Sabots in a 50 cal. TC Hawken

B

Bush pilot

Member
Rating - 100%
10   0   0
Hello all!

I bought a Thompson Center 50 cal hawken rifle kit from another gun nut a while back. I had fun assembling it and have been having fun shooting it too. I blew up a 1 liter pop bottle at 50 yards the other week! The back half was blown clean off! So far I have been shooting round balls but want to use saboted bullets this fall for deer. I found a 30 pack of 300 grain bullets at wholesale sports by traditions. I am looking for loads as I am not 100% sure. What would the group recommend?

Thompson recommends 80-100 grains for 250 grain bullets but nothing for 300 grain. Traditions recommends 100 grains under their 300 grain bullet. I am currious to try these out but I am worried about shooting such a "hot" load in the hawken. Comments, suggestions and recomendations are always welcome.

Bush pilot.
 
There is a reason T/C does not list loads for 300 gr. sabots in their Hawken.
1:48 barrel twist will not stabilize 300 gr bullets.

Load the 240 gr. XTP sabot from Hornady with 90 grains FFg black powder and you will have cloverleafs at 50 yards and good to excellent groups at 100 yards ( depending on your shooting ability).

Because of old eyes I have mounted a 2.5 x scope on my T/C Hawken for hunting - it shoots about 2 inch groups at 100 yards from the sandbags on a bench, occasionally tighter groups.
 
1:48 is sabot friendly, but it lends itself towards stubby full bore conicals. Keep you sabotted bullets short but .452 dia. That 240gr recommended in above post will get'r done.
 
Green Mt makes quicker twist barrels for sabots.Track of the wolf ships to Canada.I have one of their 1-70 ball barrels that shoots between 1+2 MOA at 100 yards......Harold
 
Nothing wrong with patched round ball for deer out to 100 meter/yards. Every year a thousands are taken that way. You can practice with the round ball cheaper than with sabots.
 
To answer your question. I have the same rifle. I shoot 300 grain 45 caliber Hornady XTP pistol bullets with a sabo out of my 1:48 twist with 90grains of 2f trip 7. She shoots just fine out to 50 meters. 100 grains of trip 7 just kicks too darn hard to be much fun to shoot, Have not tried 100 meters with that load yet. At 100 meters I shoot a 370 grain Maxi Ball ball with 90grains of 2f trip 7. She shoots true. I have the Lymen 57 SML peep on that rifle. It starts to kick like a sideways mule with that load and I can only shoot about 20 rounds before my shoulder tells me I have to quit.
 
So I took the hawken to the range today and introduced two of my friends to the joys of black powder shooting. They where a little nervous at first because it is a 50 cal and the hawken has a fair bit of heft. Having only shot center fire they expected a lot worse. Now I think I may have two more black powder addicts. They both where able to shoot a x-lrg Timmy's cup at 50 yards.

On the sabots I loaded them ontop of 90 grains of 777. At 200 yards I was down and to the right about 6 inches and at 100 it was spot on. I shot thru a 3/4 ply wood sheet and got nice round holes so it seems they stabilize ok. I may work up a load to use hunting this fall.

Cheers,

Bush pilot
 
Last edited:
theDuck said:
Nothing wrong with patched round ball for deer out to 100 meter/yards. Every year a thousands are taken that way. You can practice with the round ball cheaper than with sabots.
Click to expand...

PRBs are also more fun, IMHO and a better test of your shooting ability. That being said, I have a .45 TC Hawken that groups very well with 180 Grain XTPs, but will not group with the longer 200 grain SSTs.

Translated to .50 caliber: use the shortest saboted bullets that you can find and they should shoot OK.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom