50 cal prb for big game

[Jason Lewis]

unless the buff is in a pen and can kiss the muzzle of your gun, i think a 50 is no where near big enough for the largest quadreped in N america. they are big, tough mean minded animals. not very smart though so he might not remember why he's mad at you but he knows enough to put the two legged critter with the noisy stick into a tree top. sam fadala shot one in the head with a 54 RB at 50 yrds and the bull still wanted to occupy the same piece of ground. you need a bigger gun, at least with a 54 you have a 230gr ball and if properly loaded can match a 30-30 with flbs of muzzle energy. at the ranges you are talking about your smoothbore should be just fine.

 

[Jason Lewis]

in other words, please be safe.

 

[LaBonte]

unless the buff is in a pen and can kiss the muzzle of your gun, i think a 50 is no where near big enough for the largest quadreped in N america. they are big, tough mean minded animals. not very smart though so he might not remember why he's mad at you but he knows enough to put the two legged critter with the noisy stick into a tree top. sam fadala shot one in the head with a 54 RB at 50 yrds and the bull still wanted to occupy the same piece of ground. you need a bigger gun, at least with a 54 you have a 230gr ball and if properly loaded can match a 30-30 with flbs of muzzle energy. at the ranges you are talking about your smoothbore should be just fine.

Ya reckon that all those thousands of buffler shot back when with 50's didn't know better?
Jim Bridger for one carried a 50 caliber and I'm willing to bet he shot way more buffler than any of us...

I've been in on several buffalo kills (never could afford it for myself but I like to go along when I can) and a 50 will get the job done just fine if you put that ball in the right spot, but then again that's what it's all about no matter what caliber you use....

As to shooting them in the head - I know folks that have tested it with a 16 bore rifle repeating some tests done back when and no luck with a soft lead ball - the ball just flattened out on the boss -- ther is lots of thick hair and bone there........

.50cal worked for buffalo when, how, and at what yardage?

1830-1850's period documentation shows that lots were shot on foot, while stalking at ranges of 75-150 yards - read the Oregon Trail for one resource - Parkman's rifle was a 50 caliber and was used on a number of buffalo. The critters were hunted mostly on the open plains and getting real close is generally not an option. Shooting while on horseback was most commonly done with smoothbores trade guns (58 caliber most commonly or big bore pistols - 58-69 caliber muzzleloaders were popular in the early days and 44 Colt Dragoons in the later days were the most popular
Now for a question - how many here have actually shot a buffalo or been on a hunt?
Yep buffler are big critters but put that ball in their lights and they do down - period - and that's based on witnessing a couple of dozen hunts as well as having a friend that used to run a buffalo farm and hosted beaucoup muzzleloading hunts.
What many folks used for hunting in the old days would be considered underpowered by most hunters today - the 44-40 aka 44 WCF is on the record as having killed more deer than any other caliber, including the 30-30, which by todays standards is often considered substandard as a hunting round

 

[LaBonte]

Regarding shoulder, neck, head shots - they are all wrong on buffalo...

The heart /lung sit much lowere in a buffalo than most any critter - one of the big mistakes back when was shooting too high on the critter - a shoulder shot is basically a wounding shot.

Head and neck - LOTS of tough heavy muscle and bone there so not a good shot no matter what you're using - also doubt the rancher would allow you to shoot one there.

While buffalo are big and tough and can be mean - usually when shot through the lights they will just kind of stand there and look surprised - it was this action that in fact aided the hide hunters of the 1870's - they'd shoot one and the others would gather around the one just shot. They were shot at longer range because it spread out the noise - buffalo tend to get nervous at sounds, especially ones that sound like thunder - spend time on the plains you'll know why....

BTW - have you talked to the rancher and asked his advice?

 

[Walks with fire]

I know I will never shot a Buff with a 50 cal roundball no matter how close I am. These are big animals and will run you over in a heatbeat if they have a mind to. You better have a backup man or two if you try it.

 

[BrownBear]

Well put LaBonte.

Once again, it's not the bore in the barrel, but the bore behind the gun that makes the biggest difference.

 

[larry wv]

My take on it is several million bison and the only gun you have is a 50 and prb is why it was done in the old days, Now any one with common sense will use something bigger. I agree I will not shoot a Buff with a 50 round ball. Wonder how many slow hunters got Buffalo stomped. Larry Wv

 

[rabjr]

Only thing I can see is a lot of guys may have been on horse back and ready to high tail it out of there or shot at longer ranges that we do now.

But a lot of of buffs were taken with 45 cal cartridges. I still think if you know how to shoot, you can do it with that .50 no problem.

 

[LaBonte]

As to the getting stomped because you didn't knock it over or whatever - most ranches offer these hunts to bowhunters as well as shooters and there's no arrow in the world with "stopping" power and unless you're going to use something on the order of an 8 bore muzzlestuffer you're not going to get much "stopping" power......
While big and tough and at times mean the American bison is not a cape buffalo.........

 

[tg]

I think the point of a .50 being sufficient was pretty much made with the mention of archery hunts also being done on Buff.

 

[pmwest]

I really like Lt. Forsyth’s perspective on this issue. “”¦the 36 bore (.506 dia) was utterly useless, and never stopped an animal unless it was struck in the brain, spine, or heart”¦ Less than 12 (bore) should never be used for bison or buffaloes, and any increase of size that the sportsman can manage will well repay him in such sport.”

 

[rabjr]

I really like Lt. Forsyth’s perspective on this issue. “”¦the 36 bore (.506 dia) was utterly useless, and never stopped an animal unless it was struck in the brain, spine, or heart”¦ Less than 12 (bore) should never be used for bison or buffaloes, and any increase of size that the sportsman can manage will well repay him in such sport.”

Was this before or after most of the buff's were shot off by lesser calibers?

 

[pmwest]

The quote is from “The Sporting Rifles and its Projectiles” first published in 1862. The 36 bore was a double rifle and shot “a conical ball at about 19 to the pound”. That would be a 368 grain bullet.

 

[Jason Lewis]

I really like Lt. Forsyth’s perspective on this issue. “”¦the 36 bore (.506 dia) was utterly useless, and never stopped an animal unless it was struck in the brain, spine, or heart”¦ Less than 12 (bore) should never be used for bison or buffaloes, and any increase of size that the sportsman can manage will well repay him in such sport.”

Was this before or after most of the buff's were shot off by lesser calibers?

lesser caliber from cartridge rifles and bullets in the 500+gr range. not round balls.

 

[tg]

I think Labonte has some pretty good historical and personal contemporary info that would support the use of the .50 ball.

 

[longcruise]

Historical accounts often describe buff shot at and hit multiple times and pursued for long distances before recovery or losing them entirely. Labonte has been there and seen it done. Hard to argue with that, and I won't. But, If buff is ever on my menu it will be with a bigger ball.

 

[BS]

The quote is from “The Sporting Rifles and its Projectiles” first published in 1862. The 36 bore was a double rifle and shot “a conical ball at about 19 to the pound”. That would be a 368 grain bullet.

I have this in a PDF e-book. Some pages are missing, but still an interesting read. If anyone would like a copy, just send me an e-mail request.

 

[KHickam]

While I have never been on a buffalo hunt. My father did get to shoot one for a buffalo feed back in the 70s for his gun club. He used a TC Hawkin with a 50 cal RB and about 90 grs of powder - which I know because I used that as a standard hunting load as a teenager and that was his hunting load.

Long story short - he put a ball into the heart and lungs of a ranched (1200 acre free roam, but high fenced) buffalo at 75 yds and it walked off a short ways and fell over. :hatsoff:

 

[Trench]

While I have never been on a buffalo hunt. My father did get to shoot one for a buffalo feed back in the 70s for his gun club. He used a TC Hawkin with a 50 cal RB and about 90 grs of powder - which I know because I used that as a standard hunting load as a teenager and that was his hunting load.

Long story short - he put a ball into the heart and lungs of a ranched (1200 acre free roam, but high fenced) buffalo at 75 yds and it walked off a short ways and fell over. :hatsoff:

Well, there you go, then. :thumbsup:

 

[Walks with fire]

When I was a teenager we took a trip to Wyoming. I saw some Buffalo down in this opening so I grabbed the camera and proceeded to get close to take a picture. Just as I snapped the picture the Buff decided he didn't like me much and started to charge me; can't imagine how mad he would have been with a poor shot from a roundball gun. I would be very careful if I tried it.