TC .54 Hawkens Minies Accuracy

[nkbj]

Has anyone found out how well TC .54s with 1:48 twist handle minies?

 

[PreglerD]

I have a T/C Hawken .54, but never used Minies. I think PRB a fully enough for both hunting and target practice.
I guess that the T/C will Minies or other conicals shoot well because of its medium ROT of 1 in 48".

Regards

Kirrmeister

 

[badpenny]

I have,pretty accurate as long as you don't overload. A thin skirt can blow out and accuracy goes south.It is devastating on the small whitetails here in S.C.Lyman makes a .54 mold with a heavy skirt,it can take heavy charges.

 

[nkbj]

Lyman No. 542622 just barely engraves on the rifling in my old lefthanded and shamefully ignored New Englander. I should mold a bunch of them and work up a load.

 

[Swampman]

I've never been able to get a conical to shoot well out of a T/C but I know some folks have.

 

[nkbj]

It sounds pretty hit or miss don't it?
Was that a bad pun or what.
I've got the entrance on the New Englander's "Quick Load" muzzle counterbore ground enough to take the square edge off. Gonna try it with bullets. Can't help but wonder how the gas stream bypassing within the QLA interacts with projectiles and patches. And yikes, what if a minie's skirt expands inside the counterbore!!!
And if it doesn't expand you get gas cutting?

 

[stubshaft]

My best accuracy comes from Great Plains conicals. Neither of the two Renegade 54's that I own shoot PRB's.

 

[bigted]

:surrender: something to consider with the long bullets...my t/c hawkin that i built years ago was the first gun i tryed the long bullets in and i nearly threw my gun away over the years becouse of them...let me explain.

i just got her finished and wanted to go hunt elk in oregon with it so i rushed out and bought a couple kinds of long bullets for it. i then proceeded to the range where i started with a fairly good size handfull of powder and let fly with it. never got accuracy and over the years procedded to try diff bullets and balls with diff dia and thickness of patching. nothing worked.

then just about a mounth ago [ yes i been fooling with this thing for a long time] a fella here sugested that maybe i had leaded the barrel. now i didnt think that this was a problem as i never heard of leading a ml. but i thought what the heck...ive tryed everything else i could to make her shoot. soaked her with copper and lead remover and scrubbed the piss[ er lead] outta the barrel. oiled her up and let set for a week. took this poor hawkins out yesterday and BINGO she finally shoots straight.

now i know this is a windy explanation but i wanted to explane the leading so maybe you wont go thru the trial i went thru. so here is the admonition,,,,,,,if ya shoot anything but rb in yer hawkins gun,,,keep em light loads and if per chance ya load up to max,,,un-lead yer barrel rite away when the accuracy goes to heck [ this is a tough job so i will not shoot the long bullets anymore. its 54 cal and those rb carry enough punch for me and the recoil is tons better then a big handfull of powder and watching with horror as it blows the hammer back to full cock when ya let go with this big charge.

as usual there is my 2 cent

have fun :bow:

 

[nkbj]

You know, after grinding the square edges inside the QLA it's time to retry everything.
Don't know if enough metal was taken off to get it to stop ripping patches but an afternoon of fun will find out. Can always take off a little more metal.

 

[morehops]

I havn't had good luck with minis but all of my 1:48 twist guns shoot either Maxi balls or Maxi hunters very well. It differs from gun to gun. Usually a tight fitting bullet works best but I've found exceptions. Go to the range with a variety of projectiles, lots of powder and keep good notes. Hope your shoulder holds out too :wink:

 

[BrownBear]

Based on experience with 58 caliber (if that counts) and 1:48 barrels, take a close look at the oversized Lee Improved Minie.

The oversize helps keep it seated down on the powder during field carry. Haven't shot any game with mine yet, but that big oversize meplat on the nose is going to make it deadly- much better than conventional minies with their small meplat. It's supposedly a little thicker in the skirt to allow a little bigger powder charges for hunting loads. Best of all, it's one of the most accurate of all things I stuff down the bore of my 1:48 58 cal barrels.

I'm shooting mine over 90 grains of Goex 3f, and does it ever look like the right thing any time I feel the need for a conical. I'm going to project the same for that .540 version. I'm lubing with liquid Alox, BTW.

 

[Vaino]

Have shot 410 gr. "Buffalo Bullets" out of a 1:48 bbl w/ excellent accuracy but no longer use them because they don't stay on the powder. Don't think any conical will stay on the charge w/ a clean bbl and went to a PRB because of this. Also...w/ big elk loads, the leading of the bore was such that the rifling was nearly indiscernable....Fred