Bullet question

[smokeblower]

I know some of you like to stay with period bullets. I on the other hand am a hunter and I place results over historical accuracy. my question is I will be ordering a Lee REAL for experminting in my Blue Ridge Pedersoli.50 flinter. Midway shooting supply offers both 250 and 320 grain molds. I am going with the 320 due to size, would the 250 allow more distance or which would work better with the rifling pattern for this gun? i am impressed with the accuracy and nock down strength of this bullet in my .58 Z wet weather capper. Nothing against roundballs, but, I am looking for a load to improve take down and decrease tracking time.
Smokeblower

 

[Voyageur]

A few million buffalo, a few hundred thousand Native Americans, a few hundred thousand Colonials, a few hundred thousand soldiers and a few million head of big game might want to chat with you.

 

[roundball]

If it were me, I'd pick the lighter one...it's already heavier than a .54cal 230grn roundball which drops a deer in it's tracks as it is.

As other have also done, I take deer with a .45cal/128grn ball, .50cal/180grn ball, and .54cal/230grn ball...hit them in the boiler room, they sprint 25yds, and drop within sight of the stand...hit them anywhere else, and it won't matter how heavy your bullet is, you'll have a tracking job.

So in my opinion, the heavier weight would be overkill for thin skinned / light boned deer and you'd needlessly sacrifice velocity and trajectory with that heavier bullet...

 

[musketman]

I too vote for the lighter one, with high velocity come greater shocking power.

You would only need the heavier one if you were shooting lengthwise through the deer.

 

[LRB]

Just my opinion, but I do not think you will get as much accuracy from an elongated bullet. Your gun is rifled for round ball, I think you will find from lack of accuracy,you will be restricted to RB range anyway. Just my thought on the matter, and as it has already been said, a poor hit is a poor hit, and you will have to track anyway.

 

it ain't what you hit 'em with.....it's where you hit 'em.

Vic

 

'course...ain't none of us round ball shooters "hunters"....

 

[tg]

"I know some of you like to stay with period bullets. I on the other hand am a hunter and I place results over historical accuracy"
This statement suggest that the conical bullit is superior to a RB, which is just an opinion and is subject to many variables, if one must use a modern bullet the accuracy would be the deciding factor in the choise I would think. And I do think that the "I am a hunter" statement might be interpreted as a bit upity, though I will concede that I do not know the intent behind the statement but it does seem to suggest that one who uses a rb is using a projectile that falls below the "standard" of what a true "hunter" would use due to it being inferior, once again opinion comes into play here if putting one above the other as an efficient, humane, effective game taking projectile. I wish you well in your search for the projectile you feel will be worthy of your time and effort and also hope that some day you may take a stroll down the tried and true path of true traditional ML hunting, as I believe the results and rewards will be very satisfying.

 

[Haggis]

Let's not be too harsh on those who have bought into the current hype about funny looking bullets and scope mounted bolt action muzzleloaders. It's all you see on some of the hunting shows and we humans are prone to follow fads.

I know, as most you know, what a traditional flintlock or percussion with roundball and black powder can do in the hands of an experienced hunter.

 

[Zonie]

If its possible, try to get some of both bullet weights and try them at some paper.
I don't need to say the obvious but go with the most accurate one.
I would lean toward the lighter one for the increased velocity because that will make the range to the deer less important (less bullet drop).
Both will be more than enough for deer.

By the way to all of you reading this: Did you ever wonder why people go out and buy a .300 Knockumdead with 4000 foot pounds of energy when they should know that more than 2500 foot pounds of that energy goes into that big tree on the other side of the deer?

 

[Stumpkiller]

I use 350 gr. T/C Maxi-Hunters in my .50 New Englander. They're not authentic, they're not traditional, but ahead of 90 grs. of FFFg they're twice the weight of a round ball (being hollow-points they expend most of that energy in the target) and are more accurate in my 1:48" barrel, and a lot faster for a reload (thumb-start with no short starter or even, gasp, poked out of a plastic quick-loader). They hit about 3" higher than a patched round ball with a similar charge at 50 yards.

It would, of course, be blasphemous to shoot one out of a flintlock. ;-)

In my N/E if a round ball with a heavy load was as accurate I would have no qualms about using them. Bullet design doesn't make up for a poor hit.

 

[Haggis]

Ditto on the round ball.

 

[Darkhorse]

There are days when I also, on the other hand feel like being a true hunter. On these days I will take one of my scoped centerfires out of the gun safe and carry it. Usually when the ranges promise to exceed 150 yards. Other days I feel like a clown and carry a muzzleloader with the patched round ball. This season I have felt like a true hunter "One" day. And since our season goes from the third week in October to the second week in January, that means I am acting like a clown for a whole lot of days. We also have large bag limits on deer, which means that over the last 25 plus years I have observed the roundball's effect on a lot of animals, large and small.
On the day it stops being the best choice, that day I will stop using it.

Another thing about a bullet that engraves itself on the way in, this type of projectile is not held in place by the friction of the patch. They have been known to work their way back down the barrel, especially if the gun is carried for a period with the muzzle down. This then becomes a barrel obstruction and after firing it you can then buy yourself a barrel with a proper round ball twist, and make a pistol out of whats left.

If you insist on being a true hunter and hunt with minie, maxi, type projectile, do yourself a favor and every now and then throughout the day take out your ramrod and check the seat depth.

 

[Voyageur]

This brings up an some interesting questions (unless you guys have already discussed and determined the answer):

A .54 caliber roundball and a .54 caliber Minie-Maxi-whatever, both penetrate a deer...is a .54 caliber hole a .54 caliber hole or what?

If the Minie-Maxi-whatever penetrates all the way through the deer and the roundball stays inside the deer...which has imparted the most energy to the game?

If the roundball shoots flatter than the Minie-Maxie-whatever by virtue of higher velocity...which projectile is easier to use at unknown distances or when the shot must be taken rapidly without 'studying' the situation?

Voyageur

 

[musketman]

The round ball will have greater shock power due to the higher velocity, and all of this power will be transfered to the game if the ball stays in the deer.

Both holes will be somewhat the same size, (.54 caliber for maxie-bullet - .53 caliber for round ball/less patch) unless the maxie-bullet tumbles, then it will have a gaping wound canal.

I think the round ball would be the better choise for deer sized game at known & unknown yardage.

 

[roundball]

This is alwasy an interesting discussion because there are really so many other variables involved that affect a hunters ability to hit a target at unknown distances, but the bottom line is that if you hit the target at that longer range, the heavier the projectile, the farther that projectile will hold it's energy, even if it's a little slower getting there.

The best example to remember about this is the little kid at the bowling alley who is barely able to carry and roll a bowling ball down the lane...the ball is rolling so slowly you can see the finger holes every time they come up around.
But if that heavy bowling ball manages to stay on the lane, it's heavy weight and momentum will cause it to plow right on into the pins knocking most of them down.

By contrast, if you threw a lightweight tennis ball as hard as you could at those pins, once if got there it would not knock any of them down because it's so much lighter, and also would have slowed down so much.

A heavy weight projectile retains it's momentum and delivers a much higher amount of energy at long distances than a light weight one that happens to start out faster.

Same reason when big game handgun hunting you use large caliber heavy bullets...they're only poking along at 800-900fps when they get to the target, but they plow right on in

 

roundball is right. My favorite comparison is..." which would you rather have if hunting grizz...a 243 with a 100 gr. bullet moving at about 3100 fps. or my Shiloh Sharps 45-90 with a 480 gr. cast bullet at about 1200 fps."? (my 45-90 has shot lengthways, brisket to ham, thru a couple deer, I'll bet my wifes 243 won't). But those are cartridge guns....my frontstuffers all take RB.

Vic

 

[musketman]

quote:Originally posted by sharps4590:
my 45-90 has shot lengthways, brisket to ham, thru a couple deer.Just imagine what the Sharps 45-120 3 1/4 will do?

(I had the joy of fondling one of these once)

Just wondering, do you load the 45-90 cases with 90 grains of black powder, or do you use smokeless powders?

 

[Voyageur]

The last .50-140 3 1/4" I made is still right here in town. The fella has shot it at the range, and at long range, but he has yet to use it on game. He didn't believe me when I said that it would recoil some, even weighing 11 lbs. I made it on a Falling Block Works action with an octagon/round 32" barrel. Boy you ought to hear that thing go off...sounds like a quarter stick of dynamite.

The only hard cast bullet I've ever had stay in an animal was a bear. I shot him with my old '86 as he stood in some 5 ft. pines. He bit at his side and took off. I was surprised...I thought I'd lost him but a week later, in the same area, I shot a bear, that was standing looking at me, through the heart. When I went to skin him out a bullet fell out. It was my 405 grain .45 caliber .45-70 bullet. The nose was smeared at an angle on one side and there was a funny pattern on the other side. It became obvious that the bullet had hit a branch that I had not seen, turned sideways and went into the side of the bear. I still have the bullet and you can see the imprint of the bear hair.

 

[Voyageur]

I never have used 'hard cast'roundballs in muzzle loaders...only pure lead. The pure lead has passed through from time to time but for the most part I have found it under the skin on the far side.

I've never shot an animal with a Minnie/Maxie/whatever so I'll have to leave that part to others.

Voyageur