Testing the Traditions Hawken with the Haffner Crow

Today I'm at the Walter Cline Range in Friendship, Indiana testing my Traditions Hawken against the legendary Haffner Crow target, offhand at 25 yards.

This target is known as one of the more difficult targets in muzzleloading, and we’re shooting it with what many consider to be a “budget” muzzleloader. Many serious shooters may think this is a joke, but as the video shows the Traditions St. Louis Hawken is very capable of shooting a nice group and a contending score on this target.

Even at 25 yards offhand, the Traditions St. Louis Hawken can shoot a three-shot group about the size of a quarter. I did have a couple of flyers away from the group, those were shots 3 and 5 for anyone interested.

After sharing this target online, an old friend told me to aim for the white highlight of the wing next time. This could bring my shot groups closer to the X Ring.

I used 50 grains of 3F GOEX blackpowder, Winchester “Magnum” Percussion Caps, spit lubed .015 pillow ticking patching, and a .490 roundball.