1-48" bullet choice for elk

[Speedgoat44]

What is your go-to for larger-than-deer sized game in this twist, in either .50 or .54?
In 54 I've used roundballs on deer and antelope and have found them to be sure, but not particularly humane dispatchers of game barring perfect hits through both lungs and/or the heart. One lung or any sort of quartering shot has resulted in longer than acceptable time frames between shot and end of life for the animal in 2/4 of my harvests, with decent hits. Not a huge sample size, but enough for me, since, while deer are tenacious of life, elk are way more so. Therefore roundballs are probably out for me on elk even if some folks are using them successfully.
So, limited by 1-48, what is your go-to for these tough critters? Thanks!

 

[Sparkitoff]

I only have one 1:48, a 50 caliber. I like the No Excuse bullets. All the weights work fine, but the 460gr seems best in my rifle.

 

[Walkingeagle]

Killed elk with my GPH .50 percussion (when I had it). Load was 90gr Pyro P under a self cast 370gr Maxi Ball. Complete pass through. Check my avatar picture. Killed moose with my TC Renegade .54 percussion using 100gr Pyro RS, .530” RB and .015” ticking patch. Ball recovered under hide on far side. Also killed Elk with same patch/ball combo but 90gr Pyro P.
Given the choice, I would use a heavy lead conical over a PRB for these critters in the future. Just judging by recovery distance, although no arguing the RB worked!
Walk

 

[Frontier's]

Doesn't matter what bullet or caliber, if you only hit one lung, it's going to run and take much longer to die.

No bullets going to make up for a misplaced shot period.

I stick with .530 round balls.

 

[Speedgoat44]

Thanks for the replies - I won't argue against the endgame for roundballs - those animals are going to expire eventually. I also agree that double lung hits or heart shots speed up the process. On my two less-than satisfactory harvests, a similar hit with even a 30-30 would've resulted in a very humane result. I guess that's the responsibility we assume as semi-primitive hunters - to work within the limitations of our chosen methods. I've been coached in the years since my last bp hunt to treat ML hunting like archery, and possibly even more strict since broadheads inflict a different type of trauma.
Randy Newberg (sp?) has a clip on youtube of a gentleman who takes an antelope buck with a .58 roundball. It's not a particularly clean harvest either in my book, and mirrors very closely one of my experiences with roundballs.

 

[chorizo]

54 Cal CVA deerslayer 375 grain conical over 100 grains Pyrodex RS shot out of a 24 inch CVA Frontier Hunter with 1:48 twist at 85 yards. She stood on her hind legs, spun and went 20 yards dropping dead. Entered left shoulder, broke leg bone, passed through heart and both lungs and lodged under skin on right side between ribs. Destroyed the heart.

 

[longcruise]

Either 50 or 54 with balls or any bullet will work just fine. As said above, you have to get both lungs.

 

[chorizo]

Most people hit too high and too forward

 

[longcruise]

A shot placed just above the heart will wreck both lungs and tear up the major plumbing between the heart and lungs.

 

[Old Oak]

For 1:48 my go to for elk has been conicals behind 90 grains 3f Goex for the 54, 80 gr for the 50. Animals will move and our best assessment of angle, distance, animal elevation in relation to us, etc. means that there are variables that make a quick, humane kill problematic. Everyone wants a stationary elk standing broadside at 40 yards, mid day at our level with no brush interfering. Fortunately for them, they have learned that this is not a good idea. Tracking in the evening or with an afternoon rain is no fun for us or the animal. I have found the above works well for me, YMMV. For fun or rondys, I shoot prb.

 

[Speedgoat44]

I really appreciate the feedback folks. I'll take a good look at No Excuses bullets as it sounds like some 1-48 twist barrels shoot them well. It also sounds like, as a pure lead bullet, they might lend themselves to IdahoRon's paper patch method, which I'm really wanting to try. Maybe their 420 grain would be a safe bet to stabilize since it's the shortest of their line.
Thanks for the shot placement reminders. One of the gunwriters years ago suggested envisioning a grapefruit suspended 1/3 of the way up the chest even with the back of the forelegs to accomplish what chorizo and longcruise referred to. This is great advice.
I trust my judgement to not take risky shots, but, things can and do go wrong. My friend hunts successfully for public land elk with a 338 because his opinion is you want confidence in your gear when things go wrong. Lots of things will work when things go right. I'd add that self-control, practice and proficiency helps things go right more often. Thanks again all!

 

[chorizo]

I really appreciate the feedback folks. I'll take a good look at No Excuses bullets as it sounds like some 1-48 twist barrels shoot them well. It also sounds like, as a pure lead bullet, they might lend themselves to IdahoRon's paper patch method, which I'm really wanting to try. Maybe their 420 grain would be a safe bet to stabilize since it's the shortest of their line.
Thanks for the shot placement reminders. One of the gunwriters years ago suggested envisioning a grapefruit suspended 1/3 of the way up the chest even with the back of the forelegs to accomplish what chorizo and longcruise referred to. This is great advice.
I trust my judgement to not take risky shots, but, things can and do go wrong. My friend hunts successfully for public land elk with a 338 because his opinion is you want confidence in your gear when things go wrong. Lots of things will work when things go right. I'd add that self-control, practice and proficiency helps things go right more often. Thanks again all!

Here are the ballistics of the bullet I mentioned with 100 grains of triple 7 (chronographed for the T7 I did not do so with the Pyro RS however.) Fairly flat shooting with good energy retention...1100 ftlbs being considered by many as the minimum needed for elk. I get 2.5-3.5" 100 yard groups on my 1:48" twist 24" barrel with my ghost ring sights, benched and sandbagged, clean bore between shots. I get consistent 2-2.5" groups with my 26" 1:38 twist barrel with the same load/same sights/same stock.

Solid 100 yard guns...maybe 125 yards with a rest under ideal conditions.

Sorry for the late post as I was on the road.

 

[longcruise]

@chorizo your sight height might be off. Should be measured from the centerline of the bore to the top of the sight. It will effect the trajectory.

 

[TDM]

A shot placed just above the heart will wreck both lungs and tear up the major plumbing between the heart and lungs.

That is the shot that brings them to a halt now.

 

[Bushfire]

Randy Newberg (sp?) has a clip on youtube of a gentleman who takes an antelope buck with a .58 roundball. It's not a particularly clean harvest either in my book, and mirrors very closely one of my experiences with roundballs.

Jim Baichtal, and gut shots will do that no matter what you poke them with.

 

[chorizo]

@chorizo your sight height might be off. Should be measured from the centerline of the bore to the top of the sight. It will effect the trajectory

Doesn't affect it that much if it is. The difference in trajectory between .5" and 1.0" sight height is that at 1.0" the trajectory is 0.2" flatter at ranges less than 100 yards and 0.1" flatter at 125 yards..not appreciable

 

[chorizo]

@longcruise
@Speedgoat44

At short ranges, sight height has little affect, but you would be rightly concerned if I was going to make a 500 yard shot. The POI delta stacks the further out you go.

But with short range and iron sights...especially the ghost ring that I use for hunting.... there is more error in cheek placement than built in error on sight height.

What I look to obtain is a "point blank" range and load that will keep me in a 6" kill zone out to 125 yards. I will rarely knowingly take that long of a shot unless the conditions are perfect and I am on a rest, but as many are quick to point out...whether you ask them or not....is that in the field things are not as precise as at the range and what you think is 100 yards might well be 75 yards or 125 yards.

Velocity and ballistic coefficient are by far the biggest factors. I was able to get the ballistic coefficient for the deerslayer bullet off an old chart used by CVA. ( For those that are interested, the 50 cal Hornady Great Plains bullet 385 grain hp-hb BC is .195...I use it in my 50 cal for deer as it has very impressive expansion...too much so for elk in my opinion. See attached pictures...I shot that into a wet sand berm at 50 yards..not very scientific, but definitely is indicative!)

I did chronograph the .54 deerslayer load with 100gr Triple 7 and I will admit it is a stout load, but it is accurate, so it meets my requirements as I am not recoil sensitive. But it definitely isn't a load for recreational shooting at targets!

Of course, I do verify the trajectory by shooting at the range at 50 yards and 100 yards and the calculation appears to be right on.

Hornady 50 cal Great Plains HP-HB 385 gr at 1420 Fps muzzle velocity (NOT chronographed.... velocity taken from Triple 7 load chart) ..80grs Triple 7

 

[longcruise]

I've found that at velocities of 1550 and up i can keep keep a ball between 45 and 58 in a 6" PBR out to 120. Mostly much better than that. Of course that's all on paper. Where the rubber meets the road is a whole different set of facts. With my preferred sights and my visual acuity it's 75 yards and less.

 

[chorizo]

I've found that at velocities of 1550 and up i can keep keep a ball between 45 and 58 in a 6" PBR out to 120. Mostly much better than that. Of course that's all on paper. Where the rubber meets the road is a whole different set of facts. With my preferred sights and my visual acuity it's 75 yards and less.

Yep, all factors. Got to know what your own limitations are and try to stay within them. Just because your gun can do it, may not mean that the "trigger actuator" can. The vast majority of guns can outshoot their owners.

 

[new2bp]

I'm only range plinking now but pigs may be in my future, and I'm planning on using the .54 Maxi's I got from Dixie Gun Works. 425gr, certainly gives me a solid thump in front of 80 to 100gr of 3f.