T/C Hawkin roundball and others.
03-28-2009, 10:51 AM
#1
Dominant Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
T/C Hawkin roundball and others.
With a new (to me) T/C Hawkin .50 caliber I wanted to tune it into a roundball shooter. Most my shots hunting are 30 to 50 yards max. Most of them 30 yards. So I brought the target in to 30 yards. I knew I had the sights close but never dreamed I was this close.
I was shooting 100 grains of Graf's & Sons 2f black powder. The reason for this is black powder is consistent. No matter how dirty it is, or what people think of black powder, if you want accuracy, shoot black powder. It will amaze you. I was also shooting cast ball I purchased from Gander Mountain. They are .490 diameter. And to set them of course I use 100% pillow tick with moosemilk I spritz right before loading.
I swabbed the barrel clean of any oil, popped a couple caps through it and loaded up. My first shot was real good I thought, just off the dead center of the bull at 30 yards. Without swabbing, the next two really started getting me excited.
After that I started shooting roundball.
This was the patches. They look beautiful out of that rifle.
Then I decided I wanted to try some sabots out of this rifle. I was told that they would shoot well out of a 1-48 twist. Well I was surprised how well they shot.
This was the first shot. I did swab with a spit patch between shots.
When I did not swab, it did throw them a little bit. But over all I was kind of impressed with these Precision Rifle Extreme HP 300 grain sabots.
Just to check things, I tried two 300 grain .44 caliber XTP's in crushed rib sabots with the same powder charge... they did not do as well.
I was shooting 100 grains of Graf's & Sons 2f black powder. The reason for this is black powder is consistent. No matter how dirty it is, or what people think of black powder, if you want accuracy, shoot black powder. It will amaze you. I was also shooting cast ball I purchased from Gander Mountain. They are .490 diameter. And to set them of course I use 100% pillow tick with moosemilk I spritz right before loading.
I swabbed the barrel clean of any oil, popped a couple caps through it and loaded up. My first shot was real good I thought, just off the dead center of the bull at 30 yards. Without swabbing, the next two really started getting me excited.
After that I started shooting roundball.
This was the patches. They look beautiful out of that rifle.
Then I decided I wanted to try some sabots out of this rifle. I was told that they would shoot well out of a 1-48 twist. Well I was surprised how well they shot.
This was the first shot. I did swab with a spit patch between shots.
When I did not swab, it did throw them a little bit. But over all I was kind of impressed with these Precision Rifle Extreme HP 300 grain sabots.
Just to check things, I tried two 300 grain .44 caliber XTP's in crushed rib sabots with the same powder charge... they did not do as well.
03-28-2009, 11:50 AM
#2
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Idaho
Posts: 11,703
RE: T/C Hawkin roundball and others.
cayugad
OK - wish you would make a trip to Idaho - I could use your help... My quest to shoot PRB's is getting in the way of doing some other testing...
First picture... Great group at 30 what you expect that to look like @ 75? Just a good guess...
Second pictures - patches... my .015 all cotton patches pretty much look like yours - tattered around the edges... but somebody told my patches looked terrible... that started my current down fall. I have spent two weeks trying to get the perfect spent patch and in the mean time my accuracy has gone all to heck.
Once, what seems long long ago - I could get great groups @ 50 but the patches did not look all that good - now I can get groups and the patches look really bad... or when I get a good one it is one out of a 5.
I wanted to get out today and shoot some more - but other committments are getting the way - like my youngest grand-daughter...
After that I started shooting roundball.
This was the patches. They look beautiful out of that rifle.
This was the patches. They look beautiful out of that rifle.
First picture... Great group at 30 what you expect that to look like @ 75? Just a good guess...
Second pictures - patches... my .015 all cotton patches pretty much look like yours - tattered around the edges... but somebody told my patches looked terrible... that started my current down fall. I have spent two weeks trying to get the perfect spent patch and in the mean time my accuracy has gone all to heck.
Once, what seems long long ago - I could get great groups @ 50 but the patches did not look all that good - now I can get groups and the patches look really bad... or when I get a good one it is one out of a 5.
I wanted to get out today and shoot some more - but other committments are getting the way - like my youngest grand-daughter...
03-28-2009, 12:07 PM
#3
Dominant Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
RE: T/C Hawkin roundball and others.
At 75 yards I am hoping I can keep all of mine in that orange circle.
The reason the outside edges of my patches are tattered is I cut mine at the muzzle. So every edge has been cut. Also notice how perfect centered the ball is in them patches. That to me is the key to making them shoot. Plus of course the moosemilk really protects the patch well. With a 100 grains of black powder it never blows them. That's a good strong load.
The reason the outside edges of my patches are tattered is I cut mine at the muzzle. So every edge has been cut. Also notice how perfect centered the ball is in them patches. That to me is the key to making them shoot. Plus of course the moosemilk really protects the patch well. With a 100 grains of black powder it never blows them. That's a good strong load.
03-28-2009, 12:42 PM
#5
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: River Ridge, LA (Suburb of New Orleans)
Posts: 10,917
RE: T/C Hawkin roundball and others.
HooWeee! You may as well put that gun up and break out another one. That one doesn't seem to need any more work, thoughI'd like to see some 75 yard groups also.
03-29-2009, 07:46 AM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Illinois
Posts: 2,828
RE: T/C Hawkin roundball and others.
Thats some nice shooting. I'm getting in the mood to go out and shoot myself only if the weather would straighten up. Yesterday and last night rain with lighting and thunder. This morning it started raining and turned into a all out blizzard. It all melted 1/2 hour later and now it's just raining. I'll probably be mowing the grass too next week. So far it's been one heck of a spring.
03-29-2009, 08:32 AM
#8
Dominant Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
RE: T/C Hawkin roundball and others.
I am debating today whether I want to shoot or not. Its lightly snowing (nothing to concern myself with) but its windy and cold. The wood stove feels so nice in the house going. But I do have things planned for tomorrow, so I might head out in a little while.
03-29-2009, 11:58 AM
#10
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 6,585
RE: T/C Hawkin roundball and others.
cayugad
I agree with you about having the patch centered, but I very carefully re button all my guns except the QLA by hand and I don't want to chance a scratch. So I have my own method of centering the patch. I make a patch cutter the diameter of the out side of the barrel so I can tell when the patch is centered. It really worked quite well for me. Lee
I agree with you about having the patch centered, but I very carefully re button all my guns except the QLA by hand and I don't want to chance a scratch. So I have my own method of centering the patch. I make a patch cutter the diameter of the out side of the barrel so I can tell when the patch is centered. It really worked quite well for me. Lee