Doe Dumper

.....with 80 grs of Triple 7. The groups at 50 were so good it was just eventually tearing paper. Only aggravating thing was it shot about 2 inches to the right and no amount of sight adjustment seemed to move the group to the left. When that happens Im usually guessing its something I am doing wrong. This gun has beat me to a pulp so my form probably wasnt perfect. The groups however are outstanding. At one point before it got too dirty it was touching holes nearly every shot... just doing it slightly to the right.


I can safely say the stock design is absolutely terrible on this gun for extended range sessions..lol. It seems like it sure likes to jump no matter how tightly its held. My cheek is swelled up like I have a cheek full of walnuts.

Im curious to see what those balls will do to a deer now. I have never read anything bad about 54's roundball performance on game.


This gun will be a blast to plink with on some reduced loads. I didnt even try anything else I had out. Since I am hunting deer I figured if it grouped round balls nothing else was needed at this time.

MountainDevil54

excellent! You're now set for 150 yards and able to take down elk size game.

Big Z

Got a friend with a 54 hawken. The simple PRB makes big holes right through deer. BIG holes.

Doe Dumper

Shotting those prb's is the main reason I bought that gun. I can shoot all the fancy stuff with the inlines. Sad part is... the inline isnt gonna be making the trip this year. Scopes and all are allowed here... Im just gonna get back to the traditional approach this year.

MountainDevil54

get yourself a mold and start casting your own round ball ammo! And if you can, set up a couple 5gallon buckets with sand and you'll be able to get the lead back and reuse it!
http://thepowerbeltforum.powerguild....balls-t707.htm

Semisane

Glad you had fun while getting beat to a pulp Doe Dumper.

You need to figure out the source of your recoil problem. It just doesn't seem like a .54 round ball with 80 grains of powder (even T7) out of a Hawken should be beating you up like that. I suspect your shooting platform is too low or your seat is too high. See if you can arrange it so that your back is almost straight (as it would be for a standing freehand shot) when you're sitting at the bench with the gun at your shoulder. I'll bet that solves your problem.

MountainDevil54

actually i only shot my tc hawken 6 times with 70gr pyrodex rs and round ball, the felt recoil was pretty good. The have a straight forward stock that makes aiming uncomfortable ( for me) It didnt soaked up recoil at all.

cayugad

You want recoil shoot a Renegade. It will bust your cheek. Like Semisane said, check your stance at the bench. Those .54 caliber roundball will plant deer fantastic. Its going to surprise you how well. Also you almost always get a pass through and a blood trail.

Doe Dumper

I was shooting it off a bench. I couldnt bend over far enough sitting on the seat with the bench to shoot comfortably so I shot from my knee with the gun rested on a pillow. My back was bent waaaaay forward which probably contributed a lot to it. Thanks for the info.. it does make sense. Im not worried about recoil while hunting cause all shots will be attempted from a standing position as there wont be another soul in the woods and stand hunting just wont work.

I have figured out the shooting to the right though. I was gripping the gun so hard trying to keep from getting belted that I was slightly canting it during the trigger pull. I dont think sight adjustments are going to help shooting a gun at an angle..lol.


On the recoil... the Traditions Inline I was shooting is a 50 cal and I was shooting 300 gr Shockwaves and 90 gr of T7 and the recoil was not even close to the thumping the 54 gave me. Stock design fits great for open sights but the stock fits my cheekbone perfectly and it just belts me..lol.

Dave if that Renegade kicks harder keep it up your way..lol.

nchawkeye

I'd back off to 70grs of Triple Seven and see how she shot...I use 80grs of FFF Goex in my .54 and it's plenty for deer...Another advantage to real black powder is that it's ignition temp is lower (800 degrees F.) than the substitute powders...So it ignites easier and is less likely to burn through patches...

When I made my .54 flintlock back in the 80s I went with a Lancaster stock and a wide, flat butt plate...This coupled with the 38 inch barrel which is 1 1/6 at the breach and 15/16 at the muzzle make it a joy to shoot...

I started with 120 grs of FF and then went down to 100 and have settled on 80grs of FFF Goex in the past 10 years...Triple Seven is more powerful than real black powder so I believe you could go with a reduced charge...

Going to Goex might reduce recoil as well...

One way of looking at a round ball is that it's close to bore size...With a .50 inline and a .45 saboted bullet we are expecting the bullet to mushroom...That .530 ball mushrooms more easily because it's made of pure lead (not jacketed) and is also flatter at the forward section than a bullet...So even if it doesn't mushroom it is plenty big to be lethal...