53 cal uberti hawken info

[jpbvs]

Around 15 years ago I bought a 54cal Uberti hawkin from a friend. The barrel is stamped 54 cal but its realy 53cal. I got no paper work with the gun so I was wondering if someone could tell me something about these guns.
I realy like this gun its a shooter.I use .520rb .015 prelube patch 85 gr. ff goex
thanks for any info

 

[bajabuc]

You got yerself a great gun...but I'd use .525 balls and pillow ticking. They're the most authentic mass produced reproduction and I wish they still made them!!

 

[J.D.]

They are good guns. My oldest son out shoots scoped inlines at a small local match with one. Drives the inline shooters absolutely crazy.

He shoots a .520 ball with only 60 FFFG powder. Don't remember what patch thickness or lube he uses, but whatever it is, it works.

 

[brawny man]

A friend told me that the main parts are stamped with the same identifier number. Tang, breech plug etc. That number is also written on the stock under the barrel on mine. You can get some spare parts if you look for VTI under the links section of this forum. You will have to scroll down quite a ways to find it under "suppliers".

 

[silverfox]

Great gun. I use 55 gr 3F, 520 balls and pillow tick patches. the only gun I have shot a 10 shot one hole group with. Love that gun but hate the set on the set trigger its hard. It get a lot of looks everytime I take it out. Yes I sweated that 10th shot.
Fox :thumbsup:

 

[MikeChapin]

I bought two kits when Uberti was discontinuing them. The first one was finished and sighted in and I was taking it to its first shoot when I had a motorhome fire and it was destroyed. In memorium its barrel is now part of a campfire grill.

I got the second with the insurance settlement and put it together fast to have something to shoot. I have been shooting that rifle ever since. It was the only rifle that I shot a 500-2x with on an offhand six bull. A few years ago I saw that the rifle was shooting irratically. I found it was occasionally burning out the .015 patches with the .520 ball and 50 grain load I was using. When I got the first rifle I could not find a .520 mould so got a Lyman .515 mould. I did find a .520 before the rifle was finished so used it. I cleaned up the old .515 mould and used a .024 denim patch and the rifle came back in.

I use 50 grains for 25 and 50 yard competion and 80 grains for 100 yard and hunting. The 80 grain load will drop an elk at under 100 yards.

The rifle is the closest to a Hawken of any of the production rifles at the time. Uberti took measurements off a lot of museum Hawkens to get the lines right and come up with a generic Hawken. That's where the .53 caliber came from.

 

[Bountyhunter]

Welcome to the forum, Pilgrim.

First off, they are Hawken rifles, not hawkins.

I have 3 of them. Some of them were sold as Santa Fe Hawken rifles. The .53 is my main rifle. It is a very accurate rifle. It has a sweet spot about 65 gr for target work and it has another at 120 gr for hunting. Both are equally accurate.

Mine works best with .520 balls patched with pillow ticking. I lube with venison tallow lube that I make.

 

[50cal.cliff]

What no pics? If you are going to brag up a gun like that I figure that is worth some pics that actually show the Hawken comparison! :wink:

 

[jpbvs]

Thanks for all the info everybody,you all make me like this gun even more. I thought about trying some 3f powder and different patches but get to thinking if it aint broke don't fix it, I would consider trying .525 balls and pillow ticking if you tell me were I can get them.
about pictures I wouldn't have the foggiest idea how to put them on here.
Sorry about the spelling(hawken,hawken,hawken)
All the guys I hunt with use inlines they can't under stand why I use prb yet I just tell them if you have to ask you wouldn't understand.
THIS FORUM IS GREAT!!!!!
THANKS AGAIN

 

[Mulebrain]

Here is mine!

This is a Hege Uberti, and was re imported from Germany. It is the same gun as the Santa Fe! I think these are the best looking production guns ever made in the last 100 years!

 

[Mossyrock]

Here is mine!

This is a Hege Uberti, and was re imported from Germany. It is the same gun as the Santa Fe! I think these are the best looking production guns ever made in the last 100 years!

Oh my! :shocked2: Mine weren't anywhere NEAR that purty!!

 

[mykeal]

Track of the Wolf has .526 round balls, item BALL-526-X: TOTW Ball Ammunition

Wall-Mart, JoAnn Fabrics, K-Mart and many other places that sell fabrics will have pillow ticking. Be sure to wash it before cutting it up and shooting with it.