Range report - 1:48" round balls
03-06-2005, 01:23 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 501
Range report - 1:48" round balls
Those of you with "the sickness" will understand when I say I stumbled across what appeared to be an unfired .50cal TC Hawken Flintlock at an estate sale, priced so low I HAD to buy it....standard TC Hawken with 1:48" twist.
I upgraded the lock with TC's redesigned flint lock parts and went to the range...began breaking it in with a few dozen target loads (50grns Goex FFFg, pillow ticking, Hornady balls) and it just ate out the center of the bullseyes at 50yds.
Then before leaving, I decided to try a couple groups at 100yds using my full power hunting loads I normally use in my 1:66" round ball barrels as follows:
90grns Goex FFFg (3F)
Oxyoke wonderwad (.54cal in a .50)
TC .018" prelubed pillow ticking
Hornady .490
Cleaned the barrel, shot two groups off the bench and measured the holes from center to center...one was 2+3/8" and the other was 1+7/8"...not too shabby for an off the shelf TC Hawken 1:48" barrel with max round ball hunting loads.
I upgraded the lock with TC's redesigned flint lock parts and went to the range...began breaking it in with a few dozen target loads (50grns Goex FFFg, pillow ticking, Hornady balls) and it just ate out the center of the bullseyes at 50yds.
Then before leaving, I decided to try a couple groups at 100yds using my full power hunting loads I normally use in my 1:66" round ball barrels as follows:
90grns Goex FFFg (3F)
Oxyoke wonderwad (.54cal in a .50)
TC .018" prelubed pillow ticking
Hornady .490
Cleaned the barrel, shot two groups off the bench and measured the holes from center to center...one was 2+3/8" and the other was 1+7/8"...not too shabby for an off the shelf TC Hawken 1:48" barrel with max round ball hunting loads.
03-06-2005, 02:55 PM
#2
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
RE: Range report - 1:48" round balls
I had read your report on a different forum and as always take your experience and advise to heart. So today I took my .50 caliber T/C Hawkin Flintlock out to my range. The only station open was the 30 yard (although the snow is melting fast.. 
).
I normally shoot 80 grains of Goex 3f and a moosemilk patched .490 roundball. So today I bumped the charge to 90 grains of Goex 3f a .54 caliber wonder wad, and a moose milk patched roundball. Well it was spraying a pretty bad six shot group. Nothing that would have got me too excited.
I then field cleaned the rifle barrel good and put up a new target. This time I put in a .50 caliber wonderwad and it still could not hold a six shot group. Also it was shooting to the left for some reason. So we changed the target again.
I then field cleaned the barrel again and using the same charge left out the wonderwads... That was much better. It shot a ragged hole six shot group, an inch and a half above the bullseye. It normally shoots only an inch high using a 6 o'clock hold pattern. When the snow melts we will get this rifle back to the 100 yard station and see what it can do. The rifle lock performed flawless again.
I then got out my Renegade .54 caliber bore butter test rifle, that I had purchased a short time ago for the stock mostly, but have not shot yet. I call it my bore butter test rifle because I am using only bore butter as a lube and to protect it. With the 1-48 twist I decided to try a couple of projectiles.. I first dumped 90 grains of Goex 3f down it and bore buttered a 300 grain REAL concial. Back out to the range I headed when the dog tree'd a little red pine squirrel. So I took a bead on the squirrel's mid section and cut him in two... Not too bad for the first time shooting this rifle.
I then shot 10 rounds of REALs, then five 405 grain Powerbelts (ouch!!) and finally tried it with 90 grains Goex 3f a wonder wad and a bore butter patched roundball. This is a real sweet shooter after all. It held a beautiful group at the 30 yard station. I shot it about eight times and it just kept throwing them into the hole....
Finally to end the day I went in the house and brought out the .62 caliber smoothbore. I was loading 90 grains of Goex 2f a over the powder card, a fiber wad, a .610 328 grain round ball and finally two over the shot cards. We ended the day punching big holes in a little index card. After the 8th shot the smoothbore was starting to throw shots. I was not sure if it was the gun or I was just getting tired. So we called it a day.....
1-48 twist barrels are one of the best all around twists out there. It has to be why T/C kind of hung there hat on that twist.
). I normally shoot 80 grains of Goex 3f and a moosemilk patched .490 roundball. So today I bumped the charge to 90 grains of Goex 3f a .54 caliber wonder wad, and a moose milk patched roundball. Well it was spraying a pretty bad six shot group. Nothing that would have got me too excited.
I then field cleaned the rifle barrel good and put up a new target. This time I put in a .50 caliber wonderwad and it still could not hold a six shot group. Also it was shooting to the left for some reason. So we changed the target again.
I then field cleaned the barrel again and using the same charge left out the wonderwads...
That was much better. It shot a ragged hole six shot group, an inch and a half above the bullseye. It normally shoots only an inch high using a 6 o'clock hold pattern. When the snow melts we will get this rifle back to the 100 yard station and see what it can do. The rifle lock performed flawless again.I then got out my Renegade .54 caliber bore butter test rifle, that I had purchased a short time ago for the stock mostly, but have not shot yet. I call it my bore butter test rifle because I am using only bore butter as a lube and to protect it. With the 1-48 twist I decided to try a couple of projectiles.. I first dumped 90 grains of Goex 3f down it and bore buttered a 300 grain REAL concial. Back out to the range I headed when the dog tree'd a little red pine squirrel. So I took a bead on the squirrel's mid section and cut him in two... Not too bad for the first time shooting this rifle.
I then shot 10 rounds of REALs, then five 405 grain Powerbelts (ouch!!) and finally tried it with 90 grains Goex 3f a wonder wad and a bore butter patched roundball. This is a real sweet shooter after all. It held a beautiful group at the 30 yard station. I shot it about eight times and it just kept throwing them into the hole....
Finally to end the day I went in the house and brought out the .62 caliber smoothbore. I was loading 90 grains of Goex 2f a over the powder card, a fiber wad, a .610 328 grain round ball and finally two over the shot cards. We ended the day punching big holes in a little index card. After the 8th shot the smoothbore was starting to throw shots. I was not sure if it was the gun or I was just getting tired. So we called it a day.....
1-48 twist barrels are one of the best all around twists out there. It has to be why T/C kind of hung there hat on that twist.
03-06-2005, 04:46 PM
#5
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: PA
Posts: 9,085
RE: Range report - 1:48" round balls
wait....im new to BP....but you put your charge in.....THEN a 54 cal wonder wad then a patch then the ball??? do you seat the wonder wad before the patch and ball? or load all 3 as one?? did that help with accuracy or whats the point of that if thats correct?? interesting...never heard of that....only wonderwads with flat based conicals?? fill me in if you dont mind...
cayugad.....the bore butter gun will be fine.....i had my flinter for 2 seasons now....and never ever put anything but bore butter in there....never ever had a rust problem....but im a fanatic when it comes to cleaning my guns...and my bore IS dry before i think about putting it togehter.....i then after its fully dry run a patch with a heavy coating of bore butter through it once up and back....then i flip it over....it kinda soaks into the patch and is on the backside too....and theres ALOT of eccess in the bore from the first run.....just how i do it....then with the same patch i whipe down the outside of the bore.....it works for me....i know many disagree and say it wont stop rust and such....but if it doesnt work my gun would be rusty...i think the key is getting it dry BEFORE you put on the bore butter.....it works for me.....i learned alot from you and your posts and tips...but i believe you used to say bore butter is bad....thats one thing i went against....but it works for me...good luck with it....let me know what you find out
cayugad.....the bore butter gun will be fine.....i had my flinter for 2 seasons now....and never ever put anything but bore butter in there....never ever had a rust problem....but im a fanatic when it comes to cleaning my guns...and my bore IS dry before i think about putting it togehter.....i then after its fully dry run a patch with a heavy coating of bore butter through it once up and back....then i flip it over....it kinda soaks into the patch and is on the backside too....and theres ALOT of eccess in the bore from the first run.....just how i do it....then with the same patch i whipe down the outside of the bore.....it works for me....i know many disagree and say it wont stop rust and such....but if it doesnt work my gun would be rusty...i think the key is getting it dry BEFORE you put on the bore butter.....it works for me.....i learned alot from you and your posts and tips...but i believe you used to say bore butter is bad....thats one thing i went against....but it works for me...good luck with it....let me know what you find out
03-06-2005, 05:39 PM
#6
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Milford, Delaware
Posts: 1,919
RE: Range report - 1:48" round balls
Hey roundball it seems you measure your groups different every time.In this post you said specificly"I MEASURED THE HOLES CENTER TO CENTER".Where in anoter post you said you measure O.D TO O.D which is it???????????? It seems you just measure however you want whever you want.I would advise that when you respond to someone's post and tell them to measure a certain way that you would do the same........NOW WHAT????
