omgb
04-21-2014, 06:02 PM
I took my Navy Arms Hawken Hunter out for the second time in a week today and finally had success. I tried conventional minnies with no joy, they patterned but did not group and they keyholed a lot. So, on to different bullets. I next tried a 430 grainer from Lyman, long discontinued. I also used 3f. at 70 grains I got three shots touching at 25 yards, 6 inches high and a tad to the right. I moved out to 50 yards and it was now 3" high and with a small adjustment, I was keeping everything in the black. Then I tried a Lyman 577611 and 100 grains of powder. Eureka! three shots touching. I upped it to 120 and it shot right in the bull. my guess is that more powder meant more velocity which meant less barrel time and thus a lower POI. The thick skirt on the Lyman 611 was more than able to stand the stress without blowing. Then I tried a TC 58 maxie and that shot a nice ragged group in the black as well. So now I've got the load. I think the gun would do better but my eyes won't. maybe I should scope this beast.
My lube is my own mix of bees wax, lanolin and olive oil with a smidgen of red food coloring to make it "pretty". It's sticky but does not run on hot days like today (85+). I got great lube stars and 15 shots in a row without having to clean the barrel.
My lube is my own mix of bees wax, lanolin and olive oil with a smidgen of red food coloring to make it "pretty". It's sticky but does not run on hot days like today (85+). I got great lube stars and 15 shots in a row without having to clean the barrel.