Sidelocks and Flintlocks!!

[pinks]

Hi guys, wondering if you could help me!? My Uncle is thinking about taking the old BP gun down this fall and taking his first game with it. I think its a Traditons Hawken, not sure if its a Flint or side lock, pretty sure its a 1-48 twist. He wants to shoot Conicals, His prey will be Moose, what is a good bullet weight and powder charge for either Flint or sidelock? Also what would be a good set up if it happens to have a 1-32 or 1-66 twist? Thanks!!!

Perry

 

[Mountainam]

You didn't say what caliber it is. Anyhow, a hawken rifle is a sidelock whether a flint or percussion. For moose I would use a Lee R.E.A.L. bullet with a wonder wad under it. If .50 cal use the 320 grain or a 380 gr if it is a .54 cal. Use at least 120 grs of black powder FFG. Good Hunting!

 

[cayuga]

If it is an older Tradition's rifle it might very well be a 1=66 twist which is a roundball twist. If he wants to shoot a moose with a .50 caliber roundball, have him load it as hot as it is accurate. 110 grains is a max load.

If it is a 1-48 twist then have him try a maxiball. Not a maxihunter. The maxiball is not a hollow point and will penetrate deeper. Other conicals to try is Great Plains Conicals and then there are some slip fit like No Excuses you could try. The main thing is push them as hard as they are accurate.

Be sure to give that rifle a good cleaning before you start shooting it.

 

[pinks]

Thanks guys!! It is indead a 50cal, not sure how old it is, I know it was one of the do it your self kits. Not sure if he will be shooting BP or Pyrodex. Can pyrodex be shot in a side/flint lock? I'll be talking to him again real soon, I'll get the exact info from him then, just like to have a little info to get started!!

Perry

 

[Semisane]

Let's clear up a little of the confusion. A Hawken is a "sidelock" rifle. It may be a "flintlock" which uses a piece of flint to ignite loose powder in the pan of the lock, or a "caplock" which uses a precussion cap on a nipple. Both flintlocks and caplocks are called "sidelocks". Caplocks are sometimes called "sidehammers" (but not flintlocks, which have "cocks", not hammers).

Anyway, a flintlock really needs real black powder. Some get Pyrodex to work in their flintlocks, but it's an "iffy" proposition. A caplock works fine with either real black powder or Pyrodex, and most work well with Triple Seven, although some folks report delayed ignition with T7 in their caplocks.

 

[cayuga]

Pyrodex can be shot in a side lock but will not work properly in a flintlock. If the rifle is a flint lock use real black powder. 2f or 3f as the main charge and 4f in the pan if it is a flintlock.

 

[Bucker]

side lock

Throw a piture up for us that would elp identify what you have and get you going. Also on the top of the barrel back by the mechanism you should find a serial numcer and a twist . List those as well. These guys will get you going.

 

[excess650]

My 1-48 twist TC Grey Hawk seems to prefer sabots over anything else. I shot a one-holer at 50 yards on Sunday that was smaller than a 50cal roundball hole! I used a Hornady sabot and .429" 270gr Speer Gold Dot over 90gr Swiss ffg. I've also shot other combinations with Hornady XTPs 240-300gr, and TC 250gr Shockwaves with excellent accuracy. The downside to using sabots is the need to wipe the bore between shots.

I've shot 370gr maxi-balls and both 250gr and 320gr Lee REAL bullets with fair accuracy.

If you find the rifle to be 1-66" twist, don't be afraid to try the conicals listed above. My early CVA Mountain Rifle shot the 370gr maxi-balls nearly as well as PRBs.

 

[pinks]

Re: side lock

Throw a piture up for us that would elp identify what you have and get you going. Also on the top of the barrel back by the mechanism you should find a serial numcer and a twist . List those as well. These guys will get you going.

I'll see if i can get him to e-mail a few pics of it! He lives in Newfoundland and i'm in British Columbia!! :lol: Thanks for the help so far guys!!!!

Perry