Need advice on getting my old T/C Hawken back out hunting

[guzzi]

I have been shooting my inlines for some years now and want to get my T/C Hawken 50 cal back out and hunt with it. Couple questions from you hunters and shooters. I foolishly gave my 3 cans of ff g black powder away to a kid that shoots it when i got cancer that is non curable. Well now i am somewhat stable and still hunting i want to shoot the old Hawken. Can i use my Pyrodex RS loose powder and what cap do you recommend. I have both cci # 11 and some musket caps. Mine is a sidelock. I always used to use black powder and #11 with no problem and a patched ball. Mine is a 1;48 twist but thinking of getting a green mountain LRH barrel 1;28 for sabots or thors or powerbelts or do you think i can shoot the 1;48 with something just fine. I do have some old maxi hunters left. Most all my shots on the last 50 deer or so have been under 50 yds and some much less. I bow and pistol and muzzle load hunt is all. Will the musket caps work? I have a couple nipples from my knight i think that fit it. OR should i just use the #11's. DId shoot a few deer with it in my early years with patched round balls. What do you all think. Black powder isn't the easiest to come by now. Should have never given it away. What hunting setup do you recommend?

 

[exMember]

You can use RS, just got to make sure you turn it lockside down and then slap the side of the lock to help push the RS under the nipple. I like CCI #11 Magnums.

Powerbelts and Thor will work just fine. With the Thor, you may however have to push them with a stiffer powder charge of 100+ grains RS. The Powerbelts should do fine in the 70-100gr area.

Musket caps will work but you will need a Musket nipple. TC uses the 1/4x28 threads.

For Powerbelts, Look at the 295gr + copper series or the 247gr Colorado Thor. Theres info on the Thor section for ordering a sizing sample.

Im sorry to hear about the cancer Guzzi

 

[swampratt]

Never give up...The 1:48 twist i have in my cva shoots excellent with #11 caps and i tried a few and it dont seem to matter as long as there is powder under the nipple. You can load the powder rap the side like FG stated then you can remove the nipple and inspect for powder..if none present add some about 7-9 granuals into that tiny spot then install nipple....

The load that workd wonders for my muzzleloader is 90GR. of pyrodex rs and 295 gr. powerbelt hollow point copper series....the first 3 shots i ever took out of that gun with iron sights clover leafed at 100 yards...thought i was missing the target till i walked out to look...
then i put a scope on it and it all went down hill from there....

I have no scope now..

I am glad you are feeling good enough to come out and play...You will be in our prayers

 

[guzzi]

Thanks guys that is what i needed to know. DIdn't know i could shoot the powerbelts from my 1;48 twist and have some here to try. I have taken the nipple out and dropped some powder in the hole like you said. All comes back to me now. I know most Criticise the powerbelts as they don't understand you can't shoot 150 grains of powder and don't do the resurch to understand 80 granins and under. I have never shot over 110 even with my inlines under sabots. No need. As far as the cancer i do fine. Made it longer than the dr's ever dreamed. All from Agent orange from Vietnam as a combat medic and been fighting for years and now it came back with a vengence but i am a tough old bird. Make the dr's scratch their heads when i walk out and wonder how is he still here. My goal. Lessen to all of you is to do what you really want to do and don't put it off. If you are healthy for that big hunt and can afford it then go for it. Life is not a practice run. I limped out and shot one deer with the bow and one with the pistol and two with muzzle loaders. Can't keep me down. Thanks guys. Nice forum

 

[swampratt]

way to go Guzzi....the 90gr. is what i feel is the limit on the soft lead of the 295hp you may have better luck a litter softer on the powder..you will just have to see

I have only had 1 pass through it was a neck shot at 75 yards and took out all the neck just 4" of hide left where the bullet went in ...a decapitation of sort...3 others now that i think about it have fallen to the 295 hollow point copper series, with the same 90gr. load and no pass throughs...

they fragmented and i really do not care. a big hole in and a lot of devastation inside..had some ribs try to poke out the other side
out of 4 deer only 1 ran and that was 20 yards and piled up

with the accuracy of these powerbelts a 75 yard neck shot would NOT be risky in my book.

Do not pound on the bullet to seat it just steady even pressure PUSH it down...

I see a lot of people pounding on that load with their ram-rods and wonder why the groups are 2 feet at 100 yards

 

[ceader savage]

well good luck and glad your still hunting . i use a mag-spark .its like the old accra shot but used a 209 primmer in place of the number 11 cap it works great i also shoot the same gun plus lots more them hammers are the way to go

 

[guzzi]

Thanks guys. I might even go back to my patch and roundball for that gun. Heck at my close ranges it always worked fine before i got all my inlines. I shoot tradition bows and lets face it a hole is a hole through an animal. All we do is make a hole for the blood to drain. Same basic plan with anything we shoot. Hey if it was good enough for Daniel Boone it is good enough for me.

 

[Marty1]

Thanks guys. I might even go back to my patch and roundball for that gun. Heck at my close ranges it always worked fine before i got all my inlines. I shoot tradition bows and lets face it a hole is a hole through an animal. All we do is make a hole for the blood to drain. Same basic plan with anything we shoot. Hey if it was good enough for Daniel Boone it is good enough for me.

.

I once shot a doe with a "stick" selfbow from a ground stand... and to this day that harvest still "sticks" with me as one of my most memorable bow kills. I never shot a deer with a "patch-n-ball" set-up, but I would imagine it would stand above my inline harvests.

If you still have the eyesight for it, sounds like that opportunity is worth going back to... so dig out that racoon hat

 

[Rick1]

Don't mean to be the negative one here but at one time I did own and shoot a T?C Hawken and with a 1:48 twist the only thing I could shoot accurately out of it was a patch and ball. and 90 grains of loose powder.

You can use #11 or musket caps. I did not notice anything that showed you couldn't.

I tried powerbelts, barnes and even t/c maxi's - NFG
I was all over the place.