T/C Hawken Sights

[DarrinG]

I'm getting my hunting load dialed in for my T/C Hawken 50 cal. percussion. It's shooting good groups with 75g Goex, .018 ticking patch lubed with TOW Mink Oil and a .490 ball. Fired patches look perfect, grouping is good. Here's my problem:

I routinely hunt thick mountainous terrain. I live near the highest peak east of the Mississippi, and it's steep Appalachian mountains. My estimated range for shooting whitetail deer is probably 75 yards max, most between 60-20 yards. I killed a buck last year with my recurve bow at 7 steps. I had to adjust the rear sight all the way down as low as it will go to get bullseye hits at 25 yards. At 60 yards the group is 6 inches high (rising trajectory). I can't lower the rear sight anymore, it's bottomed out, to bring my mid-range yardage down to bullseye. I'd rather have the sights on the mark at 50-60 yards and hold a little high when an animal is closer. A closer target would seem easier to hold different on than one further out. My rear sigh has ran out of adjusting room. What is my fix? A higher front blade sight? Any recommendations on a front sight (white dot) that will fit right onto my Hawken without having to make gunsmithing modifications?

 

[necchi]

I had to adjust the rear sight all the way down as low as it will go to get bullseye hits at 25 yards. At 60 yards the group is 6 inches high (rising trajectory).

That is an unreasonable trajectory that's very uncharacteristic of the rifle or load.
I zero at 50 and it might be 1/2" high at 25 and 5" low at 100.
A 6" change in 35yrds isn't real. Something else is going on.
There are/is taller drop-in sights available from TOW like this one; https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/874/1/FS-D37-I
It's unfinished and raw but leaves plenty of room for filing the height down.

But again,, your trajectory issue is a far way from what it should be.

 

[Kansas Jake]

DarrinG, I’ve use a load similar to yours in my TC 50 Hawkin and my experience with trajectory is similar to Nechi’s.

 

[DarrinG]

My apologies. I went back and looked at my target again and the grouping gap is not 6 inches, it's 2.50 - 2.75 inches. Even so it doesn't necessarily alleviate my problem of the rear sight bottomed out. Since this is a hunting rifle I just may try a set of Williams Fiber Optic sights.


Should be nice in low-light settings in a heavy canopy deer woods.

 

[necchi]

Why not take what you have,, zero at 50yrds,, then just see where it lands at a closer distance.
The real key is getting a good one hole group at 50 first.
Slow down a bit, you don't get to hunt deer till next fall anyways, :wink:

p.s. it shouldn't be "a grouping" at 50yrds,, it should be one hole

 

[mamero]

Are you using “Six O’clock” hold. Im thinking you are prolly covering the target with your front bead. If so thats your issue.

 

[Don Steele]

Darrin,
I have a 50 cal. T/C also. It gets used for hunting the piney woods in S.E. Georgia where Pine rows can block good shooting light until well up into the morning. Even at close range...30-40 yds for example...you can clearly see a hog, but when you put those black T/C sights on the animal's body...they get lost in the low light and all you have is a "black-on-black blob" (if that makes sense..). I replaced the original T/C sights with the T/C version of "fire sights". REALLY helps making a well placed humane shot in lower light conditions.

 

[dragnetbill]

I have a T/C Hawken .50 (#59,xxx) with a double spade marked barrel that does the same thing. The first time I shot it a couple of years ago with the rear sight all the way down it put seven prb into a single ragged hole at 50 yards with a six o'clock hold on the bull of a 100 yard target; problem is they were at the very top of the target paper, outside of the scoring rings.
Since then I have only shot it at 25 yards where it ragged holes them 2.75" high.
I've been meaning to try a different sight set up, but other rifles and projects keep me procrastenating on this one.

 

[necchi]

Ya know there's plenty of truth to that.
I never cared for the T/C Hawken sights with that little slot and skinny front bead. Nor do I like "fire sights" or "Hi-vis" types, they sure do gather the light well but those great big blobs of green and red make it tough to get a real fine sight picture.
I do like the Patridge style on the Renegade rifles.
With those, if I'm in low light situations I put a touch of "white-out" on the front,, as light improves or it gets too bright I can just scratch it off with a knife blade.

 

[SgtMaj65]

That's what I do on my Renegade, but I use wife's white nail polish. Works pretty good too. And if I don't like it, it scrapes right off.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I've also just put a small piece of white chalk in my shooting bag. It will leave a white mark on the front sight that makes it easier to see in dark conditions. If I want to remove it a damp thumb will wipe it off.

I also replaced my original adjustable sights on my TC Hawkin many years ago with a set of TC's "primitive" partridge style sights. They are not adjustable, but once I got them filed down to shoot where I wanted I didn't have to worry about them moving. I also find this style of sight easier to use for old tired eyes.

 

[Patocazador]

I love the sights on my .50 T/C Hawken. Clear, concise, easy to line up. I've never run into your problem with PRBs or conicals with charges of 60 to 80 rs. of 3F.