Originally Posted by
16gauge
Depends on the rate of twist in the barrel...most modern replicas of Hawkens have a 1:48" twist; they were designed to shoot both round ball AND conicals......some shoot conicals and balls well, others shoot only balls well, and some shoot both well. The 1:48" twist is kind of a "compromise", with all the options out there.
To shoot PRB, most rifles prefer a slower twist (like around 1:66 or so).
Depends on the game, also.....if I were hunting bigger game, such as elk, bear, ect, I think I would like the extra energy that a conical would give me, esp. if I were shooting a smaller caliber rifle.
Not necessary, original Hawkens were also 1-48 twist and they shot patched balls out of them...The big difference is they were also cut rifling, instead of button rifled, so the rifling was .012-.015 deep instead of .006-.008 deep...This holds the patch better...
They also probably shot less powder than many do now and for decades they only had FF powder, not FFF...
A factory rifle with 1-48 rifling can shoot a round ball with good hunting accuracy and once you get to a .54 it will easily take elk and bear....