A Day with the Hefty Hawken

[Semisane]

I haven’t posted a shooting report in quite a while. But here’s one I couldn’t resist.

I bought this gun in 2015 and named it The Hefty Hawken.

The elderly gent I bought it from said he had it made in 1976, but he couldn’t remember the name of the builder. The only thing he seemed to be sure of was that it had a Sharon barrel and a Davis lock. The lock is indeed an R. E. Davis Model 0211, but there are no identifying marks on the barrel.

Now here’s the thing. Up until yesterday I’d never fired the thing. I can’t tell you why. I just never got around to it even though I burn quite a bit of powder every year. I guess it was a matter of having too many guns (if there is such a thing). Anyway, now that I’m getting to be an “elderly gent” myself I figured it was time to correct that.

I arrived at our hunting club’s range mid-morning Saturday. After setting up with all the necessary gear on the shooting bench I discovered that the .575 balls I’d expected to use were way too big. No way could I get them into the bore. Fortunately, I’d brought along about two dozen .562 balls. Even the .562’s were very tight with the .015 pillow tick patch I had on hand. So I guess the gun is actually a .57 caliber.

Having no idea how the sights were set, I put a target out at 50 yards, loaded up with a hefty 110 grains of GOEX FFg and took five very careful shots. Here’s the target.

Man! You could not have wiped the grin off of my face with 24-grit sandpaper. I was pumped.

I adjusted the sights a bit to the right, put up a fresh target, and planned to repeat that group. Here’s target #2.

Well, so much for a repeat. After a slice of humble pie, I put up another target and tried again. Here’s target #3.

Come on guys. Give me a break. The sun was in my eyes. It was 82-degrees and humid, my glasses were fogging and slipping, I was getting tired and there was an earthquake in El Salvadore that I’m certain shook the shooting bench.

On the way back from retrieving the target I started looking for the fired patches and found these.

After taking a break back at the camp with a sandwich and a Dr. Pepper, I returned to the bench for another try. This time I loaded up with 95 grains of GOEX FFg and took five more shots at 50 yards. Here’s that target.

And here are the patches from those shots.

Anyway, it was a fun day. I had one spectacular group, several so-so groups, and several cold brewskies while cleaning the gun.

 

[deermanok]

Some good shooting. I'm sure that you'll be spending more time with that old gun.

 

[edmehlig]

Mike, I think that recoil is too much for you. Being a friend, I’ll take it off your hands.

 

[smokepolehall]

Over all i think you did have fun, got to shoot. Drank some cold ones had to have been enjoyable. I have been under dreary overcast n rainy days since Jan. This area of Ky. gives me the mully grubs

 

[Harleysboss]

Mike, I think that recoil is too much for you. Being a friend, I’ll take it off your hands.

Oh come on Ed. You don’t want such a poor shooting piece. . We have a weapon turn in program locally. I can “get rid” of that rifle in short order.

 

[bronko220002]

Now now boys Van and I are tight! I already have dibs on that rifle and his Swamp Dragon! Anyway you old guys couldn't carry that Hefty Hawken around.
Van It looks like that rifle shoots great with a slightly fouled barrel. Me thinks that if you would have cleaned it real good after your "samwich" and Dr Pepper it would have shot good again. Also next time try and over powder patch.
That was a good report and a fine looking rifle.

 

[Semisane]

Bronko said: Also next time try and over powder patch.

Next time will include some thinner patches, probably pocket drill. The .562 ball with .015 pillow tick required a hammer to get started. Just a bit too tight.

 

[anonymouscowherd]

If shots 2-5 or 2-7 even all throw a tite group from a clean bore then that is what I would focus on since it doesnt sound like youll be shooting this one on a regular basis

 

[bronko220002]

I came across this post again today Van and I think you should leave this rifle on the rack until hunting season, foul the barrel in the morning and then go kill a deer with it. Those shots 2-5 on that first target are minute of gnat!

 

[Ka'imiloa]

I second bronko.

Barrel fouling and having to force the patched ball down the barrel meant questionable patches and perhaps some lessened spin on your balls. When groups open up and it's not wind, time to clean a bit. Light-change on the sights as the day progressed is another issue, and especially wind picking up due to the progressing-day issue. You sure did right to mark your shots by numbering.

You have one patch-hole visible even with group 4. (Bet it was from shot 3, the "flyer".) Go to lubed pocket drill, and a felt wad over-powder wad, dry-lubed.

You weren't vertically stringing with group 4, yet 95 gr. Goex 2F is a relative pipsqueak in a .58, especially at 11 1/2 pounds. Even 110 gr. is a relatively "light" load. (Remember, the Brits, back in the 1800s, called even a .54 ML caplock a "popgun".) Get your patch and wadding right, and as you test, try 120 gr. vol., or even 130. And try 100 yds. in low wind. Folks in today's ML world aren't used to what they consider to be "heavy charges", due to so many traditional MLs being .32 to .45, so 100 gr. vol. seems like a lot for a caplock. But note: it's a lot harder to build pressure in the bore as the bore diameter goes up. Pressure is what spins the ball more by increasing velocity, and it's also what obturates the ball (expansion at moment of firing to better grip the rifling).

Lots of testing with RS Pyrodex years ago showed that in warm Hawaii, 95 gr. vol.plus a well-patched round ball was the sweet spot for hunting load with my wife's .50 CVA traditional caplock (very likely 1:60 twist). 110 gr. vol of same with sabot and 250 gr. slug was the best hunting load for my .54 T/C Renegade with its 1:48 twist. I'd put the Pyrodex RS on par with 2F Goex as far as velocity. Pressure probably quite similar, based on that.

Aloha, Ka'imiloa