Quote:
Originally posted by Joeaksa
I have had a hand made Sharon .54 cal blackpowder rifle for years. Love blackpowder and it has a feeling and character that other shooting just does not.
Not real excited with looks of the rifle, but then have always liked the "Hawken" style more.
JoeA
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October Country used to make a big bore plains rifle. I checked their web site and the site is rather incomplete, so I'm not sure if they still make it. I had a chance to handle and shoot one that a friend had a few years back. Like all "Hawken" pattern, or plains rifles in general, I found it kind of blocky and clumsy. Very high quality, and a good example of the pattern, just not for me. I do hunt with an old T/C "Hawken" .54 that I built when I was a kid. I used their "Maxi Ball" for years, and still use a Lymann "Plains Bullet" occasionally still, cast from pure lead or even sometimes 20:1 lead/tin. I have now pretty much gone entirely to the round ball after having first tried it some ten years or more ago. I like the idea of a round ball gun bigger than the .54's that are so common, and with a proper slow twist and shallow rifling to aid both in round ball accuracy and ease of cleaning. Handling the Zephyr is what really made me want one. I'm not that enamored by its looks either, but weight, balance, and ballistic performance all seem to be there.