Thanks for all of the advice this week. I found a good deal on a 50 cal CVA Hawken rifle on Gunbroker, and talked the guy down another $35!

I'm going to use this to get started shooting and have some fun. I'll re-evaluate ML #2 once I get settled in Washington and see what comes out in 2010.

Here is a link to the auction with some good pictures. I'll hopefully get this out to the range in the next few weeks and will post up a report...

http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/Vie...Item=148555431

SDK

Darn SDK that is one fine looking rifle you got there. When you get it and start doing some shooting let me know I'll send you some big conicals to try.

Great deal. I love my Hawkens. I have three, one flint lock 50 cal, one carbine in 54 cal. and last is a carbine in 50 cal. with a 1 in 66" twist and shoots PRBs (patched round balls).

These are my fun guns and I enjoy shooting them alot. My 54 cal. is a blast. I shoot a saboted Barnes expander during hunting season. For fun, I shoot a R.E.A.L. bullet that is very accurate for a lead conical. The twist rate on this gun is 1 in 24". As for the FL, I am still getting used to shooting it. I am trying to use PRBs only.

Look forward to having a lot of fun shooting these guns.

very nice. my brother has one too, very sweet shooters. the front sight sucks butt so i'd look for something new. maybe fiber optics?

Very nice looking rifle. Good luck with it.

What I did to fix this problem was to take my Dremel and drilled a small dimple into the rear of the front sight. I then applied a drop of irredesant paint to the dimple. It worked just fine and has been on the sight for ove three years now. It helps these old eyes see that front sight much better. I ended up doing both carbines.

With this fix the Hawkens stays pretty much original and not 20th centruy with the fiber optic sights.

Nice buy. Someday I'll get one or the like in .50 with double-set's....

Thanks for all of the tips and comments. I'll look into replacing or using the paint on the front sight. I want to keep it Oregon legal too, which means no fiber optics, although I heard they may change that.

I'm also stuck with no pelletized powder, no covered ignitions, no sabots, no jacketed slugs etc, etc...

That's one of the reasons I'm starting out with the Hawken. It's a fine looking rifle that I can keep stock for Oregon hunting.

Sabotloader- Thanks for the offer on the conicals. I'll PM you about them when I get ready to hit the range, but I'll insist on paying for them...

Scott

Some good bullets to try are:

T/C has two bullets, Maxihunter and Maxiball.

Hornaday has hte Great Plains Bullet

And R.E.A.L bullets. (Don't know if you can buy them commerial over the counter). I make my own and they shoot nice in my guns.

there are others for sure, but Sabotloader will help you with others.

Good to hear. I discovered that I'm fortunate enough to be living five minutes away from a specialty black powder shop. They have a good selection of bullets and balls, including most of what you listed. Here is thier current inventory...

http://www.thegunworks.com/custprodg...0%26%20Bullets