Thinking of taking up muzzle loading

[Ultra25-06]

I have been thinking about this for quite some time. The requierments are it must be a traditional style for ML only season, per Idaho F&G rules. I have been looking at this model for some time as it really appeals to me. Has anyone used this or tried it? The model I am considering is the Cabelas Sporterized Hawken Hunter Carbine. I am guessing it will limit my shots to a shorter range but that is fine. I generally try to get as close as possable being a bow hunter and growing up in IA where general season was shotgun. Also would you choose the .50 or .54 cal and why? Hunts would be for mule deer, elk and black bear. Thanks for any suggestions and advice.
 

[Buckskins & Black Powder]

Go with the full size sporterized hawken. I have one right now and love it.  90gr pyrodex rs - .490 round ball - .015" patch are the ticket.  Im shooting new day conicals through it now  but they will pretty much shoot anything stuffed down the bore.

[simonkenton]

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0006380210011a&type=product&cmCat=cchart_trd_blk_pwdr_rfl


That is a nice looking little carbine. I read the reviews, the guys really like it!
I would get the .54, since you want to shoot black bears and elk. With a muzzleloader, for elk, the bigger the better.
One of the guys who wrote a review is shooting the .54 with the 425 grain Great Plains Bullet, and getting good accuracy.
There is your elk load right there.
This short barrelled rifle will not limit your range much, you don't lose much power compared to a 28 inch barrelled gun.
I have hunted a lot with a 28 inch barrel, and with a 42 inch barrel, and I would never take a shot at over 100 yards with the long guns.

Now, this rifle has a 1:28 twist, which means it won't shoot patched round ball worth a crap.
You will have to use saboted slugs, or else elongated slugs such as the Great Plains Bullet.

[simonkenton]

I see that a lot of the guys have problems with the rear sight not holding true.
That is a very bad problem, but not a big problem.
As 3 or 4 of the reviewers have done, just get some Williams Fire Sights for the rifle for 40 bucks. Problem solved!
Those fiber optic sights are great.
I think this little carbine would be a great hunting rifle, it does get a little old lugging a Kentucky Long Rifle around all day.

If you are going to use it this year, go ahead and get it so you can familiarize yourself with it.
A muzzleloader is somewhere between a bow and arrow, and a centerfire rifle, in ease of use.
You need to crank out a hundred rounds over the span of a couple months, to really get familiar with shooting, and cleaning, a smokepole. I mean, if you don't clean it right, and load it right, you will be drawing down on a massive bull elk at 50 yards, and you will pull the trigger, and it won't go "Bang."

I have used nothing but black powder in my traditional muzzleloaders and I have never had a misfire in the field. You really have to be meticulous about cleaning the rifle, and then getting all the oil out of the drum and the breech, before you load.

I believe that black powder ignites better than any of the subs. Hard to beat the Holy Black.

[flintlock]

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/pod/horizontal-pod.jsp?id=0009891&navCount=6&parentId=cat601141&masterpathid=&navAction=push&cmCat=MainCatcat20712-cat20720-cat601141&parentType=index&indexId=cat601141&rid=

I'd go with the .54 Lyman, use 80-100grs of Goex FFF and a .530 ball with lubed piller ticking and you're set...

[Swampman]

Get a Lyman GPR.

[Buckskins & Black Powder]

We use the williams fiber optic sights on our sporterized hawken too. The factory sights kinda suck but thats normal on investarm products it seems. GPR really comes with a crappy adjustable rear sight.

[Ladobe]

Congrats on going traditional.   Sidelock shooters are a dying breed, so we always welcome a new member to the ranks.   Now that you've decided to do it traditional, please try to stay traditional by shooting real black powder, PRB and with traditional sights.   The rewards are large.

I have no experience with Cabela's rifles as I have only shot TC's and CVA's for many years.    I'm sure they will get the job done just fine, but you also might consider the used market.   Often very nice used TC's, CVA Mountain Rifles or Lyman GPR's can be picked up for 2/3's of what they want for that Cabela's new, and all of them are closer to traditional than that sporterized Cabela's is.

I started shooting black in the early 70's with a TC Hawken 50 for mule deer and a TC Hawken 54 for elk.  So as suggeted I'd go with the 54 for the game you want to hunt with it.  While a 50 will take all of them, the 54 adds some effective distance and some piece of mind for elk.

Good luck and enjoy.

 

[longcaribiner]

If my reading is correct, the Cabelas hawken is made In italy.  I have an extremely similar gun in 54 from the same factory.  It shoots well.  However, for fit finish and traditional look, I have to agree with others, go with the Lyman Great Plains Rifle in 54.  that couple extra inches of barrel isn't that much heavier, gives you better sight radius and slightly more efficient use of powder.  If you can swing by a place that sells a selection of muzzleloaders so you can actually shoulder the gun.  or even more, go to a black powder match somewhere around home and get an idea of what others are shooting and most folks will have no problem letting you get the feel of various different makes and models.  I have had traditional guns from TC, CVA, Traditions, Lyman, Euroarms. and others.  If you can find a used CVA big bore Mountain Rifle, (not their hawken) it is worth it's weight in gold.  Otherwise, go with a Lyman.    Lyman actually fits most average to tall height men better than the TC guns. 

When I went from modern stuff to muzzleloaders, I had some preconcieved notions about barrel length, and weight and handling.  Mostly wrong as rain.  28 to 32 inch barrel is best for hunting.  I currently use a 5ft long rifle in 50 caliber that weighs less than a TC hawken and is better balanced.  Seems impossible but it isn't.    Sights on muzzleloaders come in all varieties.  however, good fine sights that are easy to line up in a snap are a bit hard to find on many models.  Some front posts are so wide, they could obscure a barn at 100yds.  On others the rear sight notch is too small.  If you can go shop the guns in person, you will see what I mean.   

[Forestclimber]

get a 54