Trouble loading the Pedersoli Hawken Hunter 50 cal

[oxfordpa]

got a Hawken Hunter 50 cal from
mL.com and took it to the range. It is very difficult driving the bullet down the barrel. I actually had to hammer on the ball starter tool to get it in the first few inches. Then if I didn't run a cleaning patch down the barrel after every shot I couldn't get the bullet all the way down without tapping the ramrod with a hammer.
It is 1/24 rifle barrel, shooting 70g 2f

I initially tried hornady Great Plains 385g but they wouldn’t budge.

The tech at muzzle-loader told me to try a lead power belt 348g and it is just as difficult.

Any help is appreciated. I’m such a rookie but have shot inline for years and never an issue

Thank you

Mike

 

[R Ellis]

Check the bore measurements and let us know

 

[[email protected]]

Pederosi?? LOL

 

[MountainHunter01]

Just out of curiosity have you tried round balls and patches? Out of my hawken with a 1/24 twist barrel they shoot better and are very accurate out to at least 100 yards and they load much much easier than any maxi ball or sabot projectile I’ve shot. If you must shoot sabot projectiles you may want to consider upping your powder load as well. It was recommended to me with 250 gr sabot bullets to use at least 95 gr of black powder. 70gr of FF and a .495 rd ball is what im shooting now and I can consistently hit a 6 or so kill zone at 100yds

 

[MountainHunter01]

Just out of curiosity have you tried round balls and patches? Out of my hawken with a 1/24 twist barrel they shoot better and are very accurate out to at least 100 yards and they load much much easier than any maxi ball or sabot projectile I’ve shot. If you must shoot sabot projectiles you may want to consider upping your powder load as well. It was recommended to me with 250 gr sabot bullets to use at least 95 gr of black powder. 70gr of FF and a .495 rd ball is what im shooting now and I can consistently hit a 6 or so kill zone at 100yds

As for cleaning, the best cleaning you can do is to remove the barrel, remove the touch hole liner, pour boiling water down until it runs clear, run un lubed, dry cleaning patches through until they come out clean and fairly dry and then put some bore butter on a cleaning patch and run that up and down the inside and outside of the barrel a few times. Use some black powder solvent on the lock and touch hole liner with a cotton swab and reassemble

 

[#BPBReloadingFFL]

Here's a thread on the 1/24 twist
https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/1-24-twist.128620/

 

[Flintlock Fellow]

As for cleaning, the best cleaning you can do is to remove the barrel, remove the touch hole liner, pour boiling water down until it runs clear, run un lubed, dry cleaning patches through until they come out clean and fairly dry and then put some bore butter on a cleaning patch and run that up and down the inside and outside of the barrel a few times. Use some black powder solvent on the lock and touch hole liner with a cotton swab and reassemble

I’d highly caution against removing the touch hole liner in your flintlock every time you clean it because frequent removal can lead to unnecessary wear on the threads, potentially causing them to strip or loosen over time. Touch hole liners are designed to be durable, but constant removal and re-threading weaken the fit and can result in poor sealing, leading to gas leakage during firing.

Instead, you can clean the liner thoroughly without removing it by using tools like pipe cleaners, small brushes, or compressed air to clear out residue. A flush with warm, soapy water or your preferred cleaning solution will also reach the touch hole and keep it clean without putting stress on the threads. Reserve removal for occasional maintenance or if you suspect a blockage that can’t be cleared otherwise.

This approach will extend the life of your lock and maintain its reliability.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

got a Hawken Hunter 50 cal from
mL.com and took it to the range. It is very difficult driving the bullet down the barrel. I actually had to hammer on the ball starter tool to get it in the first few inches. Then if I didn't run a cleaning patch down the barrel after every shot I couldn't get the bullet all the way down without tapping the ramrod with a hammer.
It is 1/24 rifle barrel, shooting 70g 2f

I initially tried hornady Great Plains 385g but they wouldn’t budge.

The tech at muzzle-loader told me to try a lead power belt 348g and it is just as difficult.

Any help is appreciated. I’m such a rookie but have shot inline for years and never an issue

Thank you

Mike

What do your patches look like? Do the patches look as if they can be used again, or are they torn, perforated, ripped….

 

[Steve Wagner]

You might want to try 100-200 strokes of 0000 steel wool on a jag down that new barrel and ease up the crown edges with your thumb and some 400 grit cloth. Huge difference for me. Conicals were very tight in my new barrels and the sharp crown didn't help. I thought the 385 Hornady was a no go until I did that. You might want to try their 240 grain PA Conical too. A bit shorter and less bearing surface to fight. One pop with a short starter and they should slide right down with enough resistance to keep them in place. Avoid the temptation to remove the factory lube. It's weird, sticky stuff, but it works.
Also, as mentioned, you might want to try some round balls. If you start with a .490 and see what thickness of patch is the thickest you can tolerate, for ease of loading, you will get an idea of how tight your bore is.
Watch some Black Powder Maniac videos and see the accuracy he gets with thin patches, no short starter, and no arm wrestling. I use .010 patches and .490 round balls in two rifles and they shoot great for hunting accuracy. I might use thicker patches for target accuracy if I was into matches, but I want to be able to reload more quickly in the field.
As it is, I now use the PA Conicals for accuracy, ease of loading and they have produced rapid kills for me. They split the weight/velocity extremes of round balls and big [400 grn. +-] conicals nicely. I have 48 twists but they should shoot fine in a 24. SW

 

[R Ellis]

I

You might want to try 100-200 strokes of 0000 steel wool on a jag down that new barrel and ease up the crown edges with your thumb and some 400 grit cloth. Huge difference for me. Conicals were very tight in my new barrels and the sharp crown didn't help. I thought the 385 Hornady was a no go until I did that. You might want to try their 240 grain PA Conical too. A bit shorter and less bearing surface to fight. One pop with a short starter and they should slide right down with enough resistance to keep them in place. Avoid the temptation to remove the factory lube. It's weird, sticky stuff, but it works.
Also, as mentioned, you might want to try some round balls. If you start with a .490 and see what thickness of patch is the thickest you can tolerate, for ease of loading, you will get an idea of how tight your bore is.
Watch some Black Powder Maniac videos and see the accuracy he gets with thin patches, no short starter, and no arm wrestling. I use .010 patches and .490 round balls in two rifles and they shoot great for hunting accuracy. I might use thicker patches for target accuracy if I was into matches, but I want to be able to reload more quickly in the field.
As it is, I now use the PA Conicals for accuracy, ease of loading and they have produced rapid kills for me. They split the weight/velocity extremes of round balls and big [400 grn. +-] conicals nicely. I have 48 twists but they should shoot fine in a 24. SW

only use .010 patches also and they load easy and I get good accuracy . I have some .015 patches and they are hard to load even in a clean barrel so I don't use them .Just what works for me

 

[Steve Wagner]

I

only use .010 patches also and they load easy and I get good accuracy . I have some .015 patches and they are hard to load even in a clean barrel so I don't use them .Just what works for me

Exactly my experience as well, R Ellis. Thanks, SW.

 

[Steve Wagner]

Also, it wouldn't hurt for the OP to add a bit more lube of his own to the 385 Great Plains bullets, What they come with is a bit skimpy and not much help. If you hunt with them, keep the muzzle up at all times to prevent forward bullet creep, or at least check once in a while with your ramrod.
Swipe with a lightly lubed or oiled cloth between shots.
And remember, a steady diet of those big conicals is harder on your rifle and wears out nipples quite fast. The Great Plains is a good bullet but very expansive with its hollow point, and may not exit at closer ranges. The PA Conical has exited, with signs of decent expansion, on all 5 deer I have taken with them, from 30 to 80 yards. Just two years of ML hunting, so like you, still learning. Piles of deer with centerfire unmentionables, but this ML thing is addictive for thick woods.
Don't discount the round ball either. It is a killer for most. I just hunt a lot of state and private land with residential borders and want every edge I can get to keep em in the boundaries. Friends tell me it isn't that fun retrieving a deer from someone's front yard. The farthest run so far with conicals is 70 yards. Shortest are 2 flops. Average is about 25 yards. SW

 

[Tasbay]

I have one. In 50cal ,1-48. It has the tightest barrel of all my 50 cal`s. Seems to be the norm with these Pedersoli`s. Have been conversing with a guy in Aussie who has just bought one, has same thing, they are straight shooters though.

 

[Steve Wagner]

I have one. In 50cal ,1-48. It has the tightest barrel of all my 50 cal`s. Seems to be the norm with these Pedersoli`s. Have been conversing with a guy in Aussie who has just bought one, has same thing, they are straight shooters though.

Good to know on these Pedersolis, Tasbay. Maybe a swage could be used for factory conicals to ease things up. Or order a properly sized mould. SW