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Starting load for a 54cal.

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Short Arm

40 Cal.
Joined
Nov 27, 2007
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OK, One more ? on hunting loads. If I was going to use a minie in my 54cal what would be a good start load or load for hunting Elk ? I'm going to start at 70grs and try to go up to 100grs also will be using ff. Thanks again for the help
 
If it was me I would start at 100gr, work up to 120gr. If nothing in this range gave me good accuracy I would head down toward 70 a few grains at a time.

For deer I would start at about 90gr and work down.

Never hunted elk so my opinion is worth little but like my 54 to punch hard. I shoot 90gr and a patched ball for deer. It anchors them in their tracks most of the time.
 
Not sure you will have a lot of luck with a minne ball with heavy charges. I think I read some where that the thin hollow base will blow out with the heavy charges. I'd go with the Hornady great plains bullet and a felt wad under the bullet. With the 390 grain great plains bullet I have shot them at 120 grains of loose Tripple Seven 2F and a felt wad. The vel was 1673 fps and accuracy was very good.
 
I use 85 gr FFFg and 90 gr FFg in my two .54's for whitetail with round ball. I've never recovered a ball inside one, but I pick my shots (broadsides, usually between 40 and 60 yards) and they have a lot less body mass.
 
I've shot my share of minie's, but I'm in no way an expert on the subject. I do understand that heavy charges tend to open up the skirt, and accuracy goes south. I also understand that minies with thicker skirts are available to solve this problem. At this point you could either be thinking that this can get kinda complicated, or you may be thinking of all the fun you'll have experimenting with different minies with different loads. Depends on your personality. :wink: Heck, with a little experimentaion, you could be the forum's "Elk hunting with a minie" expert. :thumbsup:

Personally, I think the .54 roundball is just about the perfect elk hunting projectile. Faster and flatter shooting than a heavy conical, so less compesation is needed at varying ranges. More accurate than a minie, and VERY deadly. The damage they can do is amazing. Not trying to suede you to use what I use, just throwing it out there for your consideration.

Good luck and have fun with whatever you use. Bill
 
Thanks folks for your help, more bench time. Going to cast minie this weekend and off to the range next week to play. Let know what happens
 
Short Arm said:
OK, One more ? on hunting loads. If I was going to use a minie in my 54cal what would be a good start load or load for hunting Elk ? I'm going to start at 70grs and try to go up to 100grs also will be using ff. Thanks again for the help
First off, what is the twist rate of your barrel and will it stabilize a conical such as as minnie ball? Then you will need to find which conical shoots the best in your rifle, then work up the most accurate powder charge for that particular bullet. Choosing one bullet to use for hunting before testing them all out is jumping the gun, so to speak, or am I missing some previous testing?
 
Short Arm said:
bull3540, It is 1 -48 twist.
Okay, I think you best bet is to start off with the Hornady Great Plains bullet. If you don't get decent accuracy then go to a lighter weight conical around 350 grains. The Lee REAL bullet, maxiball or the Buffalo Ball-et can give you excellent accuracy with more downrange energy than a round ball but keep in mind that barrels with the 1:48 twist rate can be an excellent PRB shooters. A .54 RB placed in the vital zone is capable of taking down most anything in N. America. When using a conical you will want to start out with at least 75 grains with 110 grains of 2f or 90 grains of 3f being your maximum. You will also want to use a caliber size wad to get the best groups, I favor the lubed Wonder wads. Hope this helps.
 
I used 120 grn of 2fg on moose hunt. It did complete penetration at 25 yards.

My nephew video taped it when the moose ran 30 yards and turned broadside to us in the drizzling rain. Visible is the steam coming from both sides of the chest and from the mouth and nose.

The offside hole was 2 inch in diameter.

The mulligan bull weighed 590 pounds dressed.
 
bull3540, Plan to cast this weekend. I have one lee minie dia540 415 gr.mold and one lee real DC-MOLD 54CAL-380GR. Going to use 2f start at 80gr and go from there. Thanks ahain folks for all the help. Lynn
 
Okay, good luck. I think you will see better accuracy using the 380 grain bullet over the 410 grainer but your rifle will tell you which one it prefers. 80 grains of powder is a good starting point when shooting conicals but if recoil starts to become a problem take a break and let your shoulder rest and barrel cool.
 
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