Wringing out my .58

[donnie]

Well with all the drama of my sons surgery and everything else behind me, I finally got to the range today to work up a hunting load for the .58 cal hawken rifle I got from Bill. Now I don't have the experience or the knowledge of Bill, DD, Bounce or Two Moons so maybe the results are not as dramatic as I think they are but, HOLY CRAP!! This rifle is a shooter! I started out shooting 80 gr. of FFg with really great groups. (unmeasured)
I was pretty darn happy immediately but continued adding powder at 10 gr increments. 90 gr saw a slight improvement so I went up to 100 gr. At 100 gr I shot a clover leaf group at 25 yards that was well under 1" The second and third shots almost went through the same hole! I moved my target back to the fifty yard line and sent another three down range. I knew the group looked good and believe it or not they looked like they were right in the bulls eye (Not Tom) When I walked downrange I could hardly believe it! I had a nice cloverleaf group that measures 1.25" center to center!!! ;D ;D
I know Bill will be pleased cause I've bout worn him out with questions, some not to bright. LOL
I actually cut the 50 yard group out of the target (big piece of cardboard) and brought it home with me. I think I'll just keep it.
I decided that was a good place to stop for the day with the sun shinin on my butt (it don't happen often). BTW Bill I now see what you mean by putting that butt plate on yer arm! I got bit pretty good putting it on the ball of my shoulder, won't be doin that again anytime soon!
Thanks to Bill and Moons!!!! Man am I gonna smoke a big ol whitetail this fall!

[bounce]

Great shooting, Guess I don't know if I know of the one you got or not but if it pased by way of two moon's you do have a shooter to be proud of cause if he can't make them shooters they are trashcaned. and like my German rifle .... he can work wonders to save one from the trash can allso.

[Bill]

Bounce, I don't think you know the gun. Its one that someone had built and kind of messed up. I bought it as it had a Bill Large barrel on it thats worth as much as the whole gun was and it looked to be unfired.
I then sent it up to Two Moons and had him work his magic on it as I had so little time to work on it myself that it would of been another year before Donnie would of gotten it.
I never did find out who built it originally and am pretty sure its a total custom job but it was pretty shabally done. Its not anymore though. ;D
Donnie. Didn't I tell you that combination would work Wait till you pull the trigger on the first whitetail with it. It will totally amaze you what a big .58 can do.

[donnie]

LOL! I'm already amazed! I could hunt squirrels with this rifle! And take nothin but head shots!
I couldn't have shot that group with my 10-22! I'll send ya a pic of the group later.
I finally found some help here with some of the other stuff I had questions about. I stopped at a place called turtle island beads and ran into the guy who owns the place. Turns out he's a buck skinner and sold me a book called"The book of buck skinning" edited by William Scurlock. Also gave me a copy of Muzzle blasts and a subscription card for muzzle loader magazine. He stocks patterns fer moccasins and skins and all sorts of neat stuff! I was lucky to get out with my wallet.

[twomoons]

If you try about 50 grains of FFFg at 25 yards you will find a sweet spot that WILL let you hunt squirrels. The Large barrels are amazing, especially as he used tools that sometimes dated back 100 years. His rifling machine was primitive at best and most of his work was done by the feel of the cutter. As to power a 58 round ball was last year voted the best bear kller in the Minnesota bear camp the guys go to. They thought the 58 rb backed by 90 grains of powder dropped bears better than a 300 win mag. 80 grains will put a ball clear through both sides of a buffalo.

[twomoons]

If you try about 50 grains of FFFg at 25 yards you will find a sweet spot that WILL let you hunt squirrels. The Large barrels are amazing, especially as he used tools that sometimes dated back 100 years. His rifling machine was primitive at best and most of his work was done by the feel of the cutter. As to power a 58 round ball was last year voted the best bear kller in the Minnesota bear camp the guys go to. They thought the 58 rb backed by 90 grains of powder dropped bears better than a 300 win mag. 80 grains will put a ball clear through both sides of a buffalo.

[bounce]

Pretty soon Donnie You will be barking them squirrels on top of their heads. Barking is differant things to differant peaple. but it is shaveing their hair of there head between the ears without drawing blood........ yes you do get to eat the squirrel too!! as you do get the hole squirrel as well, it will just have a gray line accross it's head were hair use to be. To Red it would be killing it with woodsplinters!!

[klsm54]

I am glad to hear about round ball guns that shoot well with bigger charges, besides those monsters that Two Moons builds....

Since PA was a "round-ball", and "Flintlock" only state for so long, a lot of manufacturers made models with deeper rifling and slower twists that they sold in a few PA gunshops. I bought a .54 T/C Renegade Flinter made for round balls. I believe it had a 1 in 66" twist while the standard Renegade had a compromise 1 in 48" twist, I believe.

I started shooting at 80 grains and the groups got noticeably better when I got to 100 grains. I ended up shooting 110 grains and even with those crappy T/C sights, it would keep it's shots inside a 3" bull at 75 yards, and really did about the same at 100.

I get a kick out hearing about people that say their guns shoot round balls best with 60-70 grains. I always figured that those guns either have fast or medium twist barrels and shallow rifling. A true roundball gun seems to handle those bigger charges just fine. Or at least what most guys consider bigger charges.....I know we're still talking "squib" loads to those guys shooting those Two Moons magnums... ;D

[bounce]

The magnums your speaking of should be credited to a man who's name is Greg Robert's as He did most the research & triles in the 60's & 70's I think, Two moons was an able student of his and of several others of noteability

[jimh]

donnie is that the front stuffer you showed me at the house when bob and i where up there? glad to hear that the bigger things in life are going well enough that you can go back to enjoy the little things in life. you've earned it.

[Bill]

I forgot Donnie, I TOLD YOU SO on not putting the gun up to your sholder like a regular gun. ;D Those little hooked butplats can reak havok on your sholder.

[donnie]

Bill,
YUP! Gotta helluva bruise on the ball of my right shoulder. That hasn't happenned since I was 7 or 8. LOL. I did it right away as I started shooting, only had 90gr in the rifle at that point. I'm not done shooting or working up my hunting load, I still need to play around a bit more to be certain I'm using the best all around load.
As it stands now I'm shooting a 270 gr .570 Hornady RB patched with pillow ticking and greased with TC bore butter over 100 gr of ffg ignited by a CCI cap.
I was thinking of zeroing dead on @ 75 yards, anyone have any other suggestions?

Jim,
Yes thats my pride and joy! Two moons did an incredible job of making sure I had a "correct" rifle right down to the ram rod. Everyone I have showed the rifle to is impressed! And I gotta admit I got a little choked up when I first saw it myself as I had no idea it was on its' way to my door. BTW thanks man I can actually relax a little now! Man I gotta tell ya I had a blast shooting today! Seems like something I might wanna try again.......LOL!

[jimh]

i tell ya donnie the whole time we where up there i didn't know which one i wanted to have come home with me, your SxS or the .58. it's kinda like red head vs blond.

[bounce]

Donnie when you get an opertunity to replace the TC bore butter with YOUNG COUNTRY LUBE 103 That will be most likely the best switch you will ever make to the best shooting you can get. other than that use Swiss 1.5 powder, this is deffinatly not nessasary at all as it's the most expencive and others are good but it is the best for accuracy allso. And will give you about 100ft pr second faster than others. at 75yds thats pretty fast lol

[Bill]

;D I remember when you recived it. ;D I come home and the answering machine has this whinney voice on it going. "Bill, What did you do to me" in between small whimpers of joy.
It was worth everything it cost. And it should supply you with winter meat from now on.
Like Bounce said though. That Young Country 103 lube is the best. And I can bring you some real black powder when I come up. It might be Goex but thats ok. It works too. ;D
Now if I can just figure out how to get you to shoot that rifle off your arm rather than your sholder you will do just fine. But maybe your trained already ;D