New barrel for Cabela's Hawken

[Gun Geezer]

I have a 12-year old .54 Cabela's Hawken. It has the 1 in 48 twist and I have never been satisfied with accurcacy with either a ball or conical. Over the years I have played with it some and I have had some success with improving accuracy but +5" groups at 100 yards just is not going to get it for hunting. At least not what I prefer for a clean kill.

I need to replace the barrel.

My intent is to stay with .54 so all the jags and brushes will fit and get a slow twist (1 in 60 to 1 in 80) for shooting round balls. Where can a guy purchase such a barrel that would be a drop in replacement for the Cabela's Hawken?

 

[TMM]

question: how does slowing the rate of twist increase accurace?

 

[Gun Geezer]

Good Question! Wish I knew the answer!

I am no expert and to be honest I am not exactly sure how slowing the twist down makes a round ball more accurate out of that barrel vs. one with a faster twist.

But one thing is for sure. If you try to shoot a .54 round ball out of a fast twist (1 in 20) barrel it won't shoot worth a hoot. Likewise a conical out of a real slow twist ( 1 in 70 or 1 in 80) just will not shoot well either.

My understanding is that a 1 in 48 was supposed to be some magical compromise between slow and fast. Maybe so, but I shot hundreds of round balls out of that 1 in 48 twist barrel and it is pitiful out past 50 yards!

 

[frankt]

Green River makes a barrel that will drop in the Cabela's(Investarms) Hawken and most other rifles also.

However, the price is close to that of a new rifle, but if you want a really accurate barrel that might be the way to go.

I have a .50 Cal Cabela's Sporterized Hawken and it is very accurate with round ball and some conicals. I am surprised yours is not accurate. Have you tried lapping the barrel or adjusting the load?

 

[ArmedBear]

Have you tried a Thompson/Center Maxi Ball or similar conical (not sabot!)?

The 1:48" twist was, I believe, concocted for it originally (I've had a T/C Hawken since the early '80s with 1:48" twist and that's what I remember from days before inlines and sabots were even thought of). Cabela's sells the Maxi. I'd try that before getting another barrel. 10 bucks and you can find out if the rifle shoots better. And they shouldn't violate any F&G rules about bullet shape. If so, there are slightly different ones called "Maxi Hunter" bullets, I think, that are shorter.

They should hold their energy better, and have better terminal ballistics, too. Otherwise, it could be argued that hunting big game at upwards of 100 yards with a round ball isn't even ethical, as the bullet has shed so much energy.

Anyway, the stuff that you read about 1:48" being a "magic compromise" is a crock, AFAIK. I shot round balls from my .50 and they worked fine, but I was a kid and not as much of an accuracy nut as I can be now (at least for a shotgunner). The gun now hangs on the wall; I'll have to take it down and see, now that you've rekindled my interest in the old girl. But as I remember, T/C, who I believe first sold commercial "Hawken" rifles with 1:48" twist and bullets for it, designed the twist for heavy full-bore Maxis.

It may seem weird now, but the T/C Hawken was once the "modern muzzleloader" marketed at hunters. The Cabela's, and several others, are essentially T/C clones; none of them bear much resemblance at all to a real Hawken rifle.

Have fun with it, one way or another.