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.50 to .54 Worth it?

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rawhide said:
well I love .54s! I hunt elk with a cva .54 st. luis hawkens. I shoot 90grains of pyrodex rs and a cast 380 real bullet (conical) got 4 elk with this set up. longest shot was paced around 80 yards. it went down hard all the elk I shot went down to stay. only had one scare shot one it took 2 steps then he droped. this load is like the dukes of hazed wamy shells. :rotf: .54 is great for elk. deer also. If you don't mind me asking where you going to hunt elk?

Thanks for all the info so far, you's guys!
I think you've about sold me on the idea.

Rawhide, I've got a friend in Pinedale, Wyoming. He's invited me to go stay with him for a week at the beginning of October. I'm just waiting for the 20th of July so I can buy a leftover cow/calf tag for his unit. I'm hoping to be able to grab a couple of antelope doe/fawn tags too.
I'm mainly going to hunt with my longbow (It's my first love!) but Vance is a big B/P fan as well as a bowhunter, same as me, so can't pass up the opportunity!
 
sunds like fun :thumbsup: never left wa. to hunt sept once back home to hunt bear in alaska. herd theres nice elk hunting there. good luck on your hunt. show us all some pics.
 
Our "camp gun" {loaner} is a .50 cal. but uses a 410 gr Buffalo bullet ahead of 100 grs. 2f. Never thought a .50 cal. PRB was sufficient for all shots encountered while elk hunting. This was previously my rifle and has killed a few elk w/ excellent results, but changed to a .54 PRB for 2 reasons. The conical didn't stay atop the powder in a clean bbl and the mid-range height was excessive w/ a 100 yd zero and was reduced to 60 yds. The .54 PRB w/ a 100 yd zero has killed 2 elk, one at a paced off 107 yds and went only 40 yds and piled up and the other at 50 yds and it went approx. 70 yds...both were found dead. The load is .535 RB, .018 patch and 120 grs. 2f. By all means go to the .54 PRB and would a .58 PRB be better? Possibly, but a lot of powder would have to be burned in it to equal the .54s excellent 100 yd trajectory...Fred
 
The load is .535 RB, .018 patch and 120 grs. 2f. By all means go to the .54 PRB and would a .58 PRB be better? Possibly, but a lot of powder would have to be burned in it to equal the .54s excellent 100 yd trajectory...Fred

I think you'd be very surprised about that Fred. Have you ever shot a .58 at 100 yards with just 100 gr's of powder. Your using 120 in that .54, try that same load in a good .58 and see what you get. :v
 
Perhaps you're right about the .58 but I'll never know because the .54 has performed on elk w/o a glitch and will continue to be my elk rifle. By the way....the .54 was also the "mountain man's choice" because of trajectory, killing power and economy of operation. Have nothing against the .58 but where do you stop? Whatever one likes ,should be the cal. one shoots....Fred
 
I agree about the .54, I have nothing but praise for it after using the caliber for a few years. Just saying using the same load and range in the .58 might surprise ya where it prints.

Where do you stop, I dunno, maybe I'll stop at .62 rifled. Thats the plan anyways but one never knows. :v
 
Simply because I can get a .54, drop in replacement + all the associated add-ons for under $130. As much as I'd love to buy a swamped Green Mountain or similar, I simply don't have the use, or money, for a real big bore gun. I know a fiddy will drop the deer we have over here, so there's no real point in spending all the extra cash for one elk hunt.
 
Sorry.
Fiddy = Fifty = .50

Us youngsters these days....tchoh! :youcrazy:

:rotf: :rotf: :rotf:

After reading all of the positive opinions here today, I went ahead & ordered the .54 :grin: Now I just can't wait for it to get here so I can start playing with loads again :doh:
 
A 530 ball punches a hole that is approx 15% larger than a 490 ball.(not taking into account that the ball flattens slightly upon impact and actually creates a larger hole in penetration. ) In addition, the heavier the ball, the farther it retains it's energy against air resistance, ie further killing range for the heavier ball. The down side is the steeper trajectory of the larger ball.

Over all, for very large game or for moderate hunting distances, I would go with the 54. For hunting over greater ranges than 100 yds, or for smaller game, the 50 will do. The difference primarily comes about on the edge of the effective range. A larger ball can be fired with less powder and still carry more energy at distances. But the difference between 50 and 54 is not really that awe inspiring.

For most big game hunting with patched round balls, the 54 is preferrable in nearly every circumstance, but the edge is slight. If I were to hunt elk with a muzzleloader, it would probably be with a bullet gun anyway. Not some prissy little 240 grain inline conical, but an honest to goodness 500 grain pure lead sledge hammer bullet out of a fast twist gun with about 80 grains of powder. I don't know what the so called experts say about minimum killing ft lbs reccommended for elk. It could be that the 50 falls below that at 90 yds while thhe 54 doesn't fall below that until 110 yds. Differences in trajectory annd ablity to place shots may make the 50 a better gun for your intended terrain anyway.

Lastly, extra powder with a 50 caliber ball only extends the killing range a small amount. Keeping the powder the same but increasing the ball size extends the killing range appreciably.
 
Good move...Now, while you are spending money and helping the economy...Get on the Lee website and look in the overstocks and order a Lee .530 mold, shipped to your door for $18...

Then you can melt down all those .490 balls... :grin:
 
necchi said:
. . .a hunerd ball is just the begining . . .
for you from 'Sconsin that's about the same as "one a hunnert" . . . :rotf:

Yeah, ya might as well get the Lee .530 RB mould and melt down the .490's cuz you'll stop shootin' the "fiddy" once ya get the fiddy-fo. If'n ya ain't got enough .490's to melt down ya better start scroungin fer mo led . . .
 
Sure am greatful for this thread.I kept waiting for midsouth to get their .54 flint barrels in stock for at least a month. Just placed my order :grin:
Now i'm wondering can i use the old ramrod i used for my .50 or will i need a larger diameter piece of hickory?
 
A .50cal will do just fine, they have been killing Elk for over 200 years. You shoot a LongBow, so bowhunt with your .50, get close and double lung the stinky beast with a .50cal round ball. When I draw a Cow tag, I use a .50 flinter, and it hasn't failed me yet.
 
Your ".50" ramrod will work just fine. :thumbsup:

You will have to get a new cleaning jag for the larger bore though.
 
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