A good load for a .54 cal. Hawken

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seadog28

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Hi All! I just purchased anice used .54 cal. Hawken by Hastings of Clay Center Ks and I was looking for some advice on a good load for this rifle. Round ball or conical? Black powder of Pyrodex? I'll probably just punch paper for a while but sure would appreciate any help.

I've built two Kentucky flinters in .45 cal. but it's been 20 years since I messed with muzzle loaders. I feel the need to go back to the basics.

Thanks, seadog28
 
The gun will decide what load it likes. I use 90 grains of Pyrodex RS with a .530 round ball and a .010 patch. Mine has a 1:66 twist. A 1:48 is decent with round ball or conical but not best for either. Anything faster will be conical only.
 
Hawg is right. Your rifle will decide what it likes. I have a .56 cal T/C Renegade,smoothebore,that I shoot .54 cal rb's thru,and it loves em'. It doesn't care much for conicals,but I get real good groupings @ 100 yds. with the rb's. I use 100 gr Pyrodex RS,with .530 round ball,and .010 patch. Hope this helps.:)
 
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.54 cal. load

Thanks guys for the info. I am not sure what the rate of twist is for the Hastings barrel, can't seem to find out much info on the hastings Hawkens. I'll report my results as soon as I can get to the range.
 
Put a tight fitting patch on your ramrod jag and push it to the bottom of the bore. mark the rod at the muzzle even with the front sight, Pull it out letting it turn with the rifling until you get a half turn. Mark it again and measure between the marks. Multiply X 2 and you will be pretty close to actual twist. Or you can do a quarter turn and multiply X 4.
 
Hawg is right. Your rifle will decide what it likes. I have a .56 cal T/C Renegade,smoothebore,that I shoot .54 cal rb's thru,and it loves em'. It doesn't care much for conicals,but I get real good groupings @ 100 yds. with the rb's. I use 100 gr Pyrodex RS,with .530 round ball,and .010 patch. Hope this helps.
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What is considered good groups @ 100 yards with these smoothebores? I have no experience with these.
 
A Hawken is not a smooth bore. With a slow twist and a round ball I wouldn't quit till I got at least two inch groups.
 
A Hawken is not a smooth bore
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Yes I understand but you said:

I have a .56 cal T/C Renegade,smoothebore,that I shoot .54 cal rb's thru,and it loves em'. It doesn't care much for conicals,but I get real good groupings @ 100 yds. with the rb's. I use 100 gr Pyrodex RS,with .530 round ball,and .010 patch
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I was wondering what real good groupings were at 100 yards from the .56 cal T/C Renegade smoothebore?
 
.54 cal. Hawken by Hastings of Clay Center Ks
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Question: seadog28: Is this the same manufacture that makes Hastings rifled shotgun barrels too? As I've been unable to find hardly any info about your B/P rifles twist rate for some reason?
 
Hawg is right. Your rifle will decide what it likes. I have a .56 cal T/C Renegade,sm

LAH,I average 3"-4" groups @ 100 yds.My eyes are not what they used to be,but I put out a 9" paper plate with a 3" orange dot in the center,and 4 out of 5 will land in,or touch that circle,darn near every time. That's good enough for me.I have also spent a lot of time at the range with all of my weapons,so I have gotten to know them quite well. I feel that is probably why I shoot them well.:)
 
Renegade

I have a .56 smoothie. :D It is quite fun!! I can't help with data on the 100 yard groups. My range here is only 50 yards, but I can't tell a difference in rifling vs. no rifling at that distance. Several others have told me that it matters more when you get past 70 yards, but I can't personally verify that.
I have been using 70 grains of Pyrodex P (because it's what I have) with a .550 round ball.
 
Yes, Sure Shot the gun was made by the shotgun barrel maker. As I understand it they were supposed to do a run of 1000 especially for Cabelas but only wound up making 250. I think that was back in the late 90's. It is a very high quality rifle with browned furniture and barrel and a curly maple stock. It is in the original hawken style. Looks are good but if it doesn't shoot it's only wood and metal.
 
It is a very high quality rifle
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Well we got one piece of the puzzle solved. Is it a cap or flinter? Your original post doesn't say. I don't know for sure Seadog28. Maybe Haug Haggen does. On a flintlock. If one were to pull its vent liner. Could a bright light show its bore condition providing it has a pretty clean breech area not needing to be scraped? Otherwise a simple drop down its barrel type of bore light is required. It sure would be nice to try it out._:)
 
Thanks Capper. Never owned a smooth bore rifle but always wanted one. Do you cast you

No LAH, I don't cast my own rb's.(not yet anyway) Someday, I would like to try my hand at it.
 
If it's a rendition of a true Hawken it's percussion. There's only one original Hawken flinter known to exist and none referred to historically. Not to my knowledge anyway. There probably were a few more but given the low production numbers of the percussion's I doubt it would have more than a handful if that many.
 
I average 3"-4" groups @ 100 yds.My eyes are not what they used to be
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Capper, that is top notch championship shooting. I'll bet you are the record holder for every big match coast to coast. What were your groups when your eyes were good? Must have been one hole.
Is that bench rest or offhand shooting you are talking about?
I know even the bench rest guys with the big guns often don't group like that.
Is your house big enough to hold all your trophies?
 
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