New Hawken shooter. Oh man!

[dcl]

Evening guys. We'll, like all rifle looneys, it happened. I went a little overboard at a sale. Brought home 3 traditional style T/C rifles. I bought a neat looking, Definitely shot a bunch .50 cal hawken. It's bore is lightly pitted in the last 8 inches but cleaned up ok. I've shot 12 shots through it so far. I'm hooked!
Now for a couple questions. The rifles came with 2 half full cans of Pyrodex RS. Local stores carry that. Is there a better option? I'm using up the 275 grain maxi hunters that came with it. It's definitely going hunting this fall. Next question. Will a .45 cal hawken maxi hunter style bullet work well on deer ? Max range is 75 yards.
Next question. . What is the .36 hawken style used for? Sorry if it's a silly question. It's a beautiful rifle. Came with a 1 quart bottle of cast maxi hunter style bullets. I just don't know what to do with it besides shoot it at targets. Sorry for the long post. I appreciate all the info on here. This sight is the reason I bought them. Lol! Have a great evening! DCL

 

[deermanok]

Sounds like you made a good score.
A couple answers for you. The Pyrodex you have is ok to use, so is Triple 7. Real black powder is king, if you can get it.
I like those maxi hunters, 275 grains and the Hornady 240 grain PA conicals I'm my 50's.
I have a 45 caliber rifle that I only shoot round balls from. 445 ball, 010" cotton patch over 70 grains [V] of 3f Old Ensyford or Swiss. I've tried Triple 7 in that gun and it shoots fine.
Shooting a conical bullet in the 45 caliber rifle can become problematic in that the heavier bullet plus heavier powder charges can possibly result in a cracked stock.
Your 36 caliber is best suited for small game.
Good luck with the new guns.

 

[edmehlig]

With a 45 cal shooting say a 350gr conical with a load of 60-70gr of 3F powder will definitely kill a dear at 75 yds. I’ve done it up to about 150 yds with no problems.
At the time my 9yr old grandson used 50gr of 777-3F and dropped his doe at 45 yds. She was DRT.

 

[dcl]

Thank you both for the replies. I'm actually excited about gun season this fall. I'm hoping to get more supplies and do some more testing when the weather isn't so miserable. Thanks again.

 

[HC]

To the brotherhood, the.36 cal is considered a squirrel rifle (very desirable).

 

[deermanok]

Number 11 caps are the hardest item to find these days. Buy as many as you can afford when available.

 

[dcl]

To the brotherhood, the.36 cal is considered a squirrel rifle (very desirable).

Thanks for the welcome! I wasn't going to buy the .36 but a gentleman at the sale said "its a fun little rifle. Offer them $200.00". So I did and now I have it. Lol. It came with a bunch of rou d balls and conicals.

 

[deermanok]

What is the 36? A Seneca or Cherokee? If so, that gun is probably worth 600 to 800 bucks.

 

[babstooge]

I love my 36 cal. great for squirrels and rabbits. fun to load up and target shoot ,I use 30 grains pyrodex and prb. 3" groups at 50 yds

 

[dcl]

What is the 36? A Seneca or Cherokee? If so, that gun is probably worth 600 to 800 bucks.

99% sure its a Seneca. Nice little rifle. The buttplate wraps up around the toe of the stock. It has a brass forend tip. 27" full Octagon barrel. Looks like a baby hawken.

What is the 36? A Seneca or Cherokee? If so, that gun is probably worth 600 to 800 bucks.

 

[deermanok]

Nice, those are sweet.

 

[bronko220002]

I've seen the Senecas going for $375 and $400 lately. $600 is pretty high. And being a 36 cal it ain't good for nothing but target shooting and small game. I would include turkey in that if legal.
As for your other question will the .45 cal Maxi hunter kill a deer.. You bet. As long as you put it where it should go.

 

[edmehlig]

45 cal ML, that's all I use for deer, but then again I'm shooting at least a 345gr conical.