Hawken: Ball or Sabot ??

[rockfish]

I just got a passed-down T/C Hawken .50

I was given a handful of home-cast conicals and some Hornady sabots with the gun.

Then the folks at the local shop told me that traditional patch and round ball "shoot better in a Hawken."

Any truth to that?

Am I better off shooting round ball from this older Hawken?

[Wildwzl]

Hey Rockfish.
I have an older CVA Hawken. I use a round ball over 80 grains of loose Pyrodex.
It all depends on the rifling of the particular gun.
Most of the traditional models shoot better with a patched round ball. If you really want to use a saboted bullet try to stick to one that weighs about the same as a ball would. I think a round ball for a .50 weighs around 270 grains.
Best way to do it is shoot em' and see which is most accurate.

[ridgerunner1965]

a lot of the traditonal type rifles had a rifleing twist rate that was more compatible with patched round ball.