mauser 06..

They sell a gauge you can check the barrel with or if you have a set of calipers or a micrometer you could see what the barrel measures from land to land. This would give you an idea of the size ball it would take to fire. Remember when you figure the ball size you have to figure the patch for both sides that wrap the ball.

Can you roll one of your .490 roundball from your Hawkin's down the barrel or does it just rest with a small amount on the top of it? If the ball rolls down, chances are it is a .50 caliber which was rather common. All you need do then is figure the patch combination.

The other common caliber for a lot of them were .45 caliber. I owned a .Jukar .45 caliber single shot pistol. It was a lot of fun to shoot but not the most accurate thing in the world. But when you are young and foolish, just shooting the horse pistol was worth the smoke and ball....

As I remember the load for the .45 caliber was 25 grains of 3f Goex and a .440 patched roundball. Out to about 20 yards we would shoot at a man sized target and get a big kick out of knocking a hole though something. If you find out the caliber, I am sure the people here on the board will have a manual someplace that might suggest a load. All you do is cut that load back a little to be on the safe side if you really want to shoot the thing. I might fire the first three shots or so,off a tire with a long string just to be safe.