.45 vs .50 vs .54

Well guys, finally got hold of a TC .45 flintlock! That makes me:

CVA .50 caplock single trigger
TC .45 flintlock pre-Hawken set trigger
TC .50 flintlock Renegade
TC .54 flintlock Hawken
TC .58 flintlock Renegade

And I have a vintage Tree Lounge climbing tree stand on the way.....eager to hunt again this year.

I have always been someone that likes a big bullet, whether it’s with a 300 WM and a 220 soft point or my 62 Flinter with a 342-345 grain round ball. I would go as large as you can. A 62 RB is absolutely devastating on a deer.

Being a traditional muzzle loading forum, not sure what the relevancy of modern guns has to do with things.

Back to the OP's question, (.45, .50 or .54) I think I would consider the size of your deer in making my choice. Lots of folks here consider the .45 an adequate choice for deer and bear.

Deer in Texas run from 65 lbs. to 200 lbs. on the high side. I would think since you are from New England your deer are larger

Since you said bear and hogs would be rare, I would opt for the .50 as I like it and it has worked well for me.

Thanks for the replies everyone! I think I am leaning toward the .50...

Any of the three choices will work. Having used all three with roundball, I prefer my 50’s for deer, my primary quarry. For my Northeast hunting, it’s a nice balance of killing power, low recoil, and accuracy.

From a bullet selection & component availability standpoint the 50 cal is the obvious choice. Just peruse the marketplace & it's apparent how the 50 cal dominates everything from bullets to loading accessories to cleaning equipment. Black bears are no harder to kill than a deer. Hogs can be troublesome when not hit in the proper spot. With all the great heavy conicals out there in 50 cal, it shouldn't be to hard to find some that will meet all your hunting needs. If all you want to shoot is PRB, then the 58 cal would be the best choice, but bullets & other stuff are scarce unless you make your own.

For my preference the .54 would be the caliber for large game. For plinking I just use 50 gns 3f and it does right well. For a hunting load you'd have to work that up. If you ever got a wild hair and wanted a squirrel or a rabbit gun the .36 or .32 would be adequate.

I believe that 54 is the best all around round ball caliber. It will do anything you want.

Rich Wormington said:

I believe that 54 is the best all around round ball caliber. It will do anything you want.

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I must subconsciously agree. Kust realized I no longer have a 50 but do have three 54s and a couple more that I'm putting together!

I've got to go along with Rich and Longcruise on this one. Although I enjoy shooting BP rifles of all common calibers, I find that I have gravitated towards the .54 cal.

I would think .50 caliber would do fine for bear, especially with a Hornady Great Plains bullet of 385 grains. I wish they still made those in .45 and .54. That is, of course, if it will stabilize. I think it needs about a 1:48 twist for that.

If I was getting a custom rifle made (and I'd love to have that) I'd want it to be a 1:48 to stabilize bullets and patched round balls. What twist will yours have?

It makes a difference if you are shooting round balls or the heavy conicals. With conicals you will need a faster twist barrel than with RB's. You can shoot and stabilize RB's in a fast twist barrel but not the other way around.

A 50 cal 1:48 will stabilize pretty much anything of 400 gr or less. The 370 maxi will work fine on deer through moose but it won't be fun to shoot. Also more expensive to shoot especially if you buy bullets. Lyman makes a good mold for the 50 Lyman 1-Cavity Bullet Mold #508656 50 Cal (508 Diameter) 395 Grain

There is that old story about hunting a bear with a partner, so I would suggest two weapons. One a 54 as the T/C slug carries 1000 ft. lbs. at 100 yds. with 90 grs. 2F. Sure it kicks, but better a little thump that chasing down a wounded bear. The second weapon a small 32 for your partner in case you miss and piss off the bear.

I have used all 3... Just my 2 cents... If you plan on using patch and round ball 54 cal , Maxi or Great Plains Ball/Bullet 50 cal, and if your going to embark on a 6 month trek through the wilderness away from civilization and what you carry is what you have for an extended period of time like in the mid to late 1700s 45 cal... Daniel Boone often had something around 40 cal + or -.... But check your hunting regulations because they may play apart because they vary from state to state.... Also you will want different rifling depending on your planned projectile...

Magungo1066 said:

It has only just been ordered and the builder wont get around to it for about 7-8 months so I have some time to decide. Its an early lancaster style and it will have a 38 inch swamped barrel

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I just bought an Isaac Haines rifle with a Rice 38" swamped barrel. It will be my muley, bear, elk gun. It's a .54. If i'd only bought it for deer. I'd still use a .54. It's a great hunting caliber.

despite my misgivings about doing so, I will come down on the side of the majority, and add my voice in encouraging you to go with the .54, unless you can swing a .58.

While much is made about the "voracious appetite for powder and lead" of the larger calibers, I would posit that if you can't afford to shoot a .54, then you probably can't afford the car to get you to the range, either, so the whole {bleeping} thing is a moot point. Considering that the "black gun" crowd comes to the range and sights in their .999 Ultra Super Maximum Magnum, which shakes off the dust from the scoring shed roof, and launches the equivalent of a sushi dinner for two with wine and a generous tip just firing the three shots to confirm zero … well, us muzzle loader guys are a pretty parsimonious crowd.

Your .54 or better yet .58 will leave a nice big hole in whatever you want to shoot. To quote (I think) the great Elmer Keith, "Lets a lot of blood out and a lot of air in." By the way, most barrels will give excellent accuracy with just about t half the powder charge … check out Dutch Schoultz' work for the best non- shootiing accessory available: here's a link:

http://blackpowderrifleaccuracy.com/

good luck with your project!

I am a cheap ol boy and like inexpensive shooting. Forty in a .45 and half the lead of a .54 makes a difference.
I do have to chuckle at the breech loader boys that shoot more money in an afternoon then I shoot in a year.
But it all works out in the end I guess, since they don’t have to dress like a pirate to go play. ( based on the amount of times I’ve been asked if I’m a pirate)

.54 for the game you stated you may be hunting and with the additional reason that you will have a slightly lighter gun with a .54 assuming the barrel profile is the same in the other calibers. I've owned all three and -while I like them all - I think the .54 is the most versatile and it's really not that much difference in powder since you can load it down. Of course you'll use a bit more lead.

like my 54 cal...