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).

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.

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!