"Hunting" load for .50 cal TC Hawken

[tamara]

Greetings all,

I have a .50 cal TC Hawken which I believe has a 1:48 twist. I've been experimenting with Maxi-balls, and so far have had good results using a 320 grain maxiball with 70gr of pyrodex rs at 50 yards. 100 yards was all over the place, but that could be as much me as anything else.

I'm trying to work up a load for cow elk. 70gr seems like a small amount of powder for a 320gr bullet. What do you think? Should I try upping it a bit?

I want to keep my shots close, 50 yards or under. It should get the job done, shouldn't it?

 

[Blizzard of '93]

I use an '06 case for a measure (3f) with my .50 for a hunting load topped with a Lee REAL slug believe me it has a lot of wallop.

 

[mooman76]

70gr would have allot of wallop at 50y. you could try a little more and watch accuracy if that would make you feel more comfortable.

 

[bubba.50]

70gr pyrodex rs with a roundball & 90gr with a maxi are both accurate in my renegade and shoot to the same point of impact at 75yds. for what it's worth & have a good'en, bubba.

 

[BrownBear]

Based on my rifles and not yours, I would expect to see a little jump in accuracy and a little flatter trajectory for longer shots with a jump to 80 grains of RS, or a change to 70 grains of P. I'm guessing that the extra oomph does a better job of "bumping" the bullet base, but in any case my accuracy goes up along with an increase in charge/pressure.

Going over 80 grains of RS or 2f black, or 70 grains of P or 3f black, really starts adding to the recoil, however. I'd try the charge jump to see if you get a corresponding improvement in accuracy. Moving higher than that is going to depend on what you think of the extra recoil that appears.

I have no qualms about the killing "power" of what you're shooting now.

 

[bubba.50]

i never can remember to click on the original post. most places ya adds yer reply at the bottom .

 

[cynthialee]

Have you tried the 275 T/C maxi hunters?
They shoot for me alot better than the heavier conicals do. (not that I have much luck with any conical...)
:idunno:

 

[buttonbuck]

Using an over powder wad can help. What are you lubing the REALs with? Some on the Forum just use Lee Alox.

 

[William O.]

Have you tried shooting a round ball yet? It may be the depth and type of rifling in your barrel rather than the twist rate that is the cause of large groups at 100 yards. A 50 caliber round ball put in the right place is more than enough to bring down an elk inside of 100 yards and recoil won't be as brutal either. If a PRB doesn't give you acceptable accuracy then you may want to try the Hornady PA conical which is almost identical to the now out of production Buffalo Bullet Company Ball-et.

 

[morehops]

Mine is a 1970's model T/C and I use 90gr 3F with a 370(?)gr maxiball. Yes, it's a shoulder full of recoil, but for hunting recoil should be a one-time occurance. For the range I use a lead sled to save my shoulder. That combination lets me shoot (almost) point blank to 100 yds with enough accuracy for deer.

 

[Rat Trapper]

My TC Hawken 50 caliber likes 90 grains of Triple Seven 2F with felt wad over powder and a 385 grain Hornady great plains bullet. I use the CCI #11 mag caps with the Triple Seven for hunting. This load is a tack driver in my rifle, but the bullet loads pretty hard. The loading hard I think is the secrect to getting them to shoot well.

 

[redbug9]

My 50 cal Renegade thinks bigger is better. 80 grains of 777 and a 385 grain Hornady Great Plains bullet. It actually likes the 410 GP bullet but they are no longer in production.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

I'm winning competitions with 72 gr. of 3Fg Goex, a lubed felt wad over the powder, and a 370 gr. T/C Maxi-Ball in my Lyman .50 cal. Trade Rifle. Have been for years. NO need to change the load!

If you're worried about penetration in a Cow Elk, you can always try the 370 gr. Maxi's. Good "Thumpability"!

Dave

 

[dc7x64]

I had a problem with the 370 T/C maxi-ball shooting extremely low at 50 yds over 90grs of 2F in my T/C Hawken. I was disappointed as I was going to use this as a hunting load and take advantage of the hundreds I have left over from the 80's! After reading these recipes I might go back and experiment a little more,definitely will try lubed felt wad. I could always melt 'em down and make .54 cal roundballs out of them :stir:

 

[Billnpatti]

What exactly do you mean by "all over the place"? Are you still within "minute of elk"? If so, you are good to go with the load that you are now shooting, especially, if you are keeping your shots under 50 yards. Heck, even out to 100 yards your load will be "plenty bad medicine" for a cow elk.

If you want to tighten up your 100 yard group, just move your powder charge up in 5 grain increments until your group reaches minimum size. At some point, it will start to open up and you will know you are past the best load for your rifle. Just back down 5 grains and you will have your best load. Some people find that by adding a wad on top of the powder they get a more consistant grouping. Another trick is to put 10 or 15 grain volume of corn meal or grits on top of the powder before seating your ball. These tricks just give you a better seal and a resultant increase in consistancy of muzzle velocity resulting in more accuracy.

I have a .50 cal. T/C Hawken and its favorite hunting load is 80 grains of Goex 3f topped with 20 grain volume of Puff-Lon and a T/C Maxi-Ball lubed with my own mix of bear grease, bees wax and Murphy's Oil Soap.

 

[tamara]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I will have to experiment a little more. I tried the felt wad over the powder, but to my surprise, it seemed to actually make things worse. But I'm pleased with the groups at 50 yards, and I'd rather have one less "piece" to the loading.

I'm going to try bumping up the powder just a bit. At 100 yards, I'm not able to keep it in the kill of an elk. But again, could just be that I'm not the world's best shot anyway. :slap: :redface: So I will try to keep my shots 50 and under. I like to get close anyway... that's what makes it fun!

But in the unfortunate event a second shot it necessary / available, it would be nice to be able to reach out a little bit.

I'm glad to hear others have had success with a similar load. So I'm not totally off my rocker.

 

[petew]

I have come to like 90 gr 3F with a home cast TC maxi, 360 gr load in my 50 cal TC Hawken.