cabelas sidelocks

[Alaskasmoker]

Cabelas has a couple of rifles im interested in. one is the sporterized hawken carbine, the other is the kodiak express double rifle. Anyone out there ever used one?

What is the knockdown power of the 72? I bet that one is a bone crusher.

Anyother makers out there with comparable rifles?

 

[Anonymous]

I used to shoot a .75 cal. Brown Bess in smoothbore competition at our local club. It's hard to hit your target when you close your eyes as you pull the trigger.... :lol:

 

[cayuga]

The double barrels you have to remember are made to have the bullets cross at 75 yards (I believe it is) so each individual barrel might not be as accurate as you want. That is also twice the rifle barrel to CLEAN.

A person I know shoots one and he says at close range depending on what barrel you are shooting, you have to take into effect about a two inch difference between the barrels. That might not sound like much but it is a lot of stuff to remember at a time when that big buck is walking in on you.

Also I see no advantage of an express rifle. He bought it because he thought it would be cool. Well he never hunts with it. He says one muzzleloader barrel rifle weighs about five to eight pounds. That express rifle is over nine pounds. At the end of the day you would know you have carried something around. Although with a 1-86 twist is should be a good roundball shooter. A .72 caliber roundball would have to really have some extreme knock down. I just don't know what the longer range shooting ability of the rifle would be. Finding parts to shoot it might be hard in to do in some places, I think a person would have to cast his own ball for that. It might also shoot minnie ball well, I never shot one though.

The Cabela's Hawkins is made by Investarms of Italy. The Sporter model is just not all brassed up like some of the others. That is a bonus, as you have to maintain all that brass or they look like the devil. Investarms are the same people who make Lyman Rifles. The rifles are well made, nice wood, and good shooters. A friend of mine got the Cabela's Hawkins in .54 caliber and that is a nice shooting accurate rifle. Also a .54 caliber is all you would need for most hunting.

 

[Alaskasmoker]

I would like to use these guns for a brown bear hunt. I hear ya on the double rifle. 72 would be a pain to deal with up here, and recoil would probably get to me.

The hawken sporterized carbine 54 is what Im really leaning into. I like the twist rate, but what am I gonna give up in terms of power with the 21" barrel. I almost wouldnt mind the full length rifle but the 1 in 48 twist turns me off.

 

[cayuga]

I would like to use these guns for a brown bear hunt. I hear ya on the double rifle. 72 would be a pain to deal with up here, and recoil would probably get to me.

The hawken sporterized carbine 54 is what Im really leaning into. I like the twist rate, but what am I gonna give up in terms of power with the 21" barrel. I almost wouldnt mind the full length rifle but the 1 in 48 twist turns me off.

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If you were going to shoot 150 grains of powder then the 21" barrel would not be a good pick as it will not burn all that powder. The rifle is rated to 110 grains of powder I believe. Which means it will tune in somewhere around 80-100 grains. A 21" barrel will burn that. Also if you are not shooting extreme distances, the 21" barrel is more then able. For years, Knight, White, even Thompson Center sold inlines with 22" barrels and they were shooting animals with the rifle well out to the 150 yard range (I will guess the rifle was scoped). I would think with practice that 21 inch rifle would be lethal to 100 yards or more. That would depend on what your shooting and how good a shot you are. A big conical behind 80 grains of powder, well placed would put anything you shoot at in a world of hurt.

A Brown Bear as I have heard can take a lot of killing. For that reason I would want a rifle that shot a conical or sabot as well. Some traditional options you might consider would be a Renegade or T/C Hawkins in Big Bore calibers of .54 & .58. Fox Ridge Outfitters sell them. These are 1-48 twist. You can also get a Green Mountain Drop in barrel for the rifle with a 1-28 twist which would allow you to shoot 110 grains of Triple Se7en and a 250 grains Shockwave. I have one of them as well. It does shoot Saber Tooth conicals well also. Another thought. Or the original barrel might be all you need. a .58 caliber shooting a roundball or a maxi ball with 100 grains of powder would also be a very lethal combination.

I want to say about the 1-48 twist. It is the most under rated twist there is. Everyone believes it shoots roundball or conical "pretty good." That statement could not be more false. I have a large number of 1-48 twist rifles. All of them shoot extremely well. I have some that shoot roundball very well, and even conicals, sabots, and powerbelts.

I personally own a Lyman Trade Rifle which is like the Hawkins. It is a .54 caliber with a 1-48 twist. It shoots 405 grain powerbelts with 80 grains of Goex extremely well. It shoots roundball very well. I have shot some conicals with good results, but I like shooting roundball out of it. It is a flintlock. I took a deer this year with it at 52 yards.

 

[n8dawg6]

i think when doc white hunted brown bears, he was using something like 150 g. of blackpowder and a 600 g. bullet. maybe more, im just too lazy to look at his webpage right now ... if you are serious about going after brown bears w/ a muzzleloader, i'd think about unusually large powder charges and projectiles. also think about the fact you've only got one shot ....

 

[skamaniac]

I think your right n8t, i just read that article again not too long ago.

I think i would be packing a sidearm also.

 

[n8dawg6]

ive read on some other forums that most folks these days think that oil-based pepper spray is the most effective thing against a bear attack. not anti-gun b.s., either, pepper spray just deflects a charge better than a bullet (i guess unless you hit 'im between the eyes :shock: ). of course, i definitely have no first-hand experience to be involved in that debate ......

i guess that would be a very bizarre situation if you shot the bear w/ the muzzleloader and then sprayed it w/ pepper spray ..... :lol:

 

[cayuga]

Nothing like shooting the bear and then seasoning him with pepper spray.. even if you have not got the hide off.

I hunted black bear with a muzzleloader, but a Brown Bear is in a class all its own. Personally if it were me hunting them, I would have my White Ulta Mag with 110 grains of Triple Se7en and a 500 gr conical. I would wait for the right broadside shot, and then try to plant that bear where it stood.

I'd also have my best friend with me with a 12 gauge loaded with slugs and the final one buckshot. Close work in the face might scare one off. That or I would have a side arm of .44 caliber or larger. Like I said, from all I read.. Brown Bear are tuff. Actually all bear are tuff when you come right down to it.

 

[Alaskasmoker]

This Hunting trip will be from treestands set up along a salmon stream. My buddy wants to get one with his bow, And I want to use the muzzleloader. We will be backing up eachother with a 300 win mag. I carry a 454 casull, and he carries a 44 as well.

Im not so much worried about an attack at the shot, its the tracking :shock: after... We will both be real close hopefully for our shots, and give plenty of time for the bear to lie down.

Some of the BP shooters up here on another forum seem to think a 50 with a heavy conical or jacketed bullet up close and in the right spot should be fine.

 

[cayuga]

I agree, a .50 caliber with a good conical or sabot should do the trick. I am not talking from experience on brown bear mind you, other then I have shot length wise through deer with a simple roundball. I've shot through one deer and killed a second one standing behind it with a .54 caliber roundball, that I did not see (I had tags to cover the mistake). A conical penetrates better then a roundball usually.

If I were getting a traditional rifle, I would get the .54 caliber only because that is my favorite caliber out there for traditional rifles. A .54 caliber conical should plant that bear.

I like the idea of a tree stand. Also the back up weapons. Good luck in what ever you choose.

 

[lewistt]

cabela's hawkens

I have a cabelas .54 rifle, 1:48, and a sporterized carbine in .50. There is absolutely no difference in accuracy with the two, once the proper load is found. They are both very tolerant of powder charge, being accurate with nearly any amount up to the max.(100 gr. vol. t7) The carbine can shoot a heavier saboted bullet than the .54 due to the twist, but a great plains 425 gr. shoots very well out of the .54 if you need a heavy bullet. The finish quality is noticabely better on the carbine, but both are good looking guns. The rifle is better for offhand shots, and I have no chronograph, but must have a bit more oompf. Performance in the field, on MANY deer has proven no noticeable difference, at least to 150 yards or so.For deer, I use 100gr T7, and 250 gr xtp for the .54, and 250 sst for the .50. The 300 shoots the same left to right, but about 2" lower at 100 yds. in the .50, and keyhole in the .54.