Keeping the old school Hawken cap locks dry?

blackbear

Spike
What do you guys do to keep the old hawken cap lock rifles dry so when you get ready to fire the rifle snap crackle fire quickly with no hang fires from oily bore?
Do you go ahead and cook off a few rounds .....and then load the rifle and your set to go for a few days?
How long will you go before you clear it out by shooting the loaded round and then do a good cleaning again?
Thanks for any tips
 

lasttombstone

Kinder, Gentler LTS
Run a rag down the bore and get any excess oil out of the bore. Snap 2 or 3 caps and load it up. Mine stays loaded till I shoot at something or the season ends as long as I haven't been out in a heavy rain.
 

Mr.Gadget

Old Mossy Horns
No oil

keep it dry as a popcorn fart and you will do fine.
I also save old caps from snapping a few early in the day. Put a dead cap on and lower the hammer on it to hold in place.
that will seal the nipple and keep you dry from the back end.
 

stilker

Old Mossy Horns
The worst thing on them ,IMO is going from warm house to cold time and again,except steady rain of course.I have wrapped plastic wrap around them and sat in the rain though.Always put a new nipple on before season too.
 
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CJF

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Powder charge, 1/2 charge cornmeal, patch and roundball....balloon or electricians' tape over muzzle....small piece of tube slid over cap and nipple leaving the top of the cap exposed.

I do not use oil I use TC Bore butter to season the barrel. I clean the barrel with soap and water in the bath tub and use patches until they are dry. I always snap a cap or two before I load it to go hunting.
 
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aya28ga

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
TC Bore Butter to season the barrel, swab the barrel good and dry and snap a cap or two before loading, and cover the muzzle with painters tape.

And don't forget you loaded it!!
 

Longrifle

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I clean with scalding hot, soapy water, rinse, and then scalding hot water to dry. Wipe the bore with Barricade patch and use the patch to wipe down the outside. Don't remember the last FTF I had....

It's a real good practice to mark your ramrod after your normal load is seated and always use that mark to check again before you load.....
 

dlbaile

Ten Pointer
Can anyone tell me if it is ok to shoot 100grns of black powder out of the hawkens rifle,have always shot 90 ,and will it help the accuracy shooting a little hotter load.
 

Longrifle

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Will it take it safely? Yes, but you may or may not be burning all of it. That's something that needs/has to be determined on the range. I shoot a .54 and 90grains of FFFG provides my best groups.
 

Boojum

Ten Pointer
I have honestly never had a problem with it. Keeping your nipple clean is the MAIN THING. Most snapped caps are caused by a clogged nipple instead of moisture. Sometimes when you snap caps to dry the barrel, the stuff inside the cap will get stuck in the touch hole. Take it off and check it and clean it out with a nipple pick. I hunt in pouring rain with no problems, just keep the lock under your arm.


Can anyone tell me if it is ok to shoot 100grns of black powder out of the hawkens rifle,have always shot 90 ,and will it help the accuracy shooting a little hotter load.

Depends on the rifle and caliber, but I doubt if it will help. It will probably make accuracy worse. 90 grains will put a bullet completely through a deer at as far as you can shoot one. Burying the bullet farther in the dirt will make no difference. I shoot 90 in one of my .50 Hawkens with a 350-grain lead conical. If I was shooting PRBs, I would use less. I have killed countless deer with that load. In my .54 Mountain Rifle, I shoot 75 grains with a PRB. It goes all the way through deer.

Keep in mind that the .45-70 originally shot a .45 caliber 405-grain bullet propelled by 70 grains of black powder. They killed a lot of buffalo with it. And the occasional elephant. It's a cartridge load instead of loose, but that gives you an idea of the power generated by 70 grains of black powder.
 
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Tipmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
I need to take my Hawken out this year. At 50-60 yards that thing was clover leafing maxi-hunters.
 

CJF

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
You can I have in the past. I try not to load much past that though I have CVA .54 that does like 110 grains of Triple 7
 

aya28ga

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
For some reason (probably because it works), 90 grains has always been the powder load that a lot of Hawken deer hunters use. I used a 90 grain load of Pyrodex & T/C Maxiballs for years and always killed deer with it.
 

Tipmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
I'm using 56 grains by weight of pyrodex pushing 350 gn maxi-hunters. In my Hawken, they cloverleaf at 50 yards.
 

Mack in N.C.

Old Mossy Horns
I can't even remember his name now but I used to shoot a T/C Renegade all the time and a gunsmith at TC that i used to talk to all the time told me that 90 grains Usually was the best load for a Renegade. should be similar in a Hawken. Hunting load shooting 370 Grain Maxi Balls

Don was his name, been retired a few years.
 
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