The Cabela's Hawkins is made by Investarms. They are a good rifle. They are very similar to Lyman rifles since they are made by the same company. It has a 1:48 twist and a 28 inch barrel.

Before you shoot the rifle, clean it real well. Make sure the rifle is good and clean. Then swab the barrel with a patch dampened with isopropyl alcohol. This will make sure the rifle barrel is clean. Then run a dry patch or two down the barrel. Next pop a couple #11 caps through the nipple before you load it. This will blow any crud out of the nipple and fire channel.

Now take a powder measure and measure out about 80 grains of powder and dump that down the barrel. Next put a lubed patch over the muzzle and seat a roundball into the muzzle. Then push the ball down on the charge with the ramrod. Mark the ramrod with some masking tape and make sure every time you set the ball it reaches that mark again. We call that a witness mark.

Put a #11 cap on the nipple. You cock the rifle, and can use the set trigger if you like. And then try it out. While you are shooting if the rifle is getting hard to load and it is getting hard toreach the witness mark, you will have to swab the barrel. I swab a sidelock rifle with isopropyl alcohol. After running a patch of that both sides, I run two dry patches, swabbing the barrel. Then when you load, you should find it easier to load that way.

If the rifle is grouping well with 80 grains. Then up the charge to 85 grains and see how well the group of shots are. You can continue pushing the charge 5 grains at a time until the shot falls to pieces. 90 grains it should fall into place. I shoot 90 grains of Goex 2f and a .530 patched roundball in my Lyman Trade Rifle.

You might want to look up different posts on how to clean the rifle also. A hot soapy water bath is still one of the best ways to clean the rifle.