.50 or .54 for elk?

[Oregononeshot]

In my research for a new gun I've been reading about calibers for elk hunting. Some guys say .50 is enough, others say .54 is minimum, what do you guys think? My father in law shot his 6x6 at 100 yards with his .50 and dropped it in his tracks using a maxi-ball. I plan on using a conical like maxi-balls or GPH. I hunt deer every year and will only hunt elk every 8 years or so.

 

[Jackalope]

.50 with a conical will do the job. I myself use a .54 with a GPH.

 

[Boomerang]

Either one will work for elk with a conical, but if you were using round ball I would go with the 54. It will also depend on what rate of twist you would be using. A slow twist is not optimal for a conical and a fast twist is not optimal for a round ball. :hatsoff:

 

[BrownBear]

I've written about it before, but on our place in the Rockies 54 cal round balls out-performed 50 cal conicals. Not that the conicals weren't capable, but the young bucks using them tried longer shots and didn't shoot well. I spent quite a bit of time tracking down and dispatching their wounded critters. The old guy shooting a 54 RB worked to get closer, made a good shot and dropped his elk where it stood.

The three of them came back a couple of years later, all of them packing 54s with round balls. All stalked to within 75 yards and made good shots to drop their elk while I was pleased to sit back at the cabin drinking coffee rather than tracking wounded elk.

The 50 cal conicals would have done just fine if the youngsters didn't feel they were license to try longer shots. I'm willing to bet that even 50 cal round balls stalked as close as the 54's and well placed would have outperformed bum shooting further with conicals.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I'm willing to bet that even 50 cal round balls stalked as close as the 54's and well placed would have outperformed bum shooting further with conicals.

It worked for Robert Redford in Jeremiah Johnson! :grin:

Seriously now, Brown Bear has an excellent personal experience sample and analysis of what does and doesn't work, and I've never been elk hunting, so I'd follow his advice and observations.
:thumbsup:

LD

 

[Vaino]

I've used both .54 PRBs and .50 cal. 410 gr Buffalo Bullets on elk so here's my experiences.

The .50 cal. Buffalo Bullets killed elk w/o any problems if the shots were w/in 60 yds....my zero. If the ,50 cal MLer using the 410 gr conical is zeroed in at longer distances, the mid range height is too great and caused misses. Most of the shots were w/in 60 yds but shots were not taken at say 80 yds because of the "loopy" trajectory. Another objection I have and the one that caused me to go to the .54 cal w/ PRB is that the conical moved off the powder charge w/ a clean bbl......had to constantly check where the bullet was. A .50 cal. PRB possibly could kill an elk, but I never used one because always thought it was marginal.

The .54 w/ PRBs achieved the same killing results as the Buffalo Bullets but some at longer distances....the last elk was shot at 107 paced off yds and traveled 40 yds after the shot. Most of the elk were shot at somewhat closer distances, but because of the 100 yd zero, longer shots were successful.

The bores for the conicals and PRBs are different....the bores for conicals have a faster twist and shallow grooves while the bores for PRBs have a slower twist and much deeper grooves.

Shooting conicals in a PRB bbl has too problems.....the slower twist possibly won't stabilize the heavier conical and because the conical is meant for shallow grooves, escaping gases would be excessive because of the deeper grooves of the PRB bbl.

Shooting .50 cal. PRBs in a conical bbl would be a better option w/o major drawbacks....except as I said....might be marginal on elk.

My preference for deer and elk would be a .54 using PRBs.......Fred

 

[azmntman]

My first ever elk was killed with a .50 rond ball, took 4 shots. Several killed no issues with .50 conical. STILL....I now would use a .54 (or ,58) PRB over the conical for elk. Do as you feel but once in every 8 years a guy wants an elk, not some bloody pine needles that slowly disappear while on hands and knees in the dark :idunno:

BTW as per above it is necessary to make a GOOD hit on any elk to get a clean kill. They have an incredible will to live. Buddys dad shot one in archery, dbl ling, watched as it started to buckle when a VW vanagon full of VW Vanagon types drove by and saw it and spooked it. The cow was ready to drop and literally ran 1/4 mile when the "vanagons" showed up.

 

[Oregononeshot]

The three guns I'm looking at all have a 1/48 twist, which they say shoot prb and conicals well. My plan was to shoot both type of bullets and go with whichever one was more accurate at 100 yards. If I go with a .54, should I look at guns with the same twist rate and go with the most accurate, or go with a slower twist rate more designed for shooting PRB. As a note I want to shoot the most accurate bullet, regardless of what it is.

 

[BigAl52]

I bet Brown Bear really likes usin the .58 cal

 

[BrownBear]

Never put in for the draw, so in fact I've never killed one on our own place. But you're right. When the day comes, it will be a 58 cal.

Right now I'm in a bit of a wrestling match with a contract archery guide on the neighboring ranch. He denies it, but in over 20 years we've never had any fence problems. These days a corner down in the brush along the river keeps mysteriously dropping its wire. The brush on the neighbor's side has also been carefully pared back to form a funnel. Right past a bunch of brush that conveniently fell to form a nice ground blind....

Had a little chat with the owner, and I think I've found a solution. Next time the fence comes down I'm going to move a couple hundred head in there, and any holes in the fence will mean they'll be eating free grass on his property. Now he seems lots more interested in the activities of the guide leasing his place! :rotf:

 

[MSW]

i have never taken anything bigger than large white tail, but i would want a boatload more than .50 for elk.

free advice - doubtless worth every penny: go with a .58.

good luck :wink: and remember - we love pictures

 

[BillinOregon]

A .50 is the legal minimum for elk in many states, Oregon included. I have hunted with a .54 and PRB, but never got a shot. If I were putting together a dedicated dream elk rifle, it would be a .58 or even a .62 with slow twist and deep grooves.
I played with a variety of the Thompson Center guns with 1:48 shallow-rifled "compromise" bores and found them neither fish nor foul. Just me, I guess.

 

[Oregononeshot]

This gun will be my deer/elk gun. I think the .54 is a little overkill for deer, but I only want to have one gun for both so I'll take the .54

 

[Col. Batguano]

Use the biggest caliber you can shoot well, with the biggest charge you can do the same with.

German Jaegers were routinely made in .62 kaliber, and larger. Their primary quarry was Red Deer, and they are substantially the same critter (though slightly smaller) as our North American Elk. It won't hurt to womp them with more than you need, but you'll sure know it if you hit them with less than you need.

 

[BillinOregon]

Robert, you are making a fine choice. Don't really need a .54 on the West-side blacktails, but it will be just dandy on the big mulies east of the Cascades, and fine for elk, too.

 

[BillinOregon]

Robert, you are making a fine choice. Don't really need a .54 on the West-side blacktails, but it will be just dandy on the big mulies east of the Cascades, and fine for elk, too.

 

[1100 Remington Man]

This is the very reason I bought a .54 as I wanted to be able to hunt Elk. Yes one Rifle and done. I suggested this to my Best Friend maybe we should do a Muzzleloader hunt next year for Elk, I have yet to hear back from him.
As the .54 to much for Deer I do not think so.
I do think this hunting with a Muzzleloader has been Fun for this newbie.
While I have some Buffalo Bullets and Hornadys GPB conical's I really don't know what I would use on Elk other than my .54 as I have not shot them yet.

 

[BigBoreBLR]

Robert,

I do not hunt elk, but I use a lyman GPR flintlock in 54 cal for deer.

They drop like a rock.

Get the 1 in 66 twist barrel. Custom barrel manufacturers make quicker twist rates, but the quicker twist rate is ideal for stabilizing a slower moving ball for casual target shooting.

I'm using 70grs of FFFg for both target and deer. But, I'd bring that up to 90grs if I was chasing elk and chasing them in terrain where they live.

Not sure what sighting system is legal in your area, but lyman recently discontinued the 57 GPR peep sight for the gun. Some places are out of stock, most still have some. Lyman does not list it on their website anymore.

The lyman trade rifle is a bit more affordable, weighs less too.

 

[wattlebuster]

If a 50 is all you got then by all means use it. If access to a 54 then of course use it. Its better to have a bit more an not need it than to have needed a bit more an not have it :hmm:

 

[nkbj]

Robert J,

If it was me, I was looking for a smack down at a reasonable investment, it would be a TC Hawken or Renegade with a .58 or larger caliber barrel. Rebore or replacement barrel.
I love my flinter TC Hawken with the .62 Green Mountain barrel. What a machine!

By the way, round ball has the advantage of obtaining relatively high velocities for the diameter and achieving a high rate of displacement (cubic inches / second) versus the same weight of lead in a smaller diameter long bullet. You have to be shooting to hit a long ways away to obtain an advantage with elongated bullets. And that's why long bullets were invented.

That said, I really love shooting black powder with heavy bullets. I love my fast twist .458 bore TC New Englander too. Hunting with a 400 plus grain soft lead bullet over a heavy charge of FFg... nothing is walking away from that. It would make a great elk rifle.
Each is just another way of doing the same job.
And how you hunt is going to determine what would work best for you.

OK, I relinquish the soap box.