Thompson center .45cal hawken

[Saltedbutter]

I am a virgin to muzzleloading and all black powder. About to pick up a Thompson center .45 cal hawken and a derringer. Don't remember the make of the pistol right this second. Looking for info on the rifle, approx value of excellent cond, availability of the .45 cal round etc. any info is greatly appreciated. Thank you

 

[cayuga]

I believe they no longer make T/C Hawken rifles. So the value of excellent condition rifles to the right buyer has increased. I have seen retail stores asking as much as $600.00 for a Hawken which is insanity. A used rifle depends on the condition and the caliber.

The .45 caliber is getting rare. They are good roundball shooters. Get some .440 round ball and patch. Try about 60-70 grains of powder for starting loads and see how it shoots.

As for setting a value, $300-350.00 is not uncommon anymore.

 

[Widude]

What are your plans & where do you live, State? Is this for hunting? I ask because if it is primarily for deer hunting & you just want more options with seasons I'd be remiss if I didn't throw out the option of a modern in-line M-L.


Nothing wrong with a more traditional M-L, just trying to establish intentions.

 

[Saltedbutter]

I've got a great deer gun and several carbines etc. this will not be my primary rifle but I definitely want to challenge myself to getting some deer with it. Live in Columbia, hunt all over

 

[Widude]

Pyrodex is an easy to deal with powder, just be sure & clean up well the day you shoot the gun.

45 cal stuff is not quite as common as 50 cal supplies. If the local stores don't have what you need just mail order. You may get an owners manual with the gun, if not check on-line for loads & such.

 

[guitarpicva]

Using .440 rounb ball on deer would certainly be challenging. Certainly would be up close and personal. The ball loses velocity quickly and since they are light in weight compared to.most .45 sized projectiles, shot placement is key. If it will shoot a Maxi-Ball you might be in better shape.

 

[Edwardamason]

Using .440 rounb ball on deer would certainly be challenging. Certainly would be up close and personal. The ball loses velocity quickly and since they are light in weight compared to.most .45 sized projectiles, shot placement is key. If it will shoot a Maxi-Ball you might be in better shape.

Non-sense. Well sort of.

True Shot placement is the key but the .45 cal round ball is perfectly capable of killing white tail deer within the given ranges expected of a ML. 0-100 yards that is.


Ive shot plenty of deer with .440 round ball and .018 pillow tick. I like anywhere from 80 gr to 90gr of FFg Pyrodex for my 45.

Here is a pic of me from back in 89 of a pistol shot from a .45. Load was 60 Gr FFG pyrodex with .440 round ball and and .018 pillow tick.

 

[Edwardamason]

Using .440 rounb ball on deer would certainly be challenging. Certainly would be up close and personal. The ball loses velocity quickly and since they are light in weight compared to.most .45 sized projectiles, shot placement is key. If it will shoot a Maxi-Ball you might be in better shape.

Below are some pretty common loads for the 45 cal and 50 cal Hawken. Do not let the ft.lbs data lead you into a false sense of security about your 50 cal over the .45 cal. While the .50 cal data would certainly give the impression that it has some sort of magical knock down power on deer this is simply not the case. What it does is have more driving power and better penetration when it comes to LARGE game or tough game such as elk or bear. Dealing with white tails (even big ones) they are fairly thin skin and provided you get a proper shot on them and don't try and get fancy with your shot or take a shot that is outside the range of the ML,,the .45 can certainly do the trick.
Hawken, 45 caliber
Round ball loads (.440", 127 grains):
50 grains FFg - 1605 FPS - 732 ft.lbs
60 grains FFg - 1720 FPS - 841 ft.lbs
70 grains FFg - 1825 FPS - 947 ft.lbs
80 grains FFg - 1929 FPS - 1054 ft.lbs
90 grains FFg - 2003 FPS - 1140 ft.lbs
100 grains FFg - 2081 FPS - 1231 ft.lbs
110 grains FFg - 2158 FPS - 1324 ft.lbs

Maxi-Ball loads (240 grains):
80 grains FFg - 1564 FPS - 1195 ft.lbs
90 grains FFg - 1659 FPS - 1345 ft.lbs
100 grains FFg - 1743 FPS - 1485 ft.lbs

Renegade & Hawken, 50 caliber
Round ball loads (.490", 175 grains):
50 grains FFg - 1357 FPS - 761 ft.lbs
60 grains FFg - 1434 FPS - 850 ft.lbs
70 grains FFg - 1643 FPS - 1115 ft.lbs
80 grains FFg - 1838 FPS - 1396 ft.lbs
90 grains FFg - 1950 FPS - 1571 ft.lbs
100 grains FFg - 2052 FPS - 1739 ft.lbs
110 grains FFg - 2135 FPS - 1883 ft.lbs

 

[Saltedbutter]

Thank you for the help everybody. Brought home the t/c hawken and the jukar derringer. Upon inspection the hawken does have some rust/corrosion in the barrel and is loaded. I have taken apart apart the gun and cleaned it. Haven't gotten a new nipple. The gun has been loaded for I don't have any idea how long. It's not terrible and I have oiled and used a brush on it, but short of getting a new barrel what can I do. There aren't any percussion caps in my town so I can't fire it this weekend. Is there any way to extract the bullet currently chambered?

 

[LarryBud]

Thank you for the help everybody. Brought home the t/c hawken and the jukar derringer. Upon inspection the hawken does have some rust/corrosion in the barrel and is loaded. I have taken apart apart the gun and cleaned it. Haven't gotten a new nipple. The gun has been loaded for I don't have any idea how long. It's not terrible and I have oiled and used a brush on it, but short of getting a new barrel what can I do. There aren't any percussion caps in my town so I can't fire it this weekend. Is there any way to extract the bullet currently chambered?

You can tray a good range rod with a bullet puller. You can use a grease zirc ( spelling? ) and pump it out or you can use C02 to blow it out.

Search around this sight as your not the first to face this challenge. Be careful. It is a loaded gun. You should probaly soak the load in water to be sure there is not an accidental igniting.