is .62 too much gun?

[Habu]

Dan-in the video, what was the charge in the .54? 

I'm curious because I found my .54 Hawken more comfortable to shoot (off the arm) with heavy charges than a similar charges out of a Brit-style stock.  Looking at the video, I suspect the difference may be the amount of neck movement or the way the neck moves. 

Thanks,
Jim 

90 gr of FFF Swiss. Make about 1900 fps last time I checked it.

Dan

Thanks.  We're in the same ballpark, velocity-wise, on the .54s.  I'm going to have to study up on the English gun to see why it was more uncomfortable to shoot. 

[bigsmoke]

Well, guess I need to check in on this topic.  I have probably had a half dozen .62's over the years, so I know a bit about them.  Currently I shoot a English Sporting Rifle in .62 cal, 32" 1 1/8 to 1" taper, with a 1:104 twist, .006" deep.  For general target and all around plinking, I run a .610 ball, .015 patch and 135 grains GOEX Ffg.  Hunting I would run 200 grains Ffg with a 20 ga cushion wad over the powder to preserve the patch.  In my chrono testing that gives about 2,000 fps.
I am a fair size guy, 6' and 235 pounds and not terribly recoil sensitive.  I find that load to be quite comfortable to shoot, and frankly find a .54 Hawken style rifle with 85 grains Ffg much more abusive to shoot.
To me, it seems your rifling rate is going to be something that should be talked about.  Granted, the faster twists are going to require less powder to group and the slower rates will require more.  And handle more as well.  But let's face it, when a person moves up to bore size rifles, typically, the amount of powder and lead it uses shouldn't be an issue.  If it is, then .40's are a great choice.
It has been my experience that shooting rifles as I described, drop out to 100 yards is not an issue.  Typically, most people unfamiliar with the rifle tend to overshoot the target.  They expect much more drop than it delivers.
Guess that is about all for now.  Go for the .62, it's a great caliber and pretty effective.
John

[dagner]

 joel gard bevel down  built a woosdbury style 62 rifled  cal flint rifle long rifle to hunt african plains game with  took it to africa twice and shoot very large animas with good clean kills   he was using 130 grains of powder  . it was not  fun to shoot. 

[Dphariss]

Dan-in the video, what was the charge in the .54? 

I'm curious because I found my .54 Hawken more comfortable to shoot (off the arm) with heavy charges than a similar charges out of a Brit-style stock.  Looking at the video, I suspect the difference may be the amount of neck movement or the way the neck moves. 

Thanks,
Jim 

90 gr of FFF Swiss. Make about 1900 fps last time I checked it.

Dan

Thanks.  We're in the same ballpark, velocity-wise, on the .54s.  I'm going to have to study up on the English gun to see why it was more uncomfortable to shoot. 

The Hawken is not necessarily uncomfortable in fact the 16 bore can be uncomfortable if not conditioned to it, but crescent butt will leave marks on my upper arm. The English rifle with its 2" x 5" Manton style shotgun buttstock never leaves a mark but you KNOW who are shooting something that kicks. Note the head/body movement in the videos.
There is a difference in how the gun in mounted and how I orient myself to the target that causes the hawken to leave a mark after 5-10 shots. The 16 bore needs to be shot like a shotgun facing the target more. The crescent butt rifle is shot with the non-shooting shoulder turned more toward the target.
This is not that apparent from the video due to camera angles unless looking for it.
If the 16 bore is shot across the body as I usually do the Hawken style I am "asking for it" and it can get REALLY nasty if is slides onto the arm during recoil. If I shoot the crescent like the Manton butt I am also going to wish I had not.
The recoil of the 16 bore likely exceeds that of a 375 H&H from the feel of it though not as bad as a 416 or 458 which shoot similar weight or heavier bullet at higher velocities.
By Beartooth Bullets recoil calculator (which does not give proper allowance for using BP) the 16 bore makes over twice the recoil (38 vs 16) of the 54 in a 10 pound rifle. I have not weighed either one but they should both weigh about 10 pounds since the barrels weigh between 6.5 and 6.75 pounds +- . Due to a heavier barrel and stock the 16 bore might weigh 1/2-3/4  pound more. Would have to weigh them on an accurate scale and its not worth the trouble.

Dan

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

.62 too much gun?  NOT A PARTICLE!!  But if all you've ever tried is a .36 squirrel rifle off the bicep, you're in for a nasty surprise.
My Hawken rifle has a Rice .62 cal barrel 1 1/8 - 1" x 36" long.  It's stocked with a heavy piece of NY rock hard maple (thanks Tom!) so the rifle weighs a little over 12 pounds.  My hunting load is 130 grains FFg GOEX and I shot fifty rounds on our trail last Sunday with the rifle without any discolouration to my right arm.  The barrel has a 1:66" twist and about .014" deep rifling.  My patch is .022" mattress ticking with neatsfoot oil lube.  I do not need a wad under the patch to protect it, and I never clean the rifle til the shooting's over.  When I clean, all I get is grey water in the bucket.  I am confident that I can hit a pie plate right out to 200 yards offhand.  I leave in a few hours for my annual moose harvest, and this will be my primary rifle.  I love the rifle!  Wish me luck!

[Vomitus]

  Taylor,
  That is a very easy rifle to shoot,thanks for the chance to shoot her. I know you'll do well with the moose hunt. I can smell the peppered steaks right now.Good luck!