Pedersoli Rocky Mountain Hawken .54

[Bushfire]

G'day all,

Checking in from Australia, I haven't done much (any) posting but have been reading a lot on this site lately.

I managed to get myself a second hand Pedersoli RM hawken in .54 and I'm curious if anyone else here has has experience with them and if so what kind of loads you have found works best. I have some .535 balls coming with the rifle that I will use.

Any other PRB advice is appreciated, it's a new world to me.

Thank you

[Fyrstyk]

My RMH in .54 likes 70 grains of 3f with a .530 cast ball and .015mink oil lubed patch for 1.5" at 50 yards.

[Daryl]

Welcome to the forum, Bushfire.
Glad to make your acquaintance.
Helerou from Perth area is on here as well.
I would suggest a slightly thicker patch, and if that is difficult loading with the .535" ball, a .530" ball will also work with it.
10 once denim I measure at .021" and works and loads nicely in every one of my rifles & the smoothbore.

[Daryl]

Seems to me, the Pedersoli's are cut rifled. I would use at least an 8 ounce denim, measuring .018" to .019".

[hawk54]

I use .018  ticking lubed with lard and .530 ball over a felt wad for max accuracy. 60gr of Swiss FFG for target and 120Gr Swiss FFG for hunting.  By the third shot you have to wipe the bore to load it though. I use the same with a 0.015 patch for easier loading and giving a little up in accuracy.

[smylee grouch]

Hawk54, I'm curious as to what " lard " you are using for patch lube. can you elaborate?

[doulos]

G'day all,

Checking in from Australia, I haven't done much (any) posting but have been reading a lot on this site lately.

I managed to get myself a second hand Pedersoli RM hawken in .54 and I'm curious if anyone else here has has experience with them and if so what kind of loads you have found works best. I have some .535 balls coming with the rifle that I will use.

Any other PRB advice is appreciated, it's a new world to me.

Thank you

I have one. I have only shot .530 balls out of it and heavy hunting charges of 90-100 grains FFg Kik and Goex and Swiss. It likes a tight patch ball combo for sure. I do not remember the thickness as I have not shot the gun in a while. But it is accurate as any muzzleloader Ive ever shot. I just know it really excelled when I went to a thicker material.
Patch lube had very little effect on accuracy. Mink oil was slightly less accurate than plain old spit or really dilluted Ballistol. Ive always found patch thickness seemed to affect accuracy more than lube.

[Daryl]

G'day all,

Checking in from Australia, I haven't done much (any) posting but have been reading a lot on this site lately.

I managed to get myself a second hand Pedersoli RM hawken in .54 and I'm curious if anyone else here has has experience with them and if so what kind of loads you have found works best. I have some .535 balls coming with the rifle that I will use.

Any other PRB advice is appreciated, it's a new world to me.

Thank you

Bushfire - appropriate name. Hope you faired well through it all.
Please check out the muzzle crowning threads. Doing this to the muzzle will allow you to use combinations that require no wiping and no loss in accuracy
over an entire outing.   Many of us have fired up to or over 100shots in a day's shooting, with never having to wipe the bores & loading remains exactly the same, load after load, shot after shot.
In a .54, I would use a 10 ounce denim patch, which I measure at .021" to .0225" depending on the manufacturer. The latest bunch I bought, measures .021" and it shoots identically as the thicker denim.
For plinking or shooting trail walks, I use a water soluble oil + water, or spit (saturated patch) or WWWF(winter windshield washer fluid) with a bit of Neetsfoot Oil. Then Neetsfoot Oil or Mink Oil for hunting. You do not want to use a water based "lube" for hunting as it will rot your bore if left sitting in there for hours.
Clean with tap water, cool or barely warm, definitely not hot & certainly not boiling hot.  Lots of stuff in the archives.
Welcome.

[doulos]

Ive always done something similar. Heavy lube for hunting when my gun stays loaded for awhile. And thin watery lubes at the range. I dont usually have to wipe the whole time when using something like Ballistol and water anywhere from 1 to 4 or even 1 to seven parts water.  Sometimes I just use water.
I do seem to have very slightly better groups with watery thin lube than heavier lube. But its slight.  I see the biggest differences when I change patch material.  Is that your finding?

[Daryl]

The only gun I change patches & ball diameters in, is my .69, from .662" to .675" to .682".
With the smaller balls, I use 14 ounce denim which I measure at .034". No POI change, no
matter the lube or ball/patch - at least to 50yards, that is. I expect there might be a difference
further out. I have not tested that. If I want the VERY bet accuracy from that barrel for 50 yard
or further shooting, I use the 14 ounce denim and the .682" ball. With that combination, you
have to put some effort into getting the ball started. Once started, it goes down with the rifle's
wooden rod.