.50 or .58? Mostly target, some hunting?

Flinty Scot said:

You didn't include a SMR in your list of styles you are considering, though Tenngun brought one up as an option. My .50 is a very accurate , easy to carry and to shoot.

I've just been given a mold for a .50 Minie which might just fit- or even work- in it. hat should improve it's flexibi;ity hunting.

I enjoyed the easy shooting acuuracy of the .45 generic longrifle I sold to buy my current .50, 36" straight barreled, SMR. I'd never used one but now love that gun.
If I were to change anything about it ( a moot point now, w/out restocking), swamping might have carried and handled better. Still it hangs nicely since I learned (here) the Southern stance.

Once I try the Minie, I'll report if/how they work in my SMR.

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bones92 said:

I can't help but wonder why you don't just use the TN mountain rifle for everything. .54 caliber is fine for target and hunting purposes. But then, who am I to suggest that any great American limit himself/herself to just one flintlock.

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tnlonghunter said:

Yeah, I know.... This kind of question is really something hard to answer for someone else, but I haven't seen any threads that offer direct comparison between these two calibers. So here we go.... (Oh, and sorry in advance for the long read.)

I'm gonna be getting a kit in the next month or so. It will be a rifle, most likely in the general Lancaster school (a Haines or Dickert kit from someone most likely) or possibly "Virginia", though I'm well aware lots of the kits for these two schools are kinda generic. I'm not especially beholden to the PC/HC idea, though I tend to prefer the aesthetics of the 1750-1770s the best.

I'm debating between a .50 (probably a B weight barrel) and a .58. I (will soon) have a .54, so I'm not looking to double up on a caliber I already have. I will probably prefer a 38" barrel, though I would accept 42" if there is a convincing argument.

So, with all that said, here's what I plan to use the rifle for and where I could use some guidance (heck, even short sighted opinions are welcome ). I expect to mostly shoot off-hand targets at 50+ yards, but with an eye to longer shots (avg. 100 yards given common shooting ranges). I will do some deer hunting, though frequency will be much more heavily weighted to target shooting.

My thoughts about the pros and cons each caliber are as follows:

-.50 cal pros: lower average powder charge and ball weight (less recoil, cheaper), lighter to carry when hunting (maybe, depending on barrel profile).
-.50 cal cons: comparatively shorter effective range (this might not matter in the slightest at 100 yds for power, but what about ability to keep enough velocity to maintain tight groups?)

.58 cal pros: more kinetic energy and power should, in theory, make a better longer range rifle (a couple ranges near me have 200 to 500 yard steel gongs - could be fun to try).
.58 cal cons: more powder and lead per shot (more expensive and more recoil), heavier to carry (maybe, depending on barrel profile)

Last thoughts:
1. I've had a thing for the Free Born rifle (RCA #114) for a while, which I think is a .56 cal. I'm leaning in the direction of something approximating that, so a .58 would be closer.

2. I've never gotten the chance to shoot a .58, so this is all academic to me. My MMV

3. I shoot a .45-70 Sharps with a 525g bullet and 65g of 3f pretty routinely, so recoil and cost aren't huge turn-offs. But they should still be considered.

4. Whatever I choose, odds are I'll probably shoot no more than 200-300 shots per year.

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longcruise said:

The 50 will do it all based on what you plan to do with it. The only reason for a bigger caliber would be hunting regulations that require it. And a 54 is better when hunting elk size game but you already have that.

That said, I no longer have any 50 caliber guns. Mine are 45, 54 and 58. I did everything with a 50 for many years but now I hunt with 54s and the 45 does all the plinking, small game and. Match shooting. I got no excuse for the 58s.

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Essayons! said:

Check your hunting laws on caliber requirements and states you might hunt. Some states require a certain minimum caliber for BP muzzleloaders.

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