to 58 or not to 58, that is the question

[Greg Blackburn]

My .58 can't kick more than my Austrian M95......my friends would shoot it once and put it down. Shot a 9.3x62 once, nailed the target but the stock slipped down out off my shoulder, shooting from the bench. Nearly dropped the thing! Never had that happen with anything before.

Decided to shoot all my muzzleloaders this summer...just have to make time.

OP: I hope you get this .58 and let us know what you think.

 

[Dave James]

Always liked the lines of a Hawken 58, but learned once passed a 45 call recoil was brutal with that style of butt, the next rifles I had where all built with shotgun butts, and where never unpleasant to fire, 50,58,8bore and they could shove you around a bit

 

[Pukka Bundook]

When I shot a 32" barreled .54, I used 60 grs. for target, and 120 for hunting. (2F)

When I went to a .58, (42" Don Getz barrel) Jim Chambers recommended 70 grs of 2F.
I tried it, and it worked so well I never did bother upping it.
Collected very few balls over the years, as nearly all hunting shots were pass-throughs.
My hunting was limited to mule -deer and white=tails mainly.

This, for what it's worth.


Must also say recoil is No bother at all. V pleasant rifle to shoot.

 

[TreeMan]

I’d debated on building or buying something in a 58 other than a military type musket. After lots of shooting my Zuoave using round balls the 58 trajectory at 100 yards kind of turned me off. I get excellent accuracy at 25 and 50 but the drop at 100 yards was more than I wanted to deal with using Kentucky windage. Hunting wise I’m not sure the 58 has that much more to offer than a 50 or 54 both of which seem to have a flatter trajectory curve with moderate hunting loads.

 

[Flintlock62]

Bigger is better in my humble opinion! Just ask my wife lol, I like how my big bores hit like a freight train

 

[Ferret Master]

I have 3 58's, two CW era a two band Enfield and an 1861 Richmond and my pride and joy a home made Southern Mountain half stock. Have found that 70 grains of powder works well for hogs or deer and doesn't thump the user to badly either. I put a fairly flat butt plate on the half stock, 1 3/8" wide. Where I hunt most shots will be under 75 yards so trajectory is not a problem.

Not saying that the 58 is the end all but more towards the group thinks a man or woman should try at least one of every caliber before their time is over.

 

[SPQR70AD]

I got a 58 hawken hunter type with a small recoil pad and a Zouve musket in 58. neither ones recoil ever bothered me being to me BP recoil is a push and not a sharp stab like smokeless powder rifle

 

[tenngun]

when i was young i thought life would be complete if i had a firearm of every caliber. during middle age i was able to achieve that, from 2mm to 54 at least. now i just want a muzzlestuffer of each bore. if i do one a year it may keep me alive another 5-10 years if i include smoothbores/shotguns. seems reasonable to me. now i have to convince that Scot's woman i am married to.

Did you ever see Oh Brother Where Art Thou? Cloony would get woke up in the movie and the first thing he did was ask how was his hair. If I wake my wife suddenly I get a surprised ‘ you not building another gun????

 

[brewer12345]

I wanted a 58 but wasn't quite willing to part with the ducats for the nicer ones I occasionally see. So I bought a TC New Englander with a roached 54 barrel in carbine length off gunbroker and sent it to Bobby Hoyt. He recut it to 58 in a round ball twist. Since it is a New Englander it has a modern style stock which tends to handle recoil well. I have not loaded it up with more than 90 grains of powder as it does not take more than that to shoot good groups and I don't find the recoil obnoxious, certainly less than shooting bigger conicals in 50 and 54 guns. The gun is fairly light and the short barrel is quick handling. I need a little more time shooting it, but if I get a ML elk tag for September I plan to use the 58.

Funny thing about powder charges with 58 ball: if you believe the ballistic tables there really isn't a whole lot to be gained over something like 75 grains. Anything that throws 283 grains of lead and makes a 58 caliber hole (before it flattens) doesn't really need to be moving that fast when it hits to kill pretty dead.

 

[Nazgul58]

I have a 58 early Hawken/Plains style fullstock. Got it for a very good price. It is a custom build from the 70's. Shoots very well, fits me, recoil is not different from the 54 Hawken.

Don

 

[Okie Hog]

My .58 is a re-bored by Mr. Hoyt New Englander with the longer barrel. Barrel has 1/60" twist rate and rounded grooves. Today i fired the rifle at 50 yards. Powder was 110 grains of Black MZ. Groups measured 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 inches. Recoil is not heavy.

Fort Sill deer season opens o/a 15 October. i'm ready.

 

[shorthair]

For me the Hawken style needs a barrel at least 1 inch across the flats to get enough weight to cut the recoil of the heavier hunting loads. Mine is a 32 "and is quite comfortable offhand.

 

[Greg Blackburn]

I have read that curved buttplates kick more than flat buttplates.

 

[SDSmlf]

I have been shooting 58 caliber Renegade barrels (1” across the flats, 26” long, radius rifling, 1-60 rebored by Hoyt) for a number of years now with patched round balls over 80 to 90 grains of 3F Swiss. Less than +/-3” to 100 yards plus. Complete pass through and busted shoulder bones on whitetails.

 

[Gator Weiss]

.58 is the most versatile bore you will ever own. Once you understand it, it's the best. My all time favorite BP caliber

 

[Art Caputo]

After having shot 45 and 50’s for several decades, I ordered a 58 cal barrel for a recent Kibler Colonial build. After spending a considerable amount of time testing loads and performance, I’m impressed with this caliber and regret not having owned a 58 sooner. I have found the sweet spot using a 279gr patched LRB to be 80gr of FFFG which generates about 1400FPS. This is 10gr more powder then I use in my 50cal to achieve 1700FPS. At this velocity, trajectory compared to my higher velocity 45’s and 50’s(1700-1800FPS) produces a trajectory at 100 yards that is within 1-1.5” at 100 yards. For practical hunting distances, that are usually 75 yards or less, I see no discernible difference in trajectory. . The velocity at 100 yards between the three calibers ends up being within 100FPS of each other with my typical loads. Air resistance combined with the increase in BC with the heavier ball evens things up. Between the lower MV, and an additional 1 1/2 pound weight increase of the 58 cal Kibler over my 45/50 cal rifles, felt recoil isn’t much more the the 50cal at 1700FPS. Given the down range velocities are comparable, the larger and heavier 58 cal LRB will provide a greater margin of killing effectiveness over the 45/50. In terms of accuracy, the 58 gives up nothing to the lesser calibers. I anxious give this rifle a try this hunting season.

 

[Pukka Bundook]

You have it well figured Art.

I too found no problems with trajectory or recoil when I got my .58, twenty -odd years ago.
The only difference being, the .58 shoots through deer from most angles, and I recover very few balls, even though I only use 70 grs of 2F.

 

[DJH]

I have been shooting 58 caliber Renegade barrels (1” across the flats, 26” long, radius rifling, 1-60 rebored by Hoyt) for a number of years now with patched round balls over 80 to 90 grains of 3F Swiss. Less than +/-3” to 100 yards plus. Complete pass through and busted shoulder bones on whitetails.

I too shoot a Renegade rebored by Bobby Hoyt. My load is PRB over 90 grains 3F Goex. Makes a big impression when you hit something with it. The late Hank Pennington, a.k.a. Brown Bear, was also a big fan of this caliber.

Jeff

 

[Stony Broke]

I own a Cabellas .58 and it's a good shooter. You don't have to load it up to astronomical powder chargers, and it will still make a very good hunting rifle. A patched round ball with about 70 gr. of 3f, and you are ready for about any animal found in North America. I use the same load in a .62 caliber English Sporting Rifle, and it's also a great shooter, and easy on you as well....

 

[Capnball]

I have an 1861 Bridesberg. 7" cut off the barrel and I can still consistently hit targets out to 100 yards with a .58 minnie lubed with beeswax and crisco and 60 grains of FFG. Grouping is problematic but what do you expect from a 160 yr old gun. It's got a date with Bobby Hoyt in it's future.