• This community needs YOUR help today. We rely 100% on Supporting Memberships to fund our efforts. With the ever increasing fees of everything, we need help. We need more Supporting Members, today. Please invest back into this community. I will ship a few decals too in addition to all the account perks you get.



    Sign up here: https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/account/upgrades

load info please

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

koz

36 Cl.
Joined
Aug 7, 2019
Messages
88
Reaction score
52
I recently won a like new T/C, Hawken #11 cap rifle. I only paid 260.00 for the gun. I need to know what would be a safe load?

I want to use it for deer hunting. My hunting area is NJ-PA wood lots. My longest shots are in 75 yards.
 
For a .50 caliber start at 55 grains. For a .54 caliber start at 60 grains. Shoot 5 shoots and up the charge 5 grains at a time till you see what it likes (smallest group). Then ya start on patch thickness, then patch lube. Then chewing tobacco (I have found the best groups are had while chawing Grizzly long cut wintergreen, you'll wanna shoot with Skoal, Coppenhagen, Redman etc etc). When yer thinking yer done then ya can try different brands of powder and try 2f vs 3f. Some say caps can even make a difference? Remember to make ONLY 1 change at a time or you'll always wonder if the groups tightened cuz you used mink oil instead of MAP or if its cuz you opened a new can of Cope instead of last weeks Skoal. WRITE DOWN THE CHANGES/RESULTS.

Keep us posted. BTW the best load for deer up to 75 yds is anything over 45-50 gr that is your tightest shooting (grouping) load.
 
My 45 would hit 8 of 10 in bull at 100 yards with a PRB and 70gns fff.
 
lol thanks my 50 cal flinter likes 80 grains of goex 2f. I am very excited ti go shoot this weekend. I quit leaf,long cut,and snuff long time ago.:D
 
awesome thanks anything else I need to get started? I am picking up can of 3 f goex and some caps. I have 45 cal balls and patches etc.
 
powder measure-yes
45 cleaning jag not yet still looking. My local shop only has 50 cal.
 
I've always thought that 75 grains seemed to be the sweet spot in a .45, powerful and accurate. Personally I'll take a little more power over a slight edge in accuracy. The side of a deer is a pretty big target, and a 2" group is really no advantage over a 3" group. I envy you guys that chew, my pipe scares them away...they can smell it for miles. Then again, I myself can probably be smelled for miles.
 
Nipple wrench or make one out of a socket. A six side that width fits then slot it parallel to the flats. They've always worked better than the store bought for me and cheaper. You can get all the sockets you need cheap at pawn shops.
 
For a .50 caliber start at 55 grains. For a .54 caliber start at 60 grains. Shoot 5 shoots and up the charge 5 grains at a time till you see what it likes (smallest group). Then ya start on patch thickness, then patch lube. Then chewing tobacco (I have found the best groups are had while chawing Grizzly long cut wintergreen, you'll wanna shoot with Skoal, Coppenhagen, Redman etc etc). When yer thinking yer done then ya can try different brands of powder and try 2f vs 3f. Some say caps can even make a difference? Remember to make ONLY 1 change at a time or you'll always wonder if the groups tightened cuz you used mink oil instead of MAP or if its cuz you opened a new can of Cope instead of last weeks Skoal. WRITE DOWN THE CHANGES/RESULTS.

Keep us posted. BTW the best load for deer up to 75 yds is anything over 45-50 gr that is your tightest shooting (grouping) load.


If those newfangled yeti coolers could keep your icetea cold for the time it takes to "work up a load for a new gun" THAT would really be a heck of a cooler. :rolleyes: Grizzly long cut wintergreen isn't HC I only use levi garrett plug, if I wanted to shoot wintergreen I'd get me a Buck Rodgers LASER gun. :p
 
I currently like 60 grains of 3F in my two .45s. If I'm worried then there is always 70 grains for a bit more muscle. I've killed lots of deer with 80 grains in the past but 60 works just fine.
 
Don't you know you can't kill a deer unless you fill the bore 1/2 inch from the top full of powder, then ram the ball home. I've heard it said that deer are hard to kill unless you use howitzer loads.:D
 
Back
Top