Thumper finally tested.

[ADK Bigfoot]

WMC=White Mountain Carbine

ADK Bigfoot

 

[Secesh]

When I last posted about the Thumper carbines, I stated that I had finally gotten the test results that I wanted and I was successful.

I was gently reminded by @SDSmlf that testing wasn't complete until I shot an elk with it.
Well I fixed that this morning. Full bodied mature cow elk at 95 yards (laser rf) broadside.. In right shoulder, broke shoulder joint, passed through both lungs, clipping top of heart, and made jelly of the lungs,lodging under ribs on far side. It was a somewhat quartering shot. Lots of blood trail and dead at 65 yards down the trail she came in on. No through and through. 485 grain no excuses 54cal with op wad and 110 grains of T7 triple F. Rio musket cap. Back in camp with elk on ice in cooler by 1130. Shot at 0803 am.

15/16th barrel 23 inches 1:32 twist in reinforced WMC stock.

View attachment 252209

Nice kill. Meat to warm the belly and a nice hide to warm the rest of the body.

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

Here's mine. It's a .58 with a 19" barrel and fiber optic front sight. Early season tree stand gun.

ADK Bigfoot

 

[chorizo]

Explain a little about the WMC stock.

Go to the bottom of the thread and look at the "similar posts".
You can also search for my posts. I have quite a few on the subject where I explain the process and where I learned how to do it from sdsmlf

 

[gunpa]

I've been waiting for the got er done pictures. Great job!

 

[MtHoot]

When I last posted about the Thumper carbines, I stated that I had finally gotten the test results that I wanted and I was successful.

I was gently reminded by @SDSmlf that testing wasn't complete until I shot an elk with it.
Well I fixed that this morning. Full bodied mature cow elk at 95 yards (laser rf) broadside.. In right shoulder, broke shoulder joint, passed through both lungs, clipping top of heart, and made jelly of the lungs,lodging under ribs on far side. It was a somewhat quartering shot. Lots of blood trail and dead at 65 yards down the trail she came in on. No through and through. 485 grain no excuses 54cal with op wad and 110 grains of T7 triple F. Rio musket cap. Back in camp with elk on ice in cooler by 1130. Shot at 0803 am.

15/16th barrel 23 inches 1:32 twist in reinforced WMC stock.

View attachment 252209

Very very well done young fella

 

[chorizo]

Very very well done young fella

Thank you, but more like Old Fart, than young fellow

 

[MtHoot]

Thank you, but more like Old Fart, than young fellow

I am the same sir, just trying to make you feel good, us wore out ole farts can still smoke em up

 

[chorizo]

Finished cutting and vac packing to wet age the steaks. 19 two per thick cut loin steak packages, 41 two per thick cut leg rump steak packages, 4 shanks and three skirt steaks, and I estimate 80lbs of hamburger. About 170 lbs of meat with the only bone in the shanks. She was a big cow in great condition and extremely fat.

I will wet age the steaks until 1 oct then freeze. Grind and package the hamburger Friday.

That should keep me until next September. I still have a deer tag that I can fill in October. I might try to sneak out for a White Tail in the Clearwater region. I still have about 15lbs of hamburger from last year and odds and ends of deer, so it depends on the weather. Not near as motivated to sit in the cold and wet now with the freezer going to be full. LOL

UPDATE:

Well, I did the first grind and weighed everything.....90lbs of steaks, 100 lbs of hamburger with fat added, 4 bone in shanks, 3 skirt steaks and two tenderloins that I gave to my buddy who helped me quarter her out.

Over 200lbs of bone free meat at least. She was a very big girl.

Final grind on hamburger. Taste test for lunch.

 

[Bad Karma]

Well done… there’s hardly any finer meat around and the thumper concept is a winner.

 

[ETipp]

Here's mine. It's a .58 with a 19" barrel and fiber optic front sight. Early season tree stand gun.

ADK BigfootView attachment 252457

Lawdy, that's one short ML.

 

[ETipp]

Finished cutting and vac packing to wet age the steaks. 19 two per thick cut loin steak packages, 41 two per thick cut leg rump steak packages, 4 shanks and three skirt steaks, and I estimate 80lbs of hamburger. About 170 lbs of meat with the only bone in the shanks. She was a big cow in great condition and extremely fat.

I will wet age the steaks until 1 oct then freeze. Grind and package the hamburger Friday.

That should keep me until next September. I still have a deer tag that I can fill in October. I might try to sneak out for a White Tail in the Clearwater region. I still have about 15lbs of hamburger from last year and odds and ends of deer, so it depends on the weather. Not near as motivated to sit in the cold and wet now with the freezer going to be full. LOL

UPDATE:

Well, I did the first grind and weighed everything.....90lbs of steaks, 100 lbs of hamburger with fat added, 4 bone in shanks, 3 skirt steaks and two tenderloins that I gave to my buddy who helped me quarter her out.

Over 200lbs of bone free meat at least. She was a very big girl.

Final grind on hamburger. Taste test for lunch.

View attachment 252840

Well done there Grasshopper.

 

[Slinginslugs]

Officially thumped

 

[user 31232]

Congratulations

 

[chorizo]

Here's mine. It's a .58 with a 19" barrel and fiber optic front sight. Early season tree stand gun.

ADK BigfootView attachment 252457

Nice. I liked the shorter guns, but at the velocities I want to push them at, the shorter barreled guns (less than 22" for the 54 and less than 26 for the 58) didn't maintain their accuracy. Simply too much high pressure gasses disrupting things upon bullet exit.

Bring the velocity and accompanying pressures down and they settled down and shot nicely, but just not enough velocity and retained energy to 125 yards, my goal.

But they make great 75 yard guns with no excessive drop and plenty of energy at that distance.

I settled on 23" and 24" on the 54 cal getting my 1500 to 1530 fps with 485 grain or 525 grain bullets.

24", 22", 23" and 23". Far right gun closest to the hat did the deed this year.

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

I am getting 4" groups to point of aim (casual rest) at 50 yards with 80 grains (volume) of Triple Seven under a .575 patched round ball at 1500 fps. I hit a steel life size deer in the ribs at 100 yards yesterday with the same load, offhand.

The only problem for me is recoil: at 90 grains (weighed) of Swiss 2F and a Lee REAL bullet was "unpleasant" at the bench. For an early season tree stand gun (limited visibility with the leaves on) I will use 70 grains (weighed) of 3F and the patched round ball for deer. That should be enough "oomph" for the job, and good accuracy.

ADK Bigfoot

 

[chorizo]

I am getting 4" groups to point of aim (casual rest) at 50 yards with 80 grains (volume) of Triple Seven under a .575 patched round ball at 1500 fps. I hit a steel life size deer in the ribs at 100 yards yesterday with the same load, offhand.

The only problem for me is recoil: at 90 grains (weighed) of Swiss 2F and a Lee REAL bullet was "unpleasant" at the bench. For an early season tree stand gun (limited visibility with the leaves on) I will use 70 grains (weighed) of 3F and the patched round ball for deer. That should be enough "oomph" for the job, and good accuracy.

ADK Bigfoot

Yep. Purpose built gun with purpose developed loads. One size doesn't fit all.

I built my guns and developed loads around my hunting conditions and the intended game to be hunted. I don't hunt tree stands anymore and I choose areas that give me some view of the surrounding terrain. 75 yards to 100 yards is about the distance I set up from the spot I am overlooking. The ability to shoot somewhat farther comes in handy when needed.

I am not recoil sensitive and while hunting, you don't notice it anyway. I didn't feel a thing when I shot the cow and I was seated.

 

[exPAtriate]

I'm drooling looking at that delicious elk meat! Congrats and job well done!

I'd like your advice on a rebore. I've got a Renegade 50 cal w/pitting in the barrel. I've got factory Renes in 54 and 56 cal. My thoughts:

54 cal fast twist for conicals
58 slow twist for prb
58 fast twist for conicals/Monies

I don't cast, yet...(I mentioned it to the CFO, and didn't get shot down, though.)

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[chorizo]

Let me caveat this: I am a western big game hunter and my primary game is elk. Big, tough and hard to knock down. Terrain is normally rough and steep. You don't want them running far once you hit them. Deer are a target of opportunity when out hunting elk so the following is my perspective for what I hunt.

Range up to 125 yards. I favor fast twist 54 cal for conicals. There simply is a dearth of conicals for the 58 cal if you don't cast and the 54 cal has a multitude of conicals out there. I lean towards No Excuses or the Plains bullets if you can find them. With a wide range of weights available for the 54, there is nothing the 58 does that a 54 can't and the 54 seems to be more accurate based upon my testing at the velocities (1500 fps or greater) I was looking for.

1:32 twist or even a 1:28 (though I can't vouch for the 1:28 as I didn't test one, I have read good things about that)

I tested 58 cal 1:38 and 1:32 and simply could not get the accuracy out of them at the velocities I needed them to travel to give me a 125 yard gun, whereas the 54 easily did so and had more retained energy at 125 than the 58 because I was launching them faster.

A 485 grain or 525 grain 54 cal running at 1500/1530 fps mv is a powerful load and mine is accurate in both the 1:38 (525 gr better than the 485gr) and the 485 gr in the 1:32...that gun also shoots the 450 gr plains bullet accurately

If you are going the carbine route, you need to use FFFg powder and I used T7 as it generates more pressure and great velocities of the same volume of powder loads.

Keep in mind that the barrel is just one part of the complete package, so an eye towards what you are hunting and how you are hunting as well as availability of what you want to use is important.

Go up this thread for more information on the guns.
https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/finished-the-thumper-project.167020/

 

[exPAtriate]

Let me caveat this: I am a western big game hunter and my primary game is elk. Big, tough and hard to knock down. Terrain is normally rough and steep. You don't want them running far once you hit them. Deer are a target of opportunity when out hunting elk so the following is my perspective for what I hunt.

Range up to 125 yards. I favor fast twist 54 cal for conicals. There simply is a dearth of conicals for the 58 cal if you don't cast and the 54 cal has a multitude of conicals out there. I lean towards No Excuses or the Plains bullets if you can find them. With a wide range of weights available for the 54, there is nothing the 58 does that a 54 can't and the 54 seems to be more accurate based upon my testing at the velocities (1500 fps or greater) I was looking for.

1:32 twist or even a 1:28 (though I can't vouch for the 1:28 as I didn't test one, I have read good things about that)

I tested 58 cal 1:38 and 1:32 and simply could not get the accuracy out of them at the velocities I needed them to travel to give me a 125 yard gun, whereas the 54 easily did so and had more retained energy at 125 than the 58 because I was launching them faster.

A 485 grain or 525 grain 54 cal running at 1500/1530 fps mv is a powerful load and mine is accurate in both the 1:38 (525 gr better than the 485gr) and the 485 gr in the 1:32...that gun also shoots the 450 gr plains bullet accurately

If you are going the carbine route, you need to use FFFg powder and I used T7 as it generates more pressure and great velocities of the same volume of powder loads.

Keep in mind that the barrel is just one part of the complete package, so an eye towards what you are hunting and how you are hunting as well as availability of what you want to use is important.

Go up this thread for more information on the guns.
https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/finished-the-thumper-project.167020/

Thanks! I'm thinking 54 cal now, but full length barrel.