Some time ago I managed to find what appeared to be an unfired .54 barrel for my Grey Hawk. My .50 wasn't a stellar PRB shooter, but I decided to try PRBs in the .54 anyway. I had good accuracy from the getgo with the .54! In preparation for the upcoming season, I broke out the .54 and took it to the range. Groups weren't what I recalled, but still acceptable. Not being satisfied, I replaced the factory nipple with a Hotshot. The hole in the Hotshot was visibly smaller, and group size at 55 yards shrunk by 1/2!
I was using .015" pillow ticking cut at the muzzle lubed with Mink oil from TOTW and Hornady .530" RBs. I set the measure at 90gr and proceeded to shoot Goex fffg(2 lots), Elephant fffg, KIK ffg, and Swiss ffg. The top half of my 2" aiming spot was obilterated with only a few shots out, and nearly 20 fired. Fouling stayed soft with the Goex fffg and KIK ffg, stiffened a bit with the Elephant fffg, and was noticeably worse with the Swiss ffg. I will NOT be using Swiss in the MLer without wiping between shots! ALL recovered patches were still slightly greasy and could literally have been shot again!
This Grey Hawk does have the TC hunting tang sight installed and I've replaced the front sights with a green fiber optic on the .50, and a Marbles 1/16" gold bead on the .54. This will be the backup to either my .58 or .62 flintlocks should the weather be damp. While not traditional in any sense other than percussion sidelock, it is very handy and easy to carry with its 24" barrel. The short barrel makes sneaking through the thick stuff easier, and a no brainer in a tree stand.
I was using .015" pillow ticking cut at the muzzle lubed with Mink oil from TOTW and Hornady .530" RBs. I set the measure at 90gr and proceeded to shoot Goex fffg(2 lots), Elephant fffg, KIK ffg, and Swiss ffg. The top half of my 2" aiming spot was obilterated with only a few shots out, and nearly 20 fired. Fouling stayed soft with the Goex fffg and KIK ffg, stiffened a bit with the Elephant fffg, and was noticeably worse with the Swiss ffg. I will NOT be using Swiss in the MLer without wiping between shots! ALL recovered patches were still slightly greasy and could literally have been shot again!
This Grey Hawk does have the TC hunting tang sight installed and I've replaced the front sights with a green fiber optic on the .50, and a Marbles 1/16" gold bead on the .54. This will be the backup to either my .58 or .62 flintlocks should the weather be damp. While not traditional in any sense other than percussion sidelock, it is very handy and easy to carry with its 24" barrel. The short barrel makes sneaking through the thick stuff easier, and a no brainer in a tree stand.
