Cabelas hawken 'big bore'

[54bore]

I added a new one to the stable today, 58 cal cabelas hawken big bore. The gun is in mint condition and appears to have never been shot? Anyone know anything about these things? It says Italy on the barrel. What are they worth? How do they shoot? What is the twist? Any load data? I got this gun cheap, really cheap, It appears to be very well made. Any info is greatly appreciated!

[54bore]

Anyone got a TC 58 maxi ball mold laying around they would part with? I don't plan on shooting round balls, would much rather shoot a conical if the gun will allow it. Any recommendations on a good mold?

[bubba.50]

midsouth has double cavity 58cal 440gr Lee R.E.A.L. moulds for 19 bucks & show them to be in stock.

[Hickory]

I can answer all your questions, answers will appear after your question.


I added a new one to the stable today, 58 cal cabelas hawken big bore. The gun is in mint condition and appears to have never been shot? This is a statement that requires no answer. Anyone know anything about these things? A friend of mine has one and really likes it. It says Italy on the barrel. What are they worth? I would guess it is wouth what ever you think it is worth if you want to sell it. How do they shoot? My friends gun shoots very well and kills like the hammer of Thor. What is the twist? 1- 48" Any load data? ​You can use my rule of thumb for a starting load; 1and 1/2 times the caliber. Round it up to 60 plus half of 60 = 90 grs of black powder. I got this gun cheap, really cheap, It appears to be very well made. Any info is greatly appreciated!

[BPJONES]

I would almost bet it is made by Invest Arms of Italy. Is there a capital letter I stamped anywhere on the barrel? There will also be a Roman numeral or 2 letters for a date code.


Italian Date Codes
1945 = 1 1967 = XXIII 1989 = AU
1946 = 2 1968 = XXIV 1990 = AZ
1947 = 3 1969 = XXV 1991 = BA
1948 = 4 1970 = XXVI 1992 = BB
1949 = 5 1971 = XX7 1993 = BC
1950 = 6 1972 = XX8 1994 = BD
1951 = 7 1973 = XX9 1995 = BF
1952 = 8 1974= XXX 1996 = BH
1953 = 9 1975 = AA 1997 = BI
1954 = X 1976 = AB 1998 = BL
1955 = XI 1977 = AC 1999 = BM
1956 = XII 1978 = AD 2000 = BN
1957 = XIII 1979 = AE 2001 = BP
1958 = XIV 1980 = AF 2002 = BS
1959 = XV 1981 = AH 2003 = BT
1960 = XVI 1982 = AI 2004 = BU
1961 - XVII 1983 = AL 2005 = BZ
1962 = XVIII 1984 = AM 2006 = CA
1963 = XIX 1985 = AN 2007 = CB
1964 = XX 1986 = AP 2008 = CC
1965 = XXI 1987 = AS 2009 = CD
1966 = XXII 1988 = AT 2010 = CF
Prior to 1945 date codes were in Roman numerals and included the month and the last two numbers of the year, so January 1922 would be rendered IXXII.

[54bore]

BPJONES, That is some good info! Yes there is a capital letter I stamped inside a box, also the letters BF stamped in another small box. I also noticed a warning of some sort but never payed any attention until now, it says 'before using gun read warnings in instruction manual available from Investarm spa 25060 Marcheno Italy'

[BPJONES]

So you have a 1995 production rifle. There was a very nice big bore listed last year where I am. I thought real hard about it but for some reason let it slip away. Haven't seen another since for sale.

[mooman76]

You need to check the barrel twist yourself. You can do that with a tight jag and a little math. I have one and best I can tell it(mine) has a 1-60 twist. I have heard of them coming in a 1-48 also. I usually shoot RBs in mine and it shoots good. I also shot a mini made by Lee that is suppose to be an original copy. It's a little over 500gr. It doesn't shoot bad but not fantastic either but good enough for deer out to 100y.

[waarp8nt]

I have a hollow base mold by Ohaus, its 58 cal and 400 grain...found it as new old stock on the evil bay. I think lyman has a similar offering.

[54bore]

161980

[54bore]

Picture is kinda blurry but there it is, I stripped it down and cleaned it up good, it didn't need much if anything I just wanted to go through it good as I do any new gun be it new or used, I couldn't find any rust, I pulled the nipple and scrubbed the barrel out really good with warm soapy patches and ran a new bore brush through it 8 or 10 strokes, the patches came out nice and clean, I'm confident that it's never been fired. I have a whopping 14 actual dollars in it! I ordered up a Lee R.E.A.L. 440 grain mold today to give me something to try in it. Would really like to find a TC Maxi Ball Mold for it, I see I can get already made Maxi Ball boolits from track of the wolf, I will get some to try.

[BPJONES]

Very nice rifle. $14.00??

[54bore]

Very nice rifle. $14.00??

That's no joke, a friend of mine gave me 2 little 5.5 hp Honda motors when he moved, one ran and the other needed work, I spent 14.00 dollars for 2 quarts of oil and a spark plug, I ended up having absolutely no use for them so I traded both for this muzzle loader.

[BPJONES]

That's no joke, a friend of mine gave me 2 little 5.5 hp Honda motors when he moved, one ran and the other needed work, I spent 14.00 dollars for 2 quarts of oil and a spark plug, I ended up having absolutely no use for them so I traded both for this muzzle loader.

Ah! The ole "horse tradin" technique!

[Hellgate]

I can't tell which of the 3 rifles is the 58 cal. One thing that may look bad but will save your shoulder is to put a slip on recoil pad onto that narrow but plate. It's gonna kick hell out of you if you don't. If you only shoot PRB then it might be OK but a big ol' 450-530gr minie ball is gonna whollup at both ends.

I work up my .58 loads with a sand bag betwixt me and the rifle butt so I can get the right hunting load developed without developing a flinch.

[bubba.50]

the front rifle with the patchbox is the 58cal the middle gun is a T/C New Englander and the third gun is a T/C Renegade.

[izzyjoe]

Those New Englanders are one my favorite front stuffers, light and handy!

[54bore]

The new englander has a 12 gauge barrel on it that I bought from a forum member, it's gonna be my turkey gun in a month and a half, I also have a .54 cal barrel for it, my dad gave me the new englander, it's like brand new and has more meaning to me than the others. I have the renegade at a gunsmith friends right now having the 'Idaho Ron sight system' put on it, Lyman 57sml peep, and 17aml globe front sight with Lee shavers inserts, I am super excited to get out and get that one dialed in!

[mooman76]

I have a 58 that came with another barrel, a 50. I bought it used so never knew when it was made but according to the codes here, one was made in 89 and the other in 90. Kind of nice to know info. I might add that the 58 had the 15/16 barrel like was discussed on another thread. Probably made that way so they could match two different calibers on the same stock.

[54bore]

You need to check the barrel twist yourself. You can do that with a tight jag and a little math. I have one and best I can tell it(mine) has a 1-60 twist. I have heard of them coming in a 1-48 also. I usually shoot RBs in mine and it shoots good. I also shot a mini made by Lee that is suppose to be an original copy. It's a little over 500gr. It doesn't shoot bad but not fantastic either but good enough for deer out to 100y.

I checked mine and it's 1:48, I plan on shooting BIG CONICALS through it, I found some 600 grain Maxi Balls at Track of the wolf, and October country for the .58 cal, I'm gonna run down to OC Monday morning and buy some to try in my gun, if they end up shooting good I highly doubt I will ever find a TC maxi ball mold which is a bummer but is what it is! I did however find another mold that looks nearly identical to the Maxi ball and comes in 2 different weights, 550 and 625 grains, it's an accurate mold, any of you guys know much about accurate molds? The 2 in particular that I'm looking at are #59-625M and #59-550M, I'm not positive but I think they are for .58 cal? Any of you guys that see this and don't mind looking at the pics and specs of those 2 molds I would greatly appreciate it! Being new to muzzloaders and bullet casting, I stil got quite a bit of learning to do, when I look at mold specs it's sorta like looking at a Russian phone book. I emailed accurate and asked about those two molds and got an email back saying 'Gone fishing be back in a week' so I guess I will hear back then, but in the mean time if you guys don't mind checking those molds out and letting me know if they will work in this new .58 cal that would be great!

[Hellgate]

I hunt with the Lyman 575213-Old Style and the 577611 minie that weigh 460 and 530gr respectively. You might want to go for a PRB (Patched Round Ball) load first. It'll be a lot easier on your shoulder or put a sand bag up to your shoulder while working up the load.

[fastdadio]

I have that gun. Investarms .58 Hawken. 1/48 twist. had it for over 30 years. I love it. Pulls up real nice and fits me puurrfect. I have shot just about everything out of it over the years. It seems to do best with a traditional hollow base minnie and tight round balls. It also needs to be ignited with musket caps. The #11 nipple that came on it will give a slight but noticable delay no matter what brand cap I used. After switching to muskets, ignition was noticablely improved. Realize that a 20 gauge shot cup fits the bore like it's made for it. What you put in there is totally up to you. Screws, rocks, bird seed, BBs, batteries, washers, darts, nails, have all gone down range. But the best most useful cup load I ever tried was two .535 round balls over 70-80 grs of 2f. Always make sure the balls are touching in the cup or separate them with a felt wad. All i ever shoot is round ball any more and they knock down everything with malice. What a fine piece. I'm taking mine out next time I go out. Nice grab and I'm sure you'll learn to love it.