TC rb barrel choice

[pepperbelly]

I have 2 TC hawkens, one .50 and the other a .54.
Which might benefit more from the TC roundball barrel? Would one caliber get more from the switch than the other?

Jim

 

[MSW]

fwiw, i'd go with the .54

just my 2 cents worth

 

[jtmattison]

I'd go with the .54. I'd also go with a Green Mountain barrel. I can't speak for T/C barrels but I know Green Mountain barrels are awesome shooters.

HD

 

[WV MZL HUNTER]

54 :thumbsup:

 

[roundball]

I have 2 TC hawkens, one .50 and the other a .54.
Which might benefit more from the TC roundball barrel? Would one caliber get more from the switch than the other?

Jim

I've shot a lot of PRBs in TC .45/.50/.54cal standard 1:48" twists, and a lot of them in TC .45/.50/.54cal 1:66" RB barrels...there's not enough difference between them to be able to tell the targets apart at 100yds.

And in spite of all the shooting I've done with both barrel twists in all three calibers, I couldn't even guess with caliber RB barrel would provide more benefit over it's standard barrel counterpart.

So unless all those responding have also made side x side comparisons with markedly different results than I did, they may have simply been saying what their "caliber choice" was between a .50 and a .54cal...as opposed to which caliber RB barrel would provide more benefit over a standard barrel as you asked...dunno.

Since you already have a larger caliber, and with the price of lead going through the roof, TC's .50cal x 32" x 1:66 RB barrel would be my choice for more economical year round shooting...

 

[FishDFly]

pepperbelly,

I guess the first thing that comes to mind, is what do you want to do with the new RB barrel?

If it was hunting, I would lean to the 54.

If you are looking at paper targets and general fun shooting, I would consider a 45 barrel. The 40 is nice, but it gets awful heavy with that small of a bore. A lot of the paper punchers use either the 40 or 45 depending on where they shoot, have to consider the wind.

Most likely I would opt for the 45 to have something new and use less powder and lead.

RDE

 

[nw_hunter]

If it were me, and the (WIFE) would let me, I would get both :grin:

 

[boar]

My buddy bought one for each of his guns,54 50 45 58 I shot them and they were darn good shoters. Make a believer out of you. Dilly

 

[El Lobo]

You might check the Green Mountain website (www.gmriflebarrel.com) and see if they have something to fit your Hawken.

I just ordered 2 .45 cal. barrels from Green Mountain for my Renegade. They were clearance items. One is a 32" with a 1 in 66 twist for RB shooting. The other is a 28" Long Range Hunter barrel with a 1 in 28 twist for hunting. The LRH barrel comes with Williams Firesights. Like I said, these are clearance items. I paid $100 for the 32" barrel and $95 for the LRH, plus $16.95 shipping. $212 for a pair of Green Mountain barrels is a bargain.

 

[pepperbelly]

It's my understanding that the roundball barrel with it's slower twist rate will allow me to use more powder to increase velocity and power- up to a point, over the 1 in 48" twist. I didn't know if that extra power might be more useful in the .50 than the .54. Both will mostly punch paper, etc. but I will be doing some hunting with them.
The idea of replacing the .50 barrel with a .45 roundball barrel is interesting. I hadn't thought of that. Does the .45 have an advantage over the .50?
For now I will be replacing one of the barrels. Eventually I might replace both. If I can find a .45 TC Hawken for the price I like I will probably get it.

Roundball, what I was also thinking was if the .54 might be better used exclusively with roundballs and maybe save the .50 as is to use with lighter roundball loads and with the TC maxi-balls, etc. for heavier hits if needed.

I know there is no clear answer. I want to hear as many opinions t help me decide.

I also know that I could just shoot both with the stock barrel, but what's the fun in that?

Jim

 

[El Lobo]

Honestly, the big reason I am buying the .45 barrels is price. 2 GM barrels for $200 is a heck of a deal. I am a greenhorn to muzzleloading but my research has indicated that the .45 is generally a flatter RB shooter than the larger .54 barrel I have currently. Plus, .45 is cheaper to load and shoot at paper. If I decide to try hunting with a muzzleloader, I certainly don't plan on hunting anything bigger than our little blacktails here in western Washington with the rifle, so a 255 gr. Maxi Hunter (or another equivalent conical) from the 1 in 28 Long Range Hunter barrel should be sufficient for my purposes. And I figure, worst case, having 3 barrels will make the rifle more attractive to a potential buyer should I decide to sell it in order to acquire another rifle in the future.

Be good.

 

[pepperbelly]

Do those .45s come with a roundball twist or just the fast twist?

Jim

 

[El Lobo]

I ordered one each of 1 in 60 twist x 32 inch length (stock number 910245) and 1 in 28 twist x 28 inch length (stock number 910246). You might call Green Mountain Rifle Barrels to check on availability. The nice lady I talked with said these are clearance items and they didn't have very many left in stock.

 

[Dillohide]

The T/C Hawkin 54 Cal is a 1" across the flats barrel so you can put the 58 Cal Green Mountain barrel on it ... 32" long with 1-70 twist. Mine fit perfectly on the Renegade and it is a shooter. Hit the sweet spot with .570 round ball, .18 patch and 100 grains pyrodex rs.

 

[roundball]

The T/C Hawkin 54 Cal is a 1" across the flats barrel so you can put the 58 Cal Green Mountain barrel on it ... 32" long with 1-70 twist. Mine fit perfectly on the Renegade and it is a shooter. Hit the sweet spot with .570 round ball, .18 patch and 100 grains pyrodex rs.

I have that same GM .58cal barrel in Flint on a large size Hawken stock...same load except it's 100grns Goex FFg...just seems like if I get it 'pointed' in the general direction of the target it just seeks out the bullseye...incredibly accurate barrel and/or caliber

 

[Dillohide]

Yes, it is so accurate that I usually don't tell people the 100 yard groups I get ... most wouldn't believe it. I've got scoped center fires that don't shoot this well. I was so impressed that I ordered the 50 Cal 1-70 twist to go with it, but it's on back order.

 

[FishDFly]

pepperbelly,

To me the advantage of the 45 over 50 is economics, a bit cheaper to shoot. I don’t really see recoil as that much of an issue.

I have 2 slow twist GM barrels in 45 cal, one is 15/16 and one is 1". I prefer the 15/16 because it is lighter and to me better balanced. For some reason I have more 45s than anything else. For paper punching 40s and 45s are the most popular.

RDE