[Borch]

Will be deer hunting with a .54 cal T/C Hawken this year. Any good advice for a first timer?

[dwave]

Sight in your gun! :)

Anyways, work yourself up a good load that is accurate. Max charge usually isn't that accurate.

What bullet are you planning on using? Patched round ball?

[gru556]

Good for you.I have a 54 Renegade I hope to harvest a deer with.I'm using 50grns 3f 490ball &15 thou patch for turkey shoots and think it would be a good deer load for Ohio.I got a box of TC Maxi hunter that I'm going to try.They work good in a 50 cal. Good luck nice gun

[Chawbaccer]

Know your ranges, Use alcohol and get all the oil out of the chamber before that first load, do not use the set trigger.
Now it may happen you will miss on your first shot, happens. The deer will likely stand broadside to you while you quickly re-load, however, when you take that split second to look down to put a cap on, the deer will vanish.

[dwave]

The deer will likely stand broadside to you while you quickly re-load, however, when you take that split second to look down to put a cap on, the deer will vanish.

Isn't that the truth.

[Borch]

I've been practicing with 100 grains of FFF with a patched ball. I've been really accurate out to 75 yards. Anyone use the saboted hollow points? Are they really that much better?

[Smokin_Gun]

Keep yur Powder dry, yur nose to the wind, and don't go off half cocked. The hammer click will tip off that Buck(Full Cocked). Not a safe act capped and charged, but if ya keep an straight cap loader around yur neck ... the cap can go on quietly. Then BOOOM!!!! when in your sites.

SG

[Chawbaccer]

I have always used the TC Maxiball with about 90grains of 3f. I don't think sabots work real good from the Hawken.

[arcticap]

During our December BP season, I always stretch the end of a balloon over the muzzle and secure it with a thin rubber band. This keeps debris, moisture, rain, ice, snow, mud or whatever else that can contaminate or cause an obstruction out of the bore.
And once the loaded gun has been taken out and hunted with in frigid temperatures, it gets stored in a cold place over night to minimized the chance of any condensation forming in the barrel.
So Borch, do you live in a warm, dry deer hunting state? :D

[Loyalist Dave]

Not a safe act capped and charged.

No more dangerous than having a primed pan on a flintlock, with the rifle at half-cock. Or, do you also suggest the flintlock shooter cock his piece, open the pan, prime, then close the frizzen, while the deer is in one's sights?

I have never known a person who fell on their rifle, breaking the hammer, and causing an AD, but I DO know a person who fell on this flintlock, breaking the mechanism, and causing an AD.

I would submit that it might also be dangerous to carry an inline capper, which is not nearly as sealed to the elements as the cap is on the nipple, even when protected inside a garment, it is still prone to absorb moisture, and so risk a hang-fire (yes I have experienced this).

I have seen folks take spent .22 casings, and cover the capped nipple, holdin' the case in place with the hammer resting upon it. I am not confident in this practise, but one shooter demonstrated to me on his rifle that if the hammer was bumped and the casing dropped free, the half-cock notch would catch his hammer.

LD

[arcticap]

Another item that fits over the nipple is a tire valve cap. You can often find a spare one that someone forgot to re-install if you look on the ground around the air fill at a service station. :D

[BHP FAN]

I like the rubber tips off of pegboard hooks.The large ones work great.

[mykeal]

Percussion: hammer at full cock, cap on nipple, leather cap over the capped nipple with a thong attached to the front of the trigger guard. Simply pull the leather cap off the nipple when ready to shoot; can be done silently and quickly with a little practice.

Flintlock: similar to the percussion lock, with the hammer at full cock, the pan primed and the frizzen up, place a leather sleeve over the frizzen with a leather thong tied to the front of the trigger guard. And just as silently and quickly as above the sleeve can be removed for firing.

[madcratebuilder]

Cool, another leather project. What if you made the leather cap to go over the hammer? My luck when I removed the leather I would pull the cap off.

[sundance44s]

54 cal is my favorite cal for takeing deer ....the round balls are big enough to do the job ...but your T/C rifle may shoot more accurate with the T/C lubed lead bullets ..mine does .

[mykeal]

A leather cap for a sidelock percussion gun is a matter of personal design. I've seen ones that cover the hammer and ones that cover the entire drum and nipple or just the nipple. I've even seen some that wrap around the gun. Just get creative.

And get some caps that fit properly.

[Smokin_Gun]

No more dangerous than having a primed pan on a flintlock, with the rifle at half-cock. Or, do you also suggest the flintlock shooter cock his piece, open the pan, prime, then close the frizzen, while the deer is in one's sights?


I believed he was talkin' bout a caplock Dave as such I replied...common sense would enter the equation to one carrying a "Rock Lock" ... thanks for the footnote.

SG

[moooose102]

well, i dont have all that much bp experience, but standard rifle (and reloading) etiquet appies here as well. try several different bullet, at several different charges to find out what your gun likes. you could also try different powders as well, this would depend on your financial and commitment level to this. this will also double as good practice / familiarization with your firearm as well. you have to shoot to be good, and you should be good before you hunt.

[Mat, not doormat]

I've heard it suggested that dribbling some candle wax, or maybe it was sealing wax over the capped nipple creats a weathertight seal. I'm too lazy to search out the quote, but believe it involved swimming with a C&B revolver.

~~~Mat

[Loyalist Dave]

I believed he was talkin' bout a caplock Dave as such I replied...common sense would enter the equation to one carrying a "Rock Lock" ... thanks for the footnote.

Well let's see...,


Will be deer hunting with a .54 cal T/C Hawken this year.

Nope, the original question doesn't specify the ignition type, and I own both a T/C Hawken in caplock and flintlock. My experience with caplocks for the past 30 years is there is a better chance of getting a hangfire, an accidental discharge (for you must go to full cock to apply the cap) or a failure to fire, when capping just before firing at game. I have found it safer and more reliable to cover the capped nipple when hunting.

LD