.50 Cal small game loads?

[Ontario Hawken]

Just curious if anyone would recommend a load for small game using a T/C 50 cal Hawken? Would 25 gr of FFG behind a 175 gr round ball do the job on rabbits?

 

[paulvallandigham]

Surely it will, provided you aren't trying to shoot a rabbit at 100 yds! The best way to answer your own question is to simply try the load on a STEEL can- tuna can works. If it will penetrate a steel can, it certainly will kill a rabbit.

25-35 grains of FFFg powder should give you a light load for this kind of hunting, with a .50 cal. The main thing is to find a load that is accurate. At that low a powder charge, you may need to use a larger diameter ball( ie. a .495 vs. a .490" ball) because you can't expect the ball to expand as much when the shot is fired. Sometimes using a thicker patch with the smaller diameter ball works, too. Or use an OP wad, or filler to serve as a gas sealer rather than rely on ball expansion and your fabric patch to do that job. Each gun is different: the deeper the grooves in a rifle, the more you have to be concerned about gas blow-by at low velocities.

Remember, you are moving a 175-180 grain hunk of lead at a very thin skinned animal. That ball is going right through that rabbit, no matter what! Work up an ACCURATE load, and go hunting!

 

[BrownBear]

Just curious if anyone would recommend a load for small game using a T/C 50 cal Hawken? Would 25 gr of FFG behind a 175 gr round ball do the job on rabbits?

I use 50 cal lots for snowshoe hare, in both TC Hawkens and Lyman GPRs.

My experience shows that if velocities get too high, even a head shot is likely to spoil shoulder meat.

I've got a little "day" horn that fits in a bag or pocket rather than on a strap, and I keep a 30 grain measure attached to that. It's small enough to overcome the meat loss issues, and has provided great accuracy in all my rifles with no change in ball or patch from my high power loads. Best thing is, with the rifles sighted in dead on at 75 yards with my high power loads, they're hitting dead on at 25 yards and very close to that at 50 yards with the 30 grain charge.

Most of my rifles don't discriminate between Goex 3f and Pyrodex P, though one (a TC as a matter of factt) definitely prefers the Pyro. That's an exception not worth noting, because we're only talking a tiny improvement on already-good groups.

 

[Dphar]

Just curious if anyone would recommend a load for small game using a T/C 50 cal Hawken? Would 25 gr of FFG behind a 175 gr round ball do the job on rabbits?

I have used a 36" barreled 50cal flintlock with 20 gr of FFF to shoot grouse. Just pokes a hole them.
For game at longer ranges past 15 yards or so more powder may be needed to give the needed level of accuracy. Head shots on rabbits with 75-90 grains destroy no meat and with an accurate load can be done at 40-50 yards.

Dan

 

[luieb45]

That's what I've always used until recently when I got a smooth bore .56. I did most .50 cal small game hunting with my traditions kentucky and I used 35 grains of 3fffg and killed a few squirrels and some rabbits. In my T/C renegade .50 I used 30 grains of 3fffg. Just shoot them in the head and you'll be fine. For me using my .50 was the only way I'd be able to hunt small game with a muzzleloader and it was well worth it.