LYMAN TRADE RIFLE/CABELAS HAWKEN 5O cal LOADS ????

[zermatt7]

I'm supposed to go mzldr shooting this weekend with a friend up "on the powerline"  I'm taking a .50 cal percussion Cabelas hawken I just re-finished and was wondering what loads to try...I have 490 round balls, 350gr. maxi-hunters and some 295 grain power belts,
goex in 3fff and 777 in 2 or 3 f, bore buttons, various ox yoke patches and cci #11 caps...Going to try and get some RWS # 11's and maybe some Pyrodex RS Select if I can find them.

I've read 2 reviews on these guns that say that they tend to open up to 5-6" @ 100 yards with round balls (one review was on the Cabelas web site)

Thanks for any help and I'll follow up next week with the reeults...provided they're not to embarrassing 

[PA-Joe]

With Rbs lots of target shooters use 45-50 grains!

[Slamfire]

.490 round balls will require a patch some where between .015 and .020. Start with pyro charges of 50 grains and work up in 5 grain increments. 777 cans indicate a 15% reduction for the same velocities/pressures. You may have better ignition with CCI mag caps.  Finally score some real black powder, I get mine from Graf & Sons. They have a website.   

[Snowshoe]

If you want to shoot 100 yard targets, I find that 80g of Pyrodex RS works pretty good with a tight fitting ball and pillow ticking patch with a bore button to protect the patch. My rifles will through a round ball into 3" at 100 yards with no problem at all. I think they would do better, but iron sights and old eyes are not the best for precision shooting.

[zermatt7]

Thanks for the replies...!