ORIGINAL: Pioneer2
I am wondering how light I can load a .50 TC hawken with ball for a slightly built teen for humane deer hunting.It shot 50gr best of FFG,60 wasn't bad and 70gr started to open up.On the other hand it clover leafed 80gr charges of FFG and a Maxi-ball.Too stiff for a kid ,can I load this one down and still drop a deer?My wife has a moose tag and her sister phoned last night to tell us a cow +calf were in her backyard eating her $$$ Trees.Opens Nov 1.I got a pair of scope mt bases from TC today one for his Hawken the other for my .54 Renegade..........Harold *along with two pre-bent free hammers
Several of my brother's friends shoot 70g Patched Round ball for deer and they are effective to about 75 yards, not further. The problem is penetration, I have shot a doe with PRB at about 25 yards in the brisket, and it went right down. Before I could reload the deer got on it feet and ran and I never got it. I now shoot 300 Speer Gold Dots at either 70 or 80g of Goex in my flintlock, I have also used XTPs both with a crushed rib sabot. I would use the Maxi-ball, since it offers better penetration---remember a 45-70, that was 45 cal bullet weight about 450g with 70g of BP shot buffalo. If your young fellow can shoot a guide gun, drop your load to 70 and see if he can shoot a 300g saboted bullet in the Hawken. Drop it to 60 and then 50, 50 is as low as I would go. I believe the bigger bullet with lower charge is your best bet for a teen to humanely kill a deer. Good shoots broadside into vitals, no shoulder or brisket shots. Chap