Load for my Hawkin 50 cal?

Hi everyone I have a question to ask.....I want to work up a load for my Hawkin 50 cal woodsman. My question is do I adjust the sites as I'm working up the load or do I adjust them after I have the correct load if need be. Thanks for any help you may have....Mauro

Work up to the best load producing the tightest group.
Might want to start at 50 gr of BP ( 5 shots) then increase it to 60 then 70 then 80 gr of BP.
Then when you are satisfied that the rifle is grouping at it's best, then you can adjust the sights.
Also you want a lubed patch that loads easily and doesn't burn out when fired.

thanks veral I'll try that....

I don't change the sights until I work out the load that I'm going to using, "most" of the time.

If the rifle is going to be used for deer hunting, then my personal limit is 50 yds. If I can get the ball or bullet, to try to give me a group that is acceptable to me. For example, one of my rifles is a TC Hawken flintlock, and I'm shooting a round ball, and after testing different ball diameters, patch thickness, 2F and 3F, and different lube combinations. I concluded that 70 grs. of Goex, with an .018 patch,.495 dia. ball and bore butter, was giving me the combination to shoot the group size, that I feel comfortable taking to the field to hunt deer with. It is at this point that I adjust the sights to point of aim. Of course if it was shooting way off, I would bring it in closer, then work from there. There is so many variables with a black powder rifle, that I feel you'd be chasing the sights all over the place, and with the move traditional sights, filing and drifting the sights would more than likely be required.

Seldom am I satisfied with the sights, that come on a rifle, and I am usally going to change from one style to another. I prefer, patridge style over buckhorn, and at age 62, only experimentation will tell,which is best.

Thanks hadden west......Moe

It's actually spelled "Hawken" -- the spelling police will arrive shortly to make an arrest...
:rotf:

I think since it is a facsimile Hawken then facsimile spelling is OK also. Anyway, I have the Traditions Woodsman Hawken and it shoots great with a .490 ball, .018 ticking and 70 grains ffg Goex. It shoots about the same with 90 grains also but I'm shooting paper so don't see the need for the extra powder. After a couple of years of futzing with the adjustable sights I determined I got better accuracy by setting the sights for 50 yards and just using hold adjustments for longer distance. Group first, adjust sights second and practice alot.

Thanks for the suggestion.......Moe

Thanks and sorry for the misspelling....lol

I have two older CVA Hawken cap-locks, both in .50 caliber.

I've designated the Hawken with a 28-inch barrel as my "target" rifle and the Hawken Carbine with the 24-inch barrel as my "deer rifle".

Both rifles shoot tight groups using 47 grains of either Swiss or Goex FFFg if I'm shooting at paper.

For deer hunting, my little (6½ lb.) Hawken Carbine shoots very small groups using 70 grains of Swiss FFFg. I haven't tried Goex in the deer rifle yet, but I will next year.

So far in my tests, the Goex FFFg BP seems to be as accurate as the Swiss FFFg BP, but there's a BIG difference in the cost of the two powders... $22 to $23 a pound for Swiss, $14 a pound for Goex.

I use a .490 Hornady swagged ball, a .016-inch cotton denim cut patch with a thin Vegetable Fiber Wad between the patched ball and the powder in both my target rifle and my hunting Carbine. I use standard CCI #11 percussion caps in both rifles.

I'm not sure if it helped increase the accuracy or not, but both rifles SEEM to be slightly more accurate WITH the veggie fiber wads than without them.

I've been told by a very experienced BP shooter that the veggie fiber wad tends to make the muzzle velocity more consistent by compressing the powder load the same amount for each shot, but I haven't chronographed the muzzle velocities yet to see if that is true.

More testing will be done after the weather gets better in the Spring.

Make GOOD smoke... :thumbsup:


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

I'd give the 25-320 REAL or 370 Maxiball a try. I have a cva hawken that loves all 3 but the 370 maxiball it especially likes with 70gr pyrodex.

.015-.018" patch and .490 round ball with 60-90gr pyrodex rs or goex 2f will certainly be worth checking into as well. Very cheap to shoot on the range and practice with.

Thanks for the suggestions......

Thanks for the suggestions.....