.50 or .54 Caliber

Well both out at 100 yards have shed a lot of velocity and are pretty close. The price difference, including lowering the level of powder between the two calibers, is it's about .32 cents per shot for me and my rifle using store bought round ball in a .54. It's about .25 cents a shot for me if I was using a .50. So you save $7 for every hundred rounds with a .50 and store bought ammo. (I lower my costs with casting my own, to a mere .22 per shot) So for every 200 rounds you save enough to buy a pound of powder from Graf's & Sons.

LD

Both put nice round holes in the paper at 100yds. If you're not going to cast your own, it might be easier to standardize on a single caliber. 490" balls are easy to find. .530" balls take a little looking.

32 is good. Fast and accurate, but that little ball doesent like any wind.

Jackman said:

...Lyman Great Plains Rifle....

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We have them in both calibers and I can't argue with your choice of models. With a little break-in their accuracy will make you proud.

As for choosing one caliber over the other, I'd move heaven and earth to handle both. There's quite a difference in weight and how they "hang" on target. The 50 is considerably more muzzle-heavy, which lots of folks like for target shooting. My wife and I are mostly hunters and yet to shoot in a single target match. In our house the 50's get pretty dusty, while my wife tends to beat on me any time I reach for "her" 54 caliber.

Once you begin shooting look out the passion will grow and many more arms will mysteriously be seen in your gun room one will not satisfy your endeavor. The 50 is a good place to start as stated, easy to acquire the fixings for and plenty whomp for targets or critters a bit big for squirrels though. Personally I would purchase a 50,54,32,45 and a 62. then comes all the plunder to go with each, ball moulds, powder measure, horns, bags, cleaning tools see what I mean on and on. Great sport and bushels of fun. Just do not let the wifey know what comes in the big brown truck. Neat trick if she catches on is to tell her while you at the range you purchased a raffle ticket from a fellow shooter and low and behold you won the first prize. Do not use this tactic to often or she will catch on. HAVE A BLAST YOU WILL LIKE WHERE YOU ARE HEADED FOR. ---- AN APPALICHIAN HUNTER

To me the .54 caliber hole in the target is easier to see. Yeah, I know it is only .04 bigger but it seems to make a distinct difference in my ability to see the holes out to around 50 yards, depending on the target material and color.

No wrong choice here.

HH

When I first started shooting, I used a .40 cal. rifle. I bought a .45 cal. Navy Arms and found it to be the right size for me. Then it got stolen and I was encouraged by many in my club to get a .50 cal. I ordered a Sharon kit gun. It took me a while to build since I had not built one before and found it to be a good gun but a bit heavy for me. Like you, I only target shoot with it. Built that gun in the 70's and still use it. I have become accustomed to the weight.

Myself, I like the .54 cal, for target shooting the only real difference is the .54 cal will drift less in high cross winds.... I’m told .
Most of my target shooting is done at 50 yards or less .. so I really couldn’t tell ya’ about wind shear or drift.

If you load that .54 up with about 100 grns of ffg or mine likes 85-90 grns of fffg, it’ll send that little round pill down range in a hurry!

I just so happen to have a GPR in .54 cal on my Trade Blanket!

Shes got a 32” barrrl with a 1 in 60 twist, if memory serves me correctly .

She is a right handed flint gun with somewhere around 200 to 250 rounds fired through her. Just broke in!


If your interested you can pm me !

Thanks and enjoy the ride, Welcome too the Dark Side!

If I we're only shooting targets at 50 yards, then a .32 would be my choice. Virtually no recoil. Maybe a .45 might be a more realistic choice if only for the availability of more variety of guns to choose from. As one person implied, this is one of those hobbies that tends to grow on you. Why be limited. Just saying, you are bound to meet others who tend to influence you in other directions. Just one gun? Good luck with that!

Jackman said:

no hunting

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Then it is simply a matter of personal choice. I would go with a .45. Uses less lead and powder and is, IMHO, a sorta 'all around' caliber.

I agree with Rifleman; a .45 would be my choice, too.

.50.

50 more accurate, 54 more knock down less range.
My first flinter was a 54, second one, the one I built is a 45.
I will never shooting anything over 50, because the libtards think they are a Ma Deuce.
(M2 50cal Machine gun)

As far as cheaper to use, I dont know, making your own balls,is dirt cheap, and Id not seen any more cost. Same patches & powder. If you use the Davenport Formula, you might find out, the powder use isnt that different either.

Jackman said:

So first off I am new to muzzle loading and want to buy one of the kits in the link below, question is which caliber should I buy .50 or .54 Caliber ? I'm just a target shooter nothing serious just for fun and no hunting. I like the Lyman Great Plains Rifle and I understand that the Lyman is actually made by Perdersoli in Italy

https://www.muzzle-loaders.com/rifles/lymantm-great-plains-flintlock-kit.html

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I've never used anything lower than a .54. I'm in the market for a .32-.40 rifle, I've heard they're fun to shoot.

I appreciate ya'll advice , I just ordered a .50 caliber Great Plains Flintlock Kit can't wait for it to show up

My advice is to try the fit of the rifle. Make sure you are happy with the feel. Some rifles are too straight. The T/C Hawken comes to mind. After that I would get a .50 for target shooting. Doesn't take much to kill cardboard.

If you are talking about GOEX BLACK POWDER and LEAD ROUND BALL, forget about finding any in a Wal-mart, Dicks, etc. You will find .50 sabot bullets and Pyrodex out the wazzoo. Go to a good gun shop or mail order your gear. I prefer .54 for hunting big game. .50 would make a good slug gun with a faster twist barrel.

Jackman said:

I appreciate ya'll advice , I just ordered a .50 caliber Great Plains Flintlock Kit can't wait for it to show up

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good morning. I've hunted with a 50 caliber Great Plains Flintlock for several years, and have had extremely good luck. I was shooting maxi balls that weighed about 370 grains, but I'm quitting them and going back to 176 round ball. I've always considered this type of weapon one step above my old archery equipment so to me if you're not capable of getting within 50-60 yards, perhaps you should go bigger caliber. It truly is the spirit of the hunt that is much more rewarding than the carcass on the ground. They always poked a hole through the rib cage the size of all billiard ball and retrieval was no problem.

If you aren't sure, get the .50 cal. you can use it. to see if it works. If not you have options. Buy something else, Most .50's are 15/16" across. That's large enough to have re-bored to a .52 or as large as a .54 cal. I had a 44" .50 cal Numrich bbl that I found a problem with the bore. I'd built a Lehigh style with it. I had it re-bored to a .54 and it was fantastic. a .54 out to 75 yards isn't any better or worse than a .50 in my testing. The difference is in components If you shoot a .54, you may have a different learning curve than having a .50 cal.To me that would mean I get to play with it more and that means more shooting. THAT's a Very Good Thing. If you don't think so, then ML'ing isn't 4U!!!!