Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders Cabelas (Investarms) Hawken Carbine .58 Cal.

Hello,
I recently bought one of these rifles used. Since Cabelas no longer sells the carbine in .58 cal, I'm trying to find out a little about it. The ones they sell now are 1 in 24" twist. I have been told that this .58 cal is 1 in 48" twist. Is that correct? Have anyone found an accurate load / projectile for it? and at what range was it most accurate? I have fired some .570 roundball with an .018" ticking patch with 80grs of FFg, it seemed to do ok at 50 yards (ringing an 8 inch steel plate). I was thinking of getting a mold and cast up some R.E.A.L bullets for it. Any info you could provide about this little rifle will be mostly appreciated. The little thing is a blast to shoot (literally)

Does the gun come with a users manual? I have had 2 .58 TCs but I don't want to recommend loads too stout for your gun.

Both had a 1-48" twist. The first gun was accurate with everything ... when it went off. It wouldn't fire reliably. The replacement gun fires reliably but is horribly inaccurate with all conicals and not all that great with round balls. Good enough I guess but sure as hell nothing to write home about.

Anyways, in the first gun, I worked up to max shooting groups with both pyrodex and FFg, round ball and conicals, and in all cases I found the hotter I loaded it the better it shot.

I hunted with it with Pyrodex RS or Select, whatever I could get, didn't matter, and TC's 555 grain conical. That was good for about 3-1/2" groups at 100 yards, about as far as I want to shoot. I never hunted game with it with round balls. While not most accurate, I found a really useful round ball load which used 60 grains of FFg under a patched round ball ... this hit to the exact same point of aim at 50 yards as my heavy conical hunting load so I didn't have to adjust the sights. The more accurate max load with a round ball was off a foot or more.

The current gun won't keep 5 consecutive conicals on the same dinner plate at 50 yards no matter which I choose or what I launch them with.

It's adequate at 50 yards with a round ball but like I said, nothing to write home about. I've tried various charges, both FFg and Pyrodex. It does its most accurate shooting with 120 grains of FFg.

At 289 or 290 grains, that's probably adequate but not satisfying or comforting the way a conical is.

I've thought very seriously about ash-canning this gun, too, but the market has changed and the guns I like are no longer available new. What is available comes with features I don't want to have. I may get out of muzzleloading once I manage to kill an elk with one.

Investarms also makes Lyman. You could probably get some info using that route. I have 5 investarms, carbines, full length, 50 and 54.They are all VERY accurate, but I have trouble with the stock sights. Scopes and peep sights made a HUGE difference...

No, I didn't get a manual with it. I did call Cabelas and they couldn't offer any help, since they haven't sold the carbine in .58 Cal in quite a while. I will just have to go to the range and start working up some loads.

I have a T/C "Big Boar" which is .58 cal. and has 1 in 48 twist rifling.
The T/C caplock owners manual is available online:
http://www.tcarms.com/assets/manuals/noncurrent/Shooting_TC_Side_Lock_Black_Powder_Guns.pdf
On page 77 is a suggested load chart for .58 cal. round balls and on page 80 is a suggested load chart for 'Maxi-Ball & Maxi-Hunter' loads.
Maybe you could use that chart as a starting point for working up a load for yours since caliber and rate of twist are the same.
Good luck

80 grains of 3f and a patched roud ball should work fine.

I'll ask the obvious question, how wide is the barrel across the flats?
That would be a good starting point on how hot to load it.

I think Lyman used to build a 58 Trade Gun on a 15/16 barrel.
Real nice to carry, but a bit skinny for hot conical loads!