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50 Cal. Hunting Loads

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DarrinG

36 Cal.
Joined
May 22, 2013
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Newbie questions! They say the only dumb question is one that's never asked, right? :)

So I'm working on accuracy loads for my Hawken. I'm getting pretty darn good accuracy with a .490 ball and a .015 patch lubed with Mink Oil and 70 grains of Goex FFg. I'll be hunting whitetail deer come fall and want a load enough to punch through a deer well. I'm wondering if I should up the powder grains for more power (assuming accuracy stays good)?

Second amateur question:

I have been told TOW Mink Oil is a good patch lube for hunting in cold weather. Using this lube, if no shot is fired during a hunt, how long is it Ok to leave the load in the gun (cap off naturally, safety first)? Will the moisture in the lube seep into the powder and the next day the rifle fail to fire?

Thanks for any advice in advance!
 
No problems there I use 80 grains of goex ffg and have shot 5 deer with it all went threw one at 80 yards. Can't imagine 10 grains would make that much of a difference.
 
I put a small bit of wasp nest material been my ball and powder. It absorbs up extra lube that might spoil some of your powder charge.

Far as hawken's go, some of them shoot a bit better in the 90 to 90gr range.

Target vs hunting with your hawken. Practice on something deer shaped. At close range, your dead on, at medium range your ball is a bit high, once going past 80 yards or so, your bullet hit can be hard to guess when your new to using it.

Know what the gun and your sights do at 25,50,75, and 100.

If using a flintlock, change your pan charge a few times a day. Especially if the ground is wet and ypu get that cold wet mid to upper 30 degree days.

When I hunt on stands or blinds, I leave the pan empty and the hoke plugged until a deer is heard or seen.
 
Like others have said, you can try more if you like, but don’t think you “need” more for hunting. Find a load that gives you the best accuracy! These rifles are capable of great accuracy with a little bit of load development.

There is a similar discussion going on in a different thread. More is not always better!

Good luck!!
 
When I use the .50 I hunt with 65 gr (most accurate). Never recovered a ball and never failed to recover a deer! Leave it loaded all hunt if ya want. I personally fire every evening, clean and reload (d'wont nevah have a miss fiah again now ya heah?
 
0-80 grains does it in mine. Even if it does not come out the other side, the flattend ball does its job.
I love mink oil with hunting patches. I have had the load go off after 4 weeks in the barrel, no problems.
When you take the cap off, replace it with a small square of leather or a piece cut off a large rubber band. Lower the hammer. Store the gun cold (barn, garage, trunk). Constant warming in the house then back out to the morning frost may lead to SOME condensation running down the barrel but I've had no problems thus far. :thumbsup:
 
DarrinG said:
I have been told TOW Mink Oil is a good patch lube for hunting in cold weather. Using this lube, if no shot is fired during a hunt, how long is it Ok to leave the load in the gun (cap off naturally, safety first)? Will the moisture in the lube seep into the powder and the next day the rifle fail to fire? I have marked my ramrod with a blue ring, safe. And a red ring below that, loaded. The ramrod goes in the barrel when it's in the rack.

Thanks for any advice in advance!

Now that I have acquired a CO2 ball unloader, I intend to unload with CO2 before returning to camp. No need to clean after unloading. We have a hard rule for our group, no loaded guns in camp, no exceptions. Years ago, my son (only 12 at the time) observed a rifle on the rack with the bolt closed. He reported it to me, I took the weapon off the rack, safety was off, round in the chamber. The rules changed. Now we all unload and check twice.
 
You're pretty much on the money for shooting out to near 100 yards with your load. As for the TOW mink grease, I tried a little experiment. I left a rifle (50 cal as a matter of fact) loaded for a little over a year, just stowed in a corner of my gun room and tagged as loaded. Took it out to the range and there was zero hesitation on firing. Careful cleaning and study of the bore showed zero damage.

Coupla tricks I use for camp hunting or leaving the gun loaded for a few overnights when hunting from the house: After loading I grease another patch with the mink tallow and run it down the bore for an extra coating against moisture. I also put a little tab of oil-tanned leather over the nipple and lower the hammer down onto it to seal out moisture from that end. I do basically the same thing with half of a round toothpick into the vent hole on flinters.
 
I have used CO2 dischargers to unload my rifles at the end of the season or when I know I will be putting the gun back in the safe. I have found that in some cases, the CO2 blows a hole in the compressed powder charge leaving a ring of powder in the breech even though some powder and the patched ball are expelled. If you do not clean the gun by your usual methods, this ring of powder will attract moisture and corrode your breech area. Don't ask how I know this. I ruined a New Englander barrel in this way.
 
I use 70 grains of 3Fg in my 38" .54 barrel, and my shots normally go through both sides of the deer, at 100 yards or less.

You might try 3Fg with that same measure, i.e. 70 grains and see what that does for your accuracy and impact on the target.

Otherwise, don't change a thing.

LD
 
I got really good answers here! Thanks to all of you!

Last week at 40 yards, with the load mentioned above, the rifle shot 7 rounds all touching, a couple partially in the same holes (8 shots but the very first one went high and it was me, not the rifle). The hits were a couple inches high above center but windage was perfect. Before I mess with the sights I'm going to shoot out to 75 and 100 yards and see how it groups shots at longer ranges.

Some very good tips about a small piece of leather over the nipple, hammer down, while left loaded overnight for a hunt the following day!
 
If that's your accuracy load you've already answered your own question. My .50 likes 70 grains of 3F, a .490" ball and a .022" cotton canvas duck patch lubed with TOW mink oil. It's very accurate up to 100 yards. It doesn't take much to penetrate all the way through a deer. The states I've hunted in require a minimum of 50 grains of powder; that load will drop a deer in its tracks.
 
With that kind of accuracy, do not change anything!! Just learn where your rifle shoots and adjust accordingly. With that kind of accuracy you can now adjust your sights for the trajectory you want.

Good luck and make sure you share pictures of all the venison you bring home!!!
 
My son at 12 years old was using a 50 PRB for a youth muzzleloader sheep hunt. The load was 60 grains of FFFg. At 50 yards he put the sheep right down. I did not find and exit in the skin and couldn't figure out for sure if the ball exited or not. I couldn't find it. It's not a deer but it was nearly 200 pounds and had very thick hair. Since that load worked in this case I would be confident on a whitetail deer too.
 
I also just shared a photo, in the thread about a cow elk tag in AZ, of a cow elk my nephew shot last year with a patched ball from his 50 cal using 80 grains of FFg! Check it out if you doubt the effectiveness of such a load!
 
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