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On the range with Hawken Doctor Nipples

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Frontier's

Buckskins & Black Powder
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I got these in almost a week ago and haven't had time to shoot due to snow storms blowing in. Today was gorgeous! 50* and a nice sloppy mess on the range where the snow is melting.

I am shooting my Traditions St.Louis Hawken .54cal 1:48 twist.
75gr Gearhart - Owen
.020" patches lubed with Frontier's Bearpaws patch lube
.530" home cast round balls weighed at 224-224.6 grains
CCI #11 caps ( Non Magnum )
The bullseye is 3" diameter.
50 Yrds
Just resting the forearm on the shaky gun rest I use to do quick sight ins/tests.

I did not swab the bore once the entire shoot. The last loaded just as easily as the first and all recovered patches were in excellent condition.

Overall I am happy! The nipples seem to be accurate, consistent and the fact that the caps do not explode into pieces, is a very nice thing.

The nipples did one huge thing that I noticed right off the bat. The nipples did not explode and get stuck in my hammer cup and I never felt any debris hitting me in the face.
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normally I do not bother with 5 shots, but what the heck.
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now 5 shots is a lot for me on the range... But what the heck, lets do 10 shots, no swabbing. Yes, I pulled a couple out, but hey, it happens.
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After each shot, I would place the hammer on half cock and each time, the spent cap was sitting on the nipple, not jammed up in my hammer cup.
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That is awesome. Congratulations, I thoroughly enjoyed the entire series.

The gun looks beautiful, I love the slight decorative customization and the plain flat percussion lock is eye-catching. Very utilitarian, very rugged and durable. Cannot wait to build my full stock plains rifle this summer.
 
Overall I am happy! The nipples seem to be accurate, consistent and the fact that the caps do not explode into pieces, is a very nice thing.

The nipples did one huge thing that I noticed right off the bat. The nipples did not explode and get stuck in my hammer cup and I never felt any debris hitting me in the face.

After each shot, I would place the hammer on half cock and each time, the spent cap was sitting on the nipple, not jammed up in my hammer cup.

That's because the flash hole in the nipple is sized properly to the bore and the cone is the right height for the geometry of your hammer and your hammer is in good condition.

Good shooting in the arctic conditions and beautiful rifle.
 
Got back out after I swabbed the bore.

Same distance, no swabbing, changed to 75gr Schuetzen 2fg. Reloading was an eye opener. Very sticky the last 6 inches of the bore. With the gearhart owen, I had zero issues reloading. Accuracy was still spot on however!

First 5 shots. First shot on a clean bore, was the one out in the white. Next 4... Beautiful!
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10 shot group.
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Patch from the last shot. Perfect shape, no stretching, tearing or burning despite having to rough it down the bore.
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