 2’’ groups at 50yards. That still makes for a decent hunting accuracy. It’s the first shot that counts and at this time that was off by an inch to the left. Pretty happy with that.
That out of the way I decided to give a patching lubed with 7:1 ratio of water to cutting oil a try.I did not precut any patches so this would have to be a cut at the muzzle job as well. I let go of 3 rounds and went down range to check. Best so far I have ever fired out of muzzleloader or anything else shod with open sights.

At this point I wrote that off to pure luck and mumbled to myself how I will probably never be able to do that again. I figured I was at the range and wind was almost nonexistent and I figured I give it another shot, or three for that matter.

WOW I thought to myself, quite a milestone in my muzzleloader journey. Immediate brag photo sent to my brother and he replied “ 25 Yards ?” Yeah, replying to that text felt good.
Just to make sure I let another three shots rip and I got this.

I then preceded to shoot 50 Yards off hand (thought I let rip 12 rounds ended up being 13)and got this down range.

I forgot to mention I did wipe with two patches up and down motion and this was done between every shot. Patches are soaked with 50/50 Alcohol and Murphy’s Oil Soap mix. I use this mixture to clean at the end of the session. This way I can shoot all day long now and maintain accuracy. If do not wipe I can see the load starting to creep up slowly (the ramrod does not go down as far in every successive shot) and the accuracy will go by the wayside.
In conclusion there is a lot to be said about 1:48 rate of twist and factory TC barrel. It’s a shame they do not make them anymore.

Now I was left wondering if my new Hoyt barrel will be able to do the same, bar has definitely risen a few notches.

 

[Sgiles]

That's good shooting. I have a TC Hawkens in transit to my house right now,can't hardly wait to try it out.

 

[mamero]

Thank you Sir. What caliber is your TC rifle?

 

[Sgiles]

It's a 50. Supposed to be in as new condition. I'm already debating buying other models and calibers in they're line up based on there price and reputation. Although the more period correct flinter bites starting to itch pretty bad and I'm wondering what I've done got myself into :grin:

 

[azmntman]

(the ramrod does not go down as far in every successive shot) and the accuracy will go by the wayside.

If its not seating the ball all the wayy on the powder yer accuracy may go on the wayside permanantly :idunno: Make sure that ball is firmly seated on the powder!

 

[Jimbo47]

(the ramrod does not go down as far in every successive shot) and the accuracy will go by the wayside.

If its not seating the ball all the wayy on the powder yer accuracy may go on the wayside permanantly :idunno: Make sure that ball is firmly seated on the powder!

Hopefully he means when more force is needed because of fouling, when starting the ball from the muzzle.
You definitely don't want any air space between the powder and the ball.

 

[mamero]

I ahould have been more clear on that point. What I see happening on a prolonged range sassion (my brother and I shoot anywhere 30-40 rounds per session) is a very slow and almost upreceptive creep in the rod not seating to the usuall mard on the ram rod. We are talking an 1/8 of an inch total. I was led to beleive this is due to slow built up of crud in the breech area. I should poind out that no amount of body weight applied is getting this compressed down.

 

[mamero]

Hehe my brother and I went down this path already we both have 3 stocks and 45-50-54 now Lmao. Never was spending money on guns this easy.