19 July 2010, 05:58
SagSertFirst day out with the .54 Hawken
So I bought this relic of .54 Investarms Hawken. the one sold by Cabellas, for a C Note from a guy who needed money. The stock was finished so bad, i wouldn't even make it a broom stick or use as a shovel hand.After spending a few weeks stripping and refinishing it actually turned out acceptable for a field gun. Nothing to be proud of or cherish, just a shooter.
The barrel looked brand new, never fired. So today I prepared some loads starting from 70 to 90 in 5 gr increments. After a quick stop for RB procurement I was at Ben Avery in the heat of the day. The first shots at 100 went way off. A wee bit of screwdriver action brought the shots on the paper. I didn't have a tach so the velocity is unknown but after 30 rounds or so with different charges I think I found a workable and acceptable combination.
Next order of business will be carrying a pen that writes to the range and trying the same combination with proper black powder.
Any and all ideas / suggestions are highly appreciated.
Cheers
19 July 2010, 20:30
Bill/OregonSagsert: That's a very nice target at 150 yards. How about a photo of your rifle? Investarms also makes the Lyman GPR -- good guns.
19 July 2010, 22:19
SagSertI don't have any pictures prior to the refinish but this is how it looks now.
Stock was painted not stained when I got it. It took 3 cans of spray stripper to remove the mess, luckily who ever put the kit together has done a poor job at fitting the brass parts, there was a lot of wood to work with. Now everything fits flush. I used about 10 coats of linseed oil last 4 coats were marine grade teak oil. There is no stain applied to the wood.
Cheers
20 July 2010, 03:48
MAINER1234Investarms made a fine barrel ,they shoot very well ,accuracy will get better ,start at 80 and work your way up with some 2f black and a rb .
Let us know how it works.
Mainer
10 November 2010, 08:43
Big CabinWow, what beautiful rifle. The wood on it is superb. That is was painted is beyond belief.