so i got the go ahead on a new rifle but just what to know what cailber choice is recommended.its going to be used from whitetails to moose and in mountain type terrain with lots of walking.i own a renegade .54 but thought of a .58 or .62.is the extra recoil and powder worth the gain? anyone with some input on the bigger calibers your input would be a help.this is going to be a rb gun not conicals.the gun will be a tvm leman or early virginia rifle and by the stock design it looks like the ev would be more comfortable but just dont know if the bigger caliber is needed.i dont shoot birds and i own a .32for small game so i dont what a smoothbore thanks for any input
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what caliber to choose?
- Thread starter Mr Hawken
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I've said before that I'm a two-caliber jumper. I don't notice a "huge" gain in going from 50 to 54, from 54 to 58, or even from 58 to 62. But jump from a 50 to a 58, and you see a huge difference. Same for jumping from 54 to 62.
Understand that I'm an honest fan of 58 caliber for deer to moose, but if you're looking to really impress yourself, the 62 is going to speak a lot louder if you're accustomed to a 54. I'm betting you'll be happy as can be with a 58, but man, the 62 sure will impress you.
BTW- Be conscious of stock style as you go up the range. I've got a 58 cal Big Boar and a 62 cal GM smoothbore barrel. Call it basically a "Renegade" in my choice of 58 or 62 caliber. Pretty fine shooting with the straighter stock and flat butt plate. Same goes for the Virginia and English Sporting styles I've shot in larger calibers. I've also got a Tennessee style in 62, and it's fine as long as I hold it right. Get it in the wrong position, and it's kinda violent on the shoulder.
Understand that I'm an honest fan of 58 caliber for deer to moose, but if you're looking to really impress yourself, the 62 is going to speak a lot louder if you're accustomed to a 54. I'm betting you'll be happy as can be with a 58, but man, the 62 sure will impress you.
BTW- Be conscious of stock style as you go up the range. I've got a 58 cal Big Boar and a 62 cal GM smoothbore barrel. Call it basically a "Renegade" in my choice of 58 or 62 caliber. Pretty fine shooting with the straighter stock and flat butt plate. Same goes for the Virginia and English Sporting styles I've shot in larger calibers. I've also got a Tennessee style in 62, and it's fine as long as I hold it right. Get it in the wrong position, and it's kinda violent on the shoulder.
I really like my .62 Hawken. I normally shoot 75 gr FFFg Swiss which spells trouble for deer. The recoil isn't too bad, IMO. One can also use FFg which has a softer kick. I wouldn't rule a .58 out, however.
When you say you have a .32 for small game, are you talking about those darn black flies y'all have? :rotf:
When you say you have a .32 for small game, are you talking about those darn black flies y'all have? :rotf:
Walks Alone
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The Bear has lots of experience with the larger game, and with the bigger bores, so he knows what he speaks.
I my case anyway percentage of useage would also be a guide. Will it be used far more for whitetails than moose for example? The 54 can get the job done just fine on the ocassional moose, so I guess if I did want more I'd probably go all the way (but end up taking which rifle on a hunt based on which game I was after).
I my case anyway percentage of useage would also be a guide. Will it be used far more for whitetails than moose for example? The 54 can get the job done just fine on the ocassional moose, so I guess if I did want more I'd probably go all the way (but end up taking which rifle on a hunt based on which game I was after).
My recommendation would be a .58cal...has serious whompability at distance and better trajectory than a .62cal.Mr Hawken said:
I had Matt Avance/TVM build an EVA with a Rice 38" D-weight swamped barrel and it carries / balances like a dream...haven't gone after moose with it but it puts down NC whitetails with authority
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Half of the fun of a big bore is making them roar! Either the .58 or .62 does that well. I would just offer up that the EV butt is much friendlier to the shooter than a Lehman or Hawken butt. I chose the .58 for the slighly better ballistics and lower recoil in a light rifle. 120gr of FF under a 290gr RB will get your attention - more so with a narrow buttplatte.
Good Luck! and enjoy the sweet dilemma of making the decision.
Good Luck! and enjoy the sweet dilemma of making the decision.
longcruise
70 Cal.
I agree with you on the EV pattern. It will be way more comfortable to shoot than the Leman. Especially with a big ball. I've never fired a Leman and the reason is that after I hefted a few to my shoulder it was perfectly clear that the fit was not a good one due to the short length of pull and the short (height) butt plate. These were accurate copies of actual Lemans built by Jack Brooks. Maybe Matt builds them differently.
If the dimensions are enlarged a bit then the Leman would be a better fit. I'm not a small guy, but as far as arm lengths and LOP I'm about average. Those Lemans were made for small people! :shocked2: As far as caliber goes, I'd just ask myself, "what is the biggest, meanest animal I'll ever shoot at with this gun?". Even if it will be only one shot at, say, a grizzly, which may very well live in your neighborhood, I'd want the .62!
As far as carry weight, the .62 could be lighter than the .58 if all other dimensions were the same.
I would probably go with the .58 it will cut down the rainbow a bit for longer ranges and is plenty of gun, there are often various barrel profiles to deal with weight and a swamped barrel would be a must for me, but the .62 is not a bad choice in that gun style, sounds like you might be in sling country, I would also opt for the 42" barrel they just handle so nicely to me anyway with the longer tubes and better sight radius.You should get a gun like this to come in between 8-9 lbs I have carried gus like tis all over the costal mts and canyons and found it not overpowering, many original MLs were in the 10-12 lb range.
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I like my .54s but love my .58 for deer hunting hands down. And soon will be taking in possession a .62 rifle that I'm sure to love too (I like big balls), would think that would make for a very nice Moose buster. :thumbsup:
Pete Gaimari
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I think the .54 is perfect, but there's nothing wrong with making a bigger hole. :thumbsup:
For many yrs I used a .50cal TC for deer and antelope before moving to a Lancaster 50cal flint , however when it comes to frozen moose hide I like a bit more and use a English double that shoots a .550 balland 75gr 2fg. works at 100yds.a 58 would be as big as I need for round ball .If your going to shoot bullets a .45 will do the job a .45 Whitworth will kill anything on the North American continent at 300yds cheers Ian.
Well, since you already shoot a .54 then if you go with that caliber in your new rifle you won't need to get different ball, jags, etc., plus the .54 will take anything in North America. But if moose and brown bear might be thrown into the mix I would go with something larger. Since you said that you will be doing a lot of walking then maybe weight would be a concern, so is there a noticable difference between the .62 and .58 rifle?
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bull3540 said:
My Big Boar 58 is a little lighter with the 62 caliber barrel in place, even though the 62 is a little longer. All else being equal, the same model gun is going to be lighter in 62 than 58 simply because there's more steel hogged out of the same diameter barrel.
As for big critters, I've got to say a 62 is a might bit more "comforting" to carry here in serious brown bear country, even for deer. So far common sense has kept me out of trouble rather than bore size, but if the day ever comes, the bigger the better in my book. I only "need" 80 grains or so of 2f in the 62 for a really nice deer load, but it's usually stoked with 130 grains. Kinda sezz geewhiz at both ends!
Pete Gaimari
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Ever shot a big brown with a .54? Just curious how it worked?
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I know of only two guys who actually shot browns with muzzleloaders, and one bear guide who's a 50-year flinter on his own hunts. One of the two hunters used a 54 and the other used a 58. Both made good shots and needed all the extra "help" they could get from their guide after the shot. Their accounts make the bear shooting fiascos of Lewis and Clark sound pretty tame. One is going to try it again with a .75 caliber flinter he's building, but with two shooters for backup this time (one packing a 375 H&H and the other a 416 Remington).
The bear guide is as experienced and dedicated to flinters as anyone here and more than most. And he won't try it and won't guide anyone who wants to.
If I'm sure I'll see bears in any location, I either hunt elsewhere or stay home. I gotta say that on surprise encounters, my 62 feels kinda puny in my hands and I'm more intent on finding the backtrail out of the woods than confusing myself with ideas of "defense." Only way I'd think a 54 came close to a brown bear hunting gun would be with a 1:28 barrel and around 600 grains of bullet moving as fast as I could stand to push it. I bought one of those about 10 years ago with visions of bear rugs, then came to my senses and stood it in the corner of a closet.
Theory is fine, but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't find any well-experienced hunters or bear guides up here willing to back you up if you went looking for a brown bear with a 54.
The bear guide is as experienced and dedicated to flinters as anyone here and more than most. And he won't try it and won't guide anyone who wants to.
If I'm sure I'll see bears in any location, I either hunt elsewhere or stay home. I gotta say that on surprise encounters, my 62 feels kinda puny in my hands and I'm more intent on finding the backtrail out of the woods than confusing myself with ideas of "defense." Only way I'd think a 54 came close to a brown bear hunting gun would be with a 1:28 barrel and around 600 grains of bullet moving as fast as I could stand to push it. I bought one of those about 10 years ago with visions of bear rugs, then came to my senses and stood it in the corner of a closet.
Theory is fine, but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't find any well-experienced hunters or bear guides up here willing to back you up if you went looking for a brown bear with a 54.
larry wv said:Well said BB.
I would get a .62 prob in EV.
Larry
That big 'ole 325grn ball gets it done on deer for sure...got my .62cal smoothbore Virginia too late for last springs turkey season, so I christened it with a few deer last fall...and it is definitely a hammer.
And to the original poster, if all hunting is going to be close range 25-50 yards woods stuff, a .62cal smoothbore is very accurate enough and brings along with it all the extra versatility of other game using shot loads.
10 POINTER AT 35 YARDS - .600” CAST BALL
SQUIRREL AT 25 YARDS WITH #5 SHOT
Pete Gaimari
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BrownBear said:
Kind of what I expected. I wanted to see if anybody tried it. It's fine for our little black bears. Forget those monsters you have. :shocked2:
