Is there a trick or....?
 

Howdy all! I am brand spanking new to this forum and to blackpowder shooting/hunting. Shoot, I'm new to hunting. Before this, I was satisfied collecting old firearms (Mausers, Mosin-Nagants, etc) and shooting them on a recreational basis. Plus, I live in a state where only 1 in 4 hunters get drawn for hunts - that being New Mexico. Growing up in Wyoming, New Mexico seems too sparse for a beginner like me to even try a hunt.

Aaanyhoo, I just recently bought an Investarms .54 caliber Hawken. I like traditional weapons...they had a look I just love. The gun itself is in great shape, and I love the feel of it. Have yet to shoot it though. That being said, does anyone have any experience with these guns? I am hesitant to buy equipment for it without getting a lot of advice on what works well in these guns and what doesn't. So...is the a trick to these traditional guns? Or is it better to just jump right in?

Thanks all!

DW42

Investarms are very well made rifles. They are the same company that makes Lyman. I have a .54 caliber Lyman Trade Rifle flintlock. That would have the same barrel and lock probably as your Hawkins. It just is missing some of the fancy brass.

A .530 or .535 roundball will work fine in your rifle. Patches will depend on the size of the ball you shoot. I use a .530 ball and a .018 patch. Wal Mart sells 100% cotton pillow tick cloth. This will mic out at .018. Makes for nice patches.

Since my rifle is a flintlock, I shoot 90 grains of Goex 2f black powder. That ball and patch with that powder charge is very accurate and deadly for hunting.

In the upper section of the forum there are posts set that will explain what kind of things you might need to shoot a rifle.

After reading the post at the top of the forum, do a search for lyman, lyman loads, etc. You'll find a ton of info in old post.

Most evrery question you have will be covered somewhere. There is great knowledge here if you have specific questions.... Just not from me as I'm a rookie but I've learned much from this board.

Is it correct that even as a resident of NM you still have to get in a lottery for a hunting permit/license? What it the reason for this situation? Is game that scarce? This sounds like a horrible situtation. It would kill me not to get to hunt each year.

Thanks for the response, Cayugad! It is very much appreciated. The .535/.530 ball was one of the questions I had. Thank you.

Dutch, I am not rightly certain what the reason for the hard draws are. But you need to remember the truth about New Mexico. (I am about to tick a LOT of New Mexicans off with this....but it is true). Crime is a culture in this state. I would imagine that includes poaching. Rangers and cops aren't as respected here as they should be....you hear them in random conversations as though the people they stop are more victims than criminals. Of course, from my perspective, it's an outsider looking in.

Poaching is bad here though. Not to mention that New Mexico has had some monster Elk come out of it...it has been a prime destination for hunters for a long time. My guess is that the attention from legal hunters and the cost of poaching has taken its toll over the years.

Of course, that is all guessing on my part. It would be ebst to look into it. Which I will.

Must be in southern new mexico? Up north the game and fish are all over the place.

Welcome to the Black Powder forum DesertWolf. You're going to really enjoy that .54 Investarms Hawken. It's a fine gun. Of course, if you hang around here long enough it will only be your first muzzleloader. My prediction is your next one will be a .50 in-line, which you should probably get before the flintlock (which you will have a hankering for by about November). :o :D

I can't help you with your questions DesertWolf42, as I don't shoot the traditionals, but I do want to welcome you to the forum. :party0005:

You didn't mention whether it was flint or perc. but my wife has the same gun in percussion and her's shoots really well with 80gr. of Pyrodex RS, a .015 patch and .530 ball. I would suggest using CCI #11 Magnum percussion caps as well if that's what your gun is...BPS

Ditto.

And jump right in!

welcome desertwolf, I've been shooting an Investarms Hawken .54 for more than 25 years and have no complaints, good rifle. Mine likes TC maxiball and 90 grains goex BP, or a .530 RB .015 patch 80 grains goex BP. I hunted New Mexico couple years ago and loved it.

Thanks for the warm welcome, guys!

Personally, I doubt I will get an inline. I mean, there is never any telling, I may one day. But if its modern, I am normally not attracted to it. The only guns I have are either actual models or replicas from World War II or prior. I'm just old fashioned...plus, as a history buff, I want to be able to do what pioneers and trappers and cowboys did before me. If they could do it, why can't I with practice?

And I DID forget to mention, my Hawken is a percussion. I have not shot it yet, but I hope it will be a good experience!I already love the weight and balance of that gun...the feel of it alone just seems to speak of reliability.

I am glad that everyone who has chimed in has nothing but good things to say about the Investarms Hawken...I'm very excited now!

I would like to welcome you to the forum as well. I know nothing of traditionals either, but there's a lot of really smart people here and I'm sure they'll take care of you.
Where abouts in WY did you grow up? I live in MN now but grew up in the Casper/Douglas area.

Kirby, I grew up in Cheyenne. Seems like we meet a lot of Wyomingites on the outside, considering how few of us there are.

I'm gonna be getting some .54 caliber round balls and patch on Wednesday, and see if I can't get some shooting in before the weekend. (Alas...Drill at the Air Guard will keep me from shooting this weekend.)

You bought a fine gun. Take care of it, and it will last you a lifetime.

I've had a few of them. As was mentioned. A .530 ball and .015 patch will probably work good. If you can buy real black powder in your area like Goex, Swiss etc. it will work great. Nice stinky sulfur smell to bring you back in time. It will fire at a lower temperature than the sub powders, and be more consistent. If you can't get it. Pyrodex is the next best choice.

Have fun with your new gun.

As others have stated, your Investarms Hawken is a good rifle. Every rifle will have it's favorite load combo. The only way to find that favorite load is get out there and experiment. You may for example start with a load of 55gr. by volume with a 530 round ball patched with .018 pillow ticking lubed with 50/50 mix of olive oil / water. Shoot off a bench starting at 25 yards. Fire a 3 shot string and see how it groups. Walk out and retrieve your spent patches and examine them. They should have remained intact and look good enough to use again. If they are burned through it means they are not doing their job. and accuracy will not be good. If they are burned through you may need to go to a thicker patch or a .535 ball.

Provided the patch looks good , up the powder charge by 5grs and shoot 3 more shots from the bench. Look at your group and you could see the size of the group shrink. Don't worry about where on the target you are hitting for now. Keep increasing the charge by 5grs. until you are shooting a tight group then adjust your sights to the point of impact. Then move your target out to 50 yards and continue the same process. Once you find the load combo that your rifle likes you will enjoy your rifle.

Mr. Flintlock,

Thanks for the advice! So I looked around, and all I can find in town is Pyrodex Select for a great price, along with some .535 RB. I'm going to try this first and order the other stuff (like .530 rb).

I found a good starter kit at possibleshop.com It comes with a powder horn, measure, ball starter, dry patches, lubed patches, possible bag....and a bunch of other stuff including RB. I may have to try that!

Has anyone ever tried the possibleshop.com starter kit?

I think you should have started with the .530 balls with a .015-.018 patch. You may have to use a .010 patch with the .535, and those are kind of thin. I always got burned holes in .010 patches with hunting loads unless I used a wad. Just one more extra step and expense.

Harder to find real BP. Most of us buy it online. If you really want to do like they did in the old days............you'll use BP. As a perk for doing it right. BP works better in sidelocks.