CVA Hawken

[thomaslea1]

Picked up a CVA Hawken the other day and am not too familiar with either BP or it. Plan is to take it with me to east Texas in the spring for pig hunting. Will be using .433 balls w/patch (because I have the mold). Also have a pound of Pyrodex ffg (P) and fffg(RS), and a pound of real fffg BP. What's a good hunting load for this gun. I've heard all kinds of numbers thrown around for BP loads, but nothing to be used for hunting, just targets. I'm figuring it would be best for sighting in at around 75 yards.

Thanks from the new guy.

Tom

 

[Armored farmer]

Whoa...... let's ease into this.
First off....what caliber is your rifle??

 

[thomaslea1]

caliber

Oops, sorry. .45

 

[arcticap]

The Traditions sidelock manual lists 46 -70 grains of ffg as being the most accurate loads for their .45 rifles, with a maximum of 100 grains of ffg.
However you may want to lessen the powder charge by 10% volume if loading with fffg or Pyrodex P.

http://www.traditionsfirearms.com/cmsAdmin/uploads/PercussionFlintlock_manual.pdf

The Pedersoli manual lists loads of between 36 grs. - 80 grs. for their .45 Scout & .45 Frontier Carbine, and for their Kentucky Rifle, between 40 grs. - 90 grs., all with a .445 round ball and a .010 patch.

However the CVA may not get the best accuracy when loading with .433 balls, but using a thick patch may help to improve it.

Because the round balls for the .45 are lightweight projectiles, the larger powder charges will give better penetration for hog hunting. Hunting loads would probably be somewhere between 70 - 90 grains based on the accuracy and the distance to the target.

 

[egg250]

Some people prefer using entirely too much powder. I don't prefer pyrodex, I use fffg black powder. At the range one day, after observing an eruption of fire from the muzzle of my .54 cal CVA Hawken (I was using 90 grains with a .530 ball), a fellow muzzle loader offered up his hunting load as an example. He told me that he used 50 grains of powder in his .45 cal rifle, and that load will leave the ball lodged in the skin on the opposite side of a White Tailed Deer. The takeaway is the ball delivers all of its energy into the animal. With that advice I reduced my load to a more comfortable and accurate 70 grains.

So, 110 grains (most likely what your rifle is proofed for) is probably overkill and 40 grains is probably not enough for hunting. A reasonable starting load might be 50 grains and then you can work up to what is comfortable for you to shoot and likely the most accurate load. Any fire you see emerging from the muzzle of your rifle is wasted powder.

Happy shooting and good hunting.

 

[thomaslea1]

Thanks

Thanks a lot.

Tom

 

[frontiergander]

If its a .45cal you will want a .440 round ball with a .015 to .018" thick patch.

 

[Indy4570]

it would be nice to know the twist of the rifling. My guess would be 1/48. Most of the Hawkens were that twist. The TC version is. I had the CVA in .50 but it has been many moons ago and I don't recall. My point is that if it is a 1/48 twist it should stabilize a maxi-ball. If it will shoot a maxi-ball with accuracy then you have the benefit of further distance shots, more accuracy down range than a round ball and better knock-down. The discussion as to whether it is good to expend all of a projectile's energy is an old and much visited one. While it is true that all of a projectile's energy has been absorbed if the ball ends up just inside the animal's far side it does not mean that that is the best thing. If the animal had an exit hole then it would be bleeding from two spots thereby leaving a better blood trail. In blackpowder hunting the velocity is much reduced and the initial damage from shock is reduced as well. I personally like a hole in both sides, then I know the bullet was still moving with enough force on exit to do some damage. The studies on gelatin blocks of wound channels are many. We don't have that kind of velocity with BP. Just my personal opinion.

 

[MCgunner]

My CVA Plainsman is 1:48. It's a .50 cal, though.