Hunting with 58 minie ball

[Hipshot]

Does anyone here hunt deer sized game with a 58 cal. rifled musket that was designed to shoot the minie ball?

 

[Rifleman1776]

I don't but I'm sure many a deer has been dropped with them.
Charges need not be excessive. Stick with wat traditionally works. e.g. about 60 gr. bp.

 

[BrownBear]

One of my hunting pards has used nothing else for years for moose, elk, black bear and deer. His experience and not mine, but he reports that the LEE Improved Minie is the cat's meow. It has a broader flat portion (meplat) on the nose and a little thicker skirt to allow good accuracy with a little larger charge. He sezz for best accuracy fill the base hollow with lube, too. In both his 58's he's using the "oversize" version and 80 grains of 2f.

Like I said, all second hand, but I've never seen him need a second shot for anything. If I was going to use one, I'd sure try his methods in my rifle before any other. I've shot them a bunch and can confirm his accuracy claims, but I just haven't popped game with them.

 

[BillinOregon]

A friend in Australia shoots his Enfields in competition, and fills the cavity with candle wax.

 

[BrownBear]

A friend in Australia shoots his Enfields in competition, and fills the cavity with candle wax.

That sounds like a good idea, especially in hot climates. My bud is filling his with deer tallow, but it would be a puddle in hotter weather.

 

[wattlebuster]

Back in the early 80s I bought a navy arms buffalo hunter an like Brownbear said I loaded the lee improved mini. I shot 80 gr of ffg an filled the hollow base with lube an killed 12 to 15 deer with it. It done great on accuracy an all were one shot kills. Then the roundball bug bit me an I aint got over it yet. A 58 mini will take anything you can think of to shoot at with it. I wish I had it back just to have but like the fool I am sometimes I sold it an the guy I sold it too will not sell it. :thumbsup:

 

[Bearbait2]

Mr. Hipshot,
We have used the Lee .58cal Improved Minie on Caribou and Moose to great effect. Good clean kills with no second shot required.
Best Wihes

 

[StewartLeach]

I will second what BrownBear said about the Lee Improved Minie. I use the 54 cal version of this bullet in either of a pair of TC Renegades with excellent results on muleys and elk. I lubricate them with two coats of the Lee Liquid Alox.

I keep meaning to try the 58 cal version of this bullet in a 58 cal round ball twist barrel. Many times the weight toward the nose design of Minies results in good accuracy in slow twist barrels.

White Fox