Traditions Hawkins Woodsman
 

Looking over the rack for a noise maker, I decided I had not shot my old Traditions Woodsman Hawkins with the 1-66 barrel. This is a very accurate roundball rifle.

I looked in my notes and saw it likes 90 grains of 3f black powder, a wad and a pillow tick patch and ball. I just happened to have casted a bunch of roundball and had all the other stuff to boot. I also decided to see if it still shot Buffalo Bullet Company 245 grain Ball-et as well as it used to. My notes also said a true 6 o'clock hold at 50 yards, so that's where I set up the target.

This rifle behaved like a real lady today. Shot after shot it just kept sliding them into the black piece of tape. Although the powder was reallyfowling out the barrel for some reason today. I actually had to swab the barrel on a number of occasions.

I then swabbed the barrel very clean (and got it too wet) and decided to shoot some ball-et. I also saw in my notebook that with ball-et it only wanted 70 grains of 3f powder. So I loaded up.

The first shot was a night mare. I had got the bore too damp and must not have dried it properly. It misfired on three caps. So I finally stood there, capped it, and just pulled up and shot down range at the cardboard. You can see a small hit at about two o'clock almost off the cardboard.

Knowing now we were back in business, I then held the same hold as before and it seemed to hit right where the front sight was resting more or less. But the group was pretty good actually.

Then for kicks, I took two shots off hand no rest at the center of the target. I hit high. Looks like I need to practice more off hand shooting. Actually I do very little of that these days and should practice more and more of it.

Over all, when the patch was just damp and I swabbed then two dry patches, the rifle fired perfect. It was just as I remembered it. A real roundball rifle... And a great, legal, and safe way to celebrate the 4th of July.

RE: Traditions Hawkins Woodsman
 

Gotta love a round ball shooter. I'm with you there Cayugad on off hand shooting. Don't do it much anymore, and should. About three weeks agoI took a couple of shots off hand with the GP flintlock that were really embarrassing.

RE: Traditions Hawkins Woodsman
 

good shooting. i love those traditions sidelocks

RE: Traditions Hawkins Woodsman
 

Wow those RB are shooting nice in that Woodsman. Very tight and nice, very consistent. Beautiful.
That is putting them in there Cayugad.
Best Wishes,
Chap

RE: Traditions Hawkins Woodsman
 

Good report. My dad uses that same rifle in flintlock for PA's flintlock only season. It is a great shooter with roundballs and 100 grains of FFg goex. He's never shot anything except round balls, will have to try the ball-et. I just picked up four boxes of ball-ets for only 7.99 each. It was all the store had or I would have bought more since they aren't being made anymore.

Traditions doesn't get much good press, but my dad's gun and your gun seem to shoot very well.

RE: Traditions Hawkins Woodsman
 

NIce shooting..What kind of wad are you using over top that fff?

RE: Traditions Hawkins Woodsman
 

I was using some Circle Fly .510 1/8th thick fiber wads... There was some questions about wads the other day and I remembered I had bought 1000 of them a time back and they were in the other cabinet. So I figured I would shoot them as I am running low on the pure felt. They did real well.

RE: Traditions Hawkins Woodsman
 

I like mine (only ML I own)

Looks your's is shooting a bit better than mine, but I don't figure that's my rifles fault:D

early

RE: Traditions Hawkins Woodsman
 

Wonderful shooting!

For some reason, the 1 in 66" barrels seem to prefer real BP, and I
don't doubt that's the reason why Cayugadwas using it.
I prefer the drum & nippleignition myself, I find it's easier to clean
having aclean out screw.