Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Muzzleloader Hunting => Topic started by: wormfood on June 11, 2012, 05:27:49 PM

Title: Fire Hawk 54
Post by: wormfood on June 11, 2012, 05:27:49 PM: I picked up a TC firehawk awhile ago and received a bunch of 425 gr plains bullets with it. I would like to go with a lighter bullet for deer this year and not sure where to start. I am shooting #11's and using Triple 7 loose powder.Any ideas?
Title: Re: Fire Hawk 54
Post by: bobcat on June 11, 2012, 05:36:20 PM: You could try a 348 grain Powerbelt. They go as light as 295 but that's awful light for a 54 caliber bullet.
Title: Re: Fire Hawk 54
Post by: wormfood on June 11, 2012, 06:14:15 PM: wonder if they have some of those at sportco ? Guess I would be better off gettin some from that place on river road.
Title: Re: Fire Hawk 54
Post by: Sabotloader on June 11, 2012, 07:15:09 PM: Quote from: wormfood on June 11, 2012, 05:27:49 PM
I picked up a TC firehawk awhile ago and received a bunch of 425 gr plains bullets with it. I would like to go with a lighter bullet for deer this year and not sure where to start. I am shooting #11's and using Triple 7 loose powder.Any ideas?

Actually the 425 lead conical is not a bad bullet for that gun. Shooting real lead you want a heavier bullet as lead tends to break up if the are light and shoot with velocity. Over here in Idaho, I shoot 460 grain bull shop conicals for both deer and elk. If you shoot those 425's start with 70 grains and then go to 80 grains see which one might give you a better group.

You can even go to regular copper-lead bullets with sabots if you are inclined to. Shooting a 45 cal bullet (suggest a bullet in the area of 250 grains) in 54 cal sabot can really ve accurate. Copper-lead bullets are much stronger than light weight lead bullets so you can shoot easily shoot 100 grains of T7, but again start at 80-90 and work your way up.

A lot of people have success with Power Belts - but I would not suggest them unless you the heavier variety and reduce their velocity so they do not break up.

This a 54 Renegade shooting a 300 grain Hornady.... The trick will be finding a sabot to fit your bore, whether it be a Harvester or an MMP...

(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv130%2Fsabotloader%2FTargets%2FRenegade1.jpg&hash=5a3c40bde516300e7a2b257532f7ea3760c9ab9d)
Title: Re: Fire Hawk 54
Post by: wormfood on June 11, 2012, 07:48:41 PM: Thanks for the help guys. I am an archery guy and have wanted to give muzzy a try for a long time but dont have any close friends that are involved with it. Finally said to hell with it and picked one up and have been tryin to figure it out. The gun shoots nice and I look forward to deer hunting with it this year just need to do some load experimenting it sounds like.
Title: Re: Fire Hawk 54
Post by: Chesapeake on June 20, 2012, 12:56:05 PM: That Firehawk likely has a 1:32 or so twist rate. I used to own a Thunder hawk (pretty sure).

If the twist rate is that slow, it may not favor the heavy longer bullets. Mine didnt.

Something to think about.