chucker34

... into the world of traditional muzzleloading. I've been doing my research and listening to some good advice on this board and decided I wanted to buy a percussion model Hawken rifle. I was thinking about getting a .50 caliber from Cabela's, but then, I went to the gunsmith today.

Was there to have him look at my Grandpa's old Stevens 12 guage, which they're going to reblue and check over for me. Been sitting in my Grandma's basement for 30 plus years.

Anyway, I asked him if he sold traditional muzzleloaders and he said he actually had a Hawken in stock. He pulled off the shelf and it was beautiful. Nice wood and metal work. He told me it's a used .45 caliber Thomson Hawken that his friend owned. It came with the buckskin sling and a "starters kit" of sorts that included everything I need to get started. The price - $335.

Now, I think that's a good deal. Would cost me $600-$700 new at least. The gunsmith is very reputable and regarded as one of the best in the state. I trust his word when he says, you can buy a new Hawken somewhere else for a little less, but you won't get the quality of the Thompson. What do you guys think?

Pglasgow

Most any one will tell you a well placed .45 round ball is very deadly on deer. But were it me, I think I would get a .54 cal. They thump very hard and you could hunt elk with it ifyou desired to. If you are not picky about brand, cayugad provided a link to DNR which had some excellent prices onthe Lymanstraditionals(less than $300). They are good rifles. Good luck!

Oh! I see you may prefer the T/C. Hey I've got one in .50 cal Hawken, after 30 years its still a shooter, I'd certainly recommend it as a good rifle. So by all means get a T/C if you wish.

chucker34

Thanks Pglasglow. I'm thinking about the T/C but not dead set on that brand. I just know it is a quality firearm and trust the gunsmith and he is local versus buying something at Cabela's etc. Talked to my wife on my lunch break and she told me to buy it if I want. I think it is a good deal. And pretty much plan to hunt white tail with it. So the .45 caliber shouldn't be a problem. They told me several times that a .45 would work very well on deer with good shot placement.

cayugad

.45 calibers woudl be fine for deer, but if you want to really pack some punch, use a .54 caliber with a roundball. The .45 caliber will get the job done, but with a roundball you are going to loose energy very quickly at distances past 70 yards as all ball do, but keep in mind.. the bigger the ball the bigger the thump.

I would be hard pressed to pass on a deal like you found, only because the .45 caliber Hawkins are really nice rifles. If you ever expect to hunt elk, bear, moose, then you might want to go to a bigger caliber.

frontier gander

Brand new you can get the TC hawken in the bigger caliber for around $500 brand new. I'd much rather spend a few bucks more and buy brand new. Either the hawkens or like the other 2 guys said, the lyman rifle. I think you can get a lyman great plains rifle for under $400. Either way, let us know what you get.

goyard74

i have never done traditional muzzleloading but it sounds like fun. Go for it!

Underclocked

http://www.williamsgunsight.com/gunsights/813usedblkpowderguns.htm

lemoyne

The spot underclocked posted is very good. I have taken deer with every caliber from 40 to 72 and am convinced that the combination of ball size and velicity that you get in a 54 cal. gives the best results. The 45 has limited range the 50 is better and the 54 is best the 58 has a heavy ball so the recoil is heavy and they don't make it in a twist suitable for heavy loads that would give you a flat trajectory.
45= target and up to 75 yard deer
50 very good all round deer to 120yd
54 depending on how well you know the gun the lenght of barrel and quality of sights. I personally have taken 3 deer at 175+ in IL corn fields and a bear at 180 laser range finder checked. But in those days I practiced the year round for the 177 yd mountain man shoot at Friendship too.
58 is very good for range to 100yd and also for Big Bear,Elk and Moose ectLee

Pglasgow

Bigger balls also offer better ballistic efficiency to. The BC of a .45 round ball is .0612, the .50 cal is .068, the .54 cal is .074, the .58 cal is .079. The bigger the ball the greaterthe sectional density. By the time one gets to 5 bore, the round ball has a higher BC than alot of .45 cal pistol bullets. So bigger balls do a better job of retaining the energy they start with.

ahankster

If you do consider the used gun, make sure you check the bore really well. Used muzzys tend to have rusty and pitted bores. Just make sure that is not the case.

Hank