Good day at the range w/Hawken

[paulmarcone]

I had a good day at the range with my T/C Hawken, .58 caliber.

I shot three targets freehand from 25 yards -- here are two of the targets:

I also shot a number of rounds seated at 50 yards. Here is that target:

Throughout the day I used 65 grains of Goex 2F, followed by an ox-yoke wad, then a Hornady .570 round ball in a pillow ticking patch.

I fired well over 20 rounds and only swabbed out the barrel once. The wad did a nice job of keeping the barrel clean of fouling.

I made sure to tap the barrel several times after pouring in the powder. No misfires. Everything went fine!

Last winter, I switched to a musket cap nipple and use musket caps with this rifle. Again, no misfires, no problems.

 

[roundball]

The .58cal is a good one for sure...I noticed you posted some targets and I assume they were to generate some discussion, possibly some suggestions, etc...and since 99% of my practice shooting is done sitting down to simulate the way I take my shots in the woods, sitting on the ground leaning against a tree, I'll offer three things that I do that have helped me tighten up my groups.

1)
Sit on the ground with my back solidly against a tree, being right handed I rest my left elbow down aginst my left/front side/chest area with my hand cradling the rifle right in front of the trigger guard, right arm clamped down tight against my right side and the position is almost as rock solid as a bench;

2)
I replaced my TC factory ramrods with 3/8" solid brass rods (from www.octobercountry.com) to put extra weight out front and it reallys helps minimize/eliminate muzzle wander...the bead just hangs on the target;

3)
TC's entry level powder charge for it's .58cal is 80grns Goex 2F...I'd be worried you don't have anywhere near enough velocity out of 65grns for excellent accuracy at 50yds...I settled on a midrange charge of 100grns, zeroed at 50yds as my hunting is in thick woods with the average shot being 40-50 yards.

NOTE:
If you decide to incorporate any of those 3 things, you'll need to rezero as the POI will change...good luck.

 

[paulmarcone]

Here's the picture of the first two targets (freehand at 25 yards)

 

[roundball]

I think those photos are the same as the 25yd targets in the first photo aren't they?...I was referring to the 50 yard target groups

 

[paulmarcone]

Yes, in the past I have gotten good results at 50 yds using 80 to 90 grains of 2f Goex.

I have not shot from 50 yds with this rifle in a while. I stuck with 65 grains throughout. Next time out I will try 80 to 90 grains at 50 yards. That should tighten the groups up a bit.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[BrownBear]

The .58cal is a good one for sure...I noticed you posted some targets and I assume they were to generate some discussion, possibly some suggestions, etc...

I'll toss some discussion into the ring.

I agree about the 58. I've got two of them, one 26" (custom barreled TC) and the other a 36" (GRRW Hawken), and both perform really well, though their "feel" is very different due to the barrel length.

I compare your 25 yard targets with my own offhand targets, and I think I see one thing going on. I get that kind of vertical stringing when my follow-through gets sloppy. Any time I drop a shot, it's likely due to allowing the barrel to sag just as the gun goes bang. If I concentrate on keeping the sight picture right through the bang, vertical stringing is almost non-exisant. Following RBs observation about adding weight via the brass ramrod, this tendency to sag is much more prevalent with the 26" barrel than with the much more muzzleheavy 36" barrel. Maybe I've just got my muscles dialed in a little better with that long barrel, but whatever the explanation, vertical stringing such as you seem to have is much more of a problem with the shorter barrel.

As for the 65 grain charge, I've taken both of mine down to 50 grains. For whatever reason the light charge groups just fine at 25 yards or so. Plenty good for head shots on small game. But it doesn't deliver nearly as good accuracy at 50 yards. Though not as heavy as some folks go, I'm very happy with 80 grains of 3f from both guns for my deer hunting load. It shoots considerably better at 50 yards than lighter charges. Heavier charges than 80 grains work well too, but I just don't see the need at my typical hunting ranges.