"used" Hawken

[Jack9211]

Good day all....I bought "used" T/C Hawken, .50 cal. I could barely keep it on paper. This is my first muzzle loader, so everything for me is trial & error. Now she's coming around good after I have put about 140 or so .490's through it. I am thinking it just wasn't shot much. The owner of the shop I bought it at just grinned at me when I told him that. Said it happens all the time. People buy them & just don't give them a chance to get good. He gave me some .495's to try and some thicker patches (.020)......I am having a blast experimenting and learning. I have learned alot on this forum, and thank you all for that. I am now hooked. Haven't fired a modern firearm since I got my Hawken. And I shot plenty.

Jack

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

I have a Thompson Center Hawken .50 cal also. The rifle specs call for a .490 ball. Give that a try. You will find it easier to load. Also, depending on the distances you are shooting, start out with around 50-60 gr FFFG. There really is no need to give the rifle the maximum charge for shooting paper targets.
Pillow ticking has been good enough for me for the patching. Next you'll need a good lube for the patch. That can be simple enough to come up with. They are commercially available, and there are recipes for lubes here on the forum.
Shoot your rifle from a sandbag rest until you both settle in. Then you'll know what the rifle likes.
Most of all, have fun. :thumbsup:

 

[ebiggs1]

You didn’t say what condition the rifle is in but if it hasn’t been shot much I am going to suspect it is very good. I have not noticed the “you have to break it in with a 100+ shots” on any of my TC Hawken rifles. And I have shot (owned) a goodly number, which will remain obscure for now!
But anyway they like, as a generic statement:
Pyrodex RS or P,or
Goex Pinnacle 2f or 3f, or
GOEX 2f or 3f
CCI or Remington primers
490 RB, I use Hornadys
.018 pillow partch
Bore Butter and wetter is better than dryer.
They are simple guns and very forgiving.

 

[Zonie]

The Thompson Center Hawkens has a barrel with a 1:48 twist that was designed for both patched roundballs and conicals.

Conicals don't work well with deep rifling grooves so TC decided to make the grooves .005 deep which is sort of a compromise.

Because of the relatively shallow grooves TC's usually produce their best roundball accuracy if the ball/patch combination is tight.

A .490 diameter ball with a .018-.020 thick patch should give good accuracy and often the .495 diameter ball with the same patch thickness will produce even better accuracy.

You didn't say what the powder load or the type of powder was but a load of 60-70 grains of 2Fg or 3Fg will give enough power for deer hunting and target shooting.
The heavier powder loads give more velocity but it is often at the cost of a bit of accuracy.

If you are using one of the synthetic black powders like Pyrodex or 777 you will get fewer "hang fires" if you use CCI Magnum or RWS 1075 caps.
These caps have a bit more heat which helps set off the higher ignition points of the synthetic powders.

 

[Jack9211]

Thanks all...I started with .490 balls and .015 patches. After about 100 rounds they were very easy to load....That's why I was given some .495's to try, and some .020 patches. I found 60 grains to be just right at 50 yards for paper. Next step for me is .018 pillow ticking & .495 balls. And I do use the 1075 caps per the gunshop owners advice. Oh yeah....synthetic 3f powder. The .495's he gave me were cast in his shop. Guess that's next for me too !! Got the bug, bad.

jack

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Sounds like you're having fun! And you've gotten some good advice too!

Also sounds like that Shop of yours is something that the rest of us would like to know more about. Although I'm in NJ, I have a friend who's into muzzleloading that goes up to Maine quite a lot. She may want to stop-in at that Shop and check it out!

Dave

 

[Zonie]

Yup.
Gunshop owners that actually know about muzzleloading guns and what is required to shoot them are a rare thing anymore.

 

[Jack9211]

That's all he does....his shop name is Strictly Muzzleloading. Nothing but. And he has a machine shop there as well. He is passionate about it and get's excited when a newbie get's excited. He has helped me alot. He wins all the shoots around here, but also helps everyone around him. I can give phone numbers & e-mail address if anyone gets up here.......

 

[William O.]

That's good to hear! Are you planning to hunt, target shoot or both with it?

 

[Jack9211]

Both......just bought my muzzleloading tag today. On vacation this week & plan to shoot plenty.

 

[William O.]

Your new .50 cal should work well, hope it connects with some choice game this season.

If you want to try shooting conicals I suggest the Lee REAL bullets if you can find them or the T/C maxi-hunters. However, a .50 cal RB works well on game.

 

[DarenN]

Yup.
Gunshop owners that actually know about muzzleloading guns and what is required to shoot them are a rare thing anymore.

YEP!!
there is one guy in my local shop that has a passing interest in muzzleloading. everything he knows, he learned from me.

 

[1in48]

I also shop at strickly muzzloading. The guy does know his stuff and is always willing to share his knowledge.