New (to me) 45 hawken.

[DanWalker]

I'm having entirely too much fun with this gun. Been wanting a 45 for a very long time. I finally got one, and put some rounds downrange with it today. I have been intrigued with the idea of using 45 caliber cast pistol boolits in a ML for a while now. I have been casting 45's and sending them to friends who shoot them in sabots in their 50's, to great effect. Today I cast up some LEE 200 grain TL SWC's from pure lead. I lubed them with crisco, and seated them on top of a felt wad, over 60 grains of Pyrodex P. Range was about 50 yards, and I was smacking my 10" pistol gong solidly, just rested over the railing on my back deck. I can tell this gun is going to be a heck of a lot of fun to tinker with. I may just cast up some 250 grain SWC's just for grins, to see how they do. Anyone else gone down this road?

[725]

It's on my list. I have a mold for a .50 S&W, that I was thinking I could load for a .50 ML. Haven't really looked too far into it, yet. Also, a wasp waisted shotgun slug for a .50 ML. Both just, only on my mind without any effort toward the project.

[OverMax]

I have a hawkin 45. (Got allergic to the recoil of my 54 hawkin some years back.) So I switched to my 45. Been hunting deer quite a few yrs now with the 45 and have taken a few deer with littl 128 gr ball. Ball does require spot on targeting. (spine or white patch on front of throat.) {A downed deer guaranteed.} to date those deer harvested never required but only one kill shot. All the ball shots have been 60 yards or less. I do have a G/Mtn stainless barrel for the 45 having 1-28 twist> It shoots 240 gr cast 40 cal dia. & sabot. The G/mtn quick twist barrel doubles the shooting distance of the traditional Ball it having much more wollip. Little 45 side lock is not at all intimating having a recoil of a 410 ga. shooting a 2-1/2" slug. I've been on the scout in my neck of the woods for a 45-cal Cherokee for years. Never crossed paths with one. So I settled for the T/c Hawkin 45 cal rifle instead. This is one rifle I have never regretted ownership of. It's a dandy.

[243winxb]

A water pipe will put 10 into 13" @ 50 yards.
If your is a T/C Hawken, try the old style Maxi-ball. Easy to load. Only the bullets front band contacts the lands on loading. Once seated, its not going to move off the powder.

[Edward]

A water pipe will put 10 into 13" @ 50 yards.
If your is a T/C Hawken, try the old style Maxi-ball. Easy to load. Only the bullets front band contacts the lands on loading. Once seated, its not going to move off the powder.

And not for nothing for accuracy lube bottom groove only and use a felt wad to protect base and pure lead only ! There you got 10+ yrs of casting /shooting maxis ,Where do I send the bill! /Ed

[Good Cheer]

Tried paper patching Keith SWC's molded from soft lead and running them up a push through die?
Oh, you can go plumb wild tinkering with a .45!

[GregLaROCHE]

This makes me that I want to take mine off the wall and start shooting it again.

[Pereira]

Don't own a .45
I have a .32, a .50, and a .54.

RP

[indian joe]

I have a hawkin 45. (Got allergic to the recoil of my 54 hawkin some years back.) So I switched to my 45. Been hunting deer quite a few yrs now with the 45 and have taken a few deer with littl 128 gr ball. Ball does require spot on targeting. (spine or white patch on front of throat.) {A downed deer guaranteed.} to date those deer harvested never required but only one kill shot. All the ball shots have been 60 yards or less. I do have a G/Mtn stainless barrel for the 45 having 1-28 twist> It shoots 240 gr cast 40 cal dia. & sabot.

The G/mtn quick twist barrel doubles the shooting distance of the traditional Ball it having much more wollip.
This not making any sense at all to me
slow twist for ball - fast twist for boolit - always been the accepted deal



Little 45 side lock is not at all intimating having a recoil of a 410 ga. shooting a 2-1/2" slug. I've been on the scout in my neck of the woods for a 45-cal Cherokee for years. Never crossed paths with one. So I settled for the T/c Hawkin 45 cal rifle instead. This is one rifle I have never regretted ownership of. It's a dandy.

........

[Edward]

I use the 45 maxi pure in a Harvester sabot (no lube) 80 gr OE 3F in a CVA 50 cal V2 pistol/carbine 4-5 inch 5shot groups @200 yds and
@100 yds 1-1/2 inch -3 inch using a 2x7 Leupold on a good day , I have lots of good days/Ed

[GunnyJohn]

Hi Dan,
Reading your post, I got to thinking. Don't know if you're interested or not, but awhile I bought a box of stuff at an auction and one of the things in the box was a .45 cal Thompson Center round ball mold. It's new in the box. If you're interested, shoot me an address and I'll send it to you. I don't have any use for it, maybe you do?

[GBertolet]

I tried using cast pistol bullets in my 45 cal T/C, with poor results. I wound up buying the 45 Maxi Ball mold from T/C. I think it is made by Lyman. As mentioned in a previous post, the bullet is basically a heeled type bullet. The front driving band is groove diameter, and is engaged by the rifling, and the rear is bore riding. Cast of pure lead, it is relatively easy to engrave the rifling while seating.

I did find that I could get the round ball, to shoot a little more accurate. .440 is the proper size for the Hawken. Adjust your patch thickness for a snug fit. I did also discover that BP shoots better than the Pyrodex in my Hawken. 3F shoots better and cleaner than 2F does, although you cannot get the maximum velocity, that the 2F can deliver. Shooting the muzzle loader is a whole new ball game.

[Good Cheer]

These are from 2013, .45 SWC's cast from soft lead; tried them out in a rebarreled New Englander.

They worked like a short maxiball design. The strong point of maxi's is their bullet to barrel alignment length so short maxis generally are shorter range propositions and fit to bore is really important. If I was shooting at either tomato cans or bambis they'd work great.

Kept meaning to try out #454190 but never have. Using these instead.

[gunther]

A maxi ball problem no one has mentioned is that they will be progressively harder to load after the second one. Getting the third or forth one down on the powder can be a challenge. Pulling one stuck in the bore is a problem for a slide hammer or a piece of angle iron, slotted for your steel ramrod, securely bolted to the rafter. Lee makes mini ball molds, and they do very well.

[jim 44-40]

Is your barrel marked 1-66 twist?

[OverMax]

Yes my 45 cal barrel is marked 1-66 Round Ball only. The place where I purchased the rifle did offer such factory made barrels as a barrel option back in the early 80's. A few years later after I made my purchase's from Fox Ridge Outfitters they closed their doors.
Have another Hawken 54 that also has a factory 1-66 Round Ball barrel. Both rifles with these T/C made Ball barrels are known to target somewhat better than their original equipment barrel's of 1-48.