.50 or .54?

[Gametracker]

I'm very close to pulling the trigger on the purchase of my first traditional ML. I'm convinced that Lyman's GPR is what I'm looking for- weight of a gun isn't an issue for someone who's packed a scoped 12 gauge Mossberg around for a while. My only hang-up is choosing caliber. I'm leaning toward .50 cal., plan to use entirely for hunting, mostly whitetail and, perhaps, the occasional elk. I'm a bit familiar with general ballistics for .50 and .54 cal., but I'd like to get some practical opinions on effective ranges, or at least your personal "comfort distances", for both .50 and.54 calibers for both roundballs and conicals for both whitetails and elk. (make sense?) At what maximum distance can I be sure that the .50 cal. conical will effectively take out a bull elk? I'm used to getting in close to the game, but I want to make sure that the .50 cal. would be an advantage for the type of hunting I do. Any response is appriciated.

 

[Birddog6]

IMHO, Go with the .54. Bigger hole In & Out thus more bleeding, more energy at any distance upon impact, & just allot more knockdown when ya shoot a deer. I have shot them with .50 & with the .54 and the .54 really does the job better IMHO....
I never shot an elk so can't say on it, but I would think the energy would make a considerable difference. Recoil is basically the same with a RB.

Can't tell ya of either with conicals as I don't shoot them, I hunt & target shoot with RB's as they take down everything I have ever asked them to take.. :results:

 

[cayugad]

Just due to the fact you're even thinking of an elk, then the .54 caliber is the better choice. The .54 caliber roundball is an outstanding game taker. I just like the idea of the bigger bore in a black powder rifle. You can never have too much gun in my opinion.

 

[roundball]

I agree with Birddog6...the .54cal would be a better single caliber choice given what you said you're going to hunt.
A 230grn Hornady or Speer round ball is devastating on Whitetails, and would give you better odds for larger game like Elk than the lighter 180grn .50cal ball...enjoy!

 

[Ohio Joe]

Have to agree with whats been said, go with the .54... You may also find that .54 may be minimum in some states when it comes to hunting elk? I don't know for sure, but I thought I heard that Colorado was that way??? Maybe someone could shine some light on that?

.54 would be the best all around choice, :imo: :thumbsup:

 

[Rebel]

Go with the .54 cal. if you are even thinking about trying for elk some time. The .54 is also a good deer rifle. With muzzleloaders the only way to get more down range energy is to go to a larger cal. The .54 would be a lot better all around gun for you. Better to have too much gun and not need it, then not enough gun and need it.

 

[bezoar]

.50 caliber using a TC sabot, i use an older style that uses a 310grain 45acp caliber copper plated flat roundnose bullet. VAPORISEd the top of BOTH FRONT SHOULDERS AND SPINE at 50yards today for me. Id use it on an elk at 50 yards.

 

[Old40Rod]

A .50 can take down an elk, but if you are primarily using the weapon for hunting and plan to hunt elk, get a .54, no question. Give yourself the extra margin a .54 provides. The hunt for me is in the stalk, not the shot. When I shoot, I only want to shoot once and I want it dead ASAP, for the sake of both the animal and me

 

.50 caliber using a TC sabot, i use an older style that uses a 310grain 45acp caliber copper plated flat roundnose bullet. VAPORISEd the top of BOTH FRONT SHOULDERS AND SPINE at 50yards today for me. Id use it on an elk at 50 yards.

How do you cook thet "vaporized" meat??.... with a roundball you can eat everthin 'cept tha "hole"!! :haha: :haha:

YMHS
rollingb

 

[Rat]

.54" and then you can just concentrate on shooting RB, won't have to mess around with slugs. One load for both deer and elk.

Or...you can probably load down a little for deer, and still maintain the same POI.

Rat

 

[tg]

I would suggest the .54 if Elk be in your future plans, the .50 will work but the .54 has a bit more punch...with either keep you shots under 75 yds... 50yds would be better..conicals will be of no advantage and possibly cost you game.

 

[shmrck1]

Gametracker,
Definately go with the .54 mainly because you are talking elk plus all the other reasons stated above. :imo:
snake-eyes eace: :m2c: :thumbsup:

 

[HardBall]

Gametracker,

FWIW, I'm leaning towards a Lyman GPR in .50 because I'm NOT a hunter. The extra weight for off-hand target shooting and the slight edge in economy the .50 offers is why. If you ever plan to hunt elk, I would agree that the .54 would be the better choice.

You could always purchase an extra barrel for the GPR in .50 or .54 to compliment your original choice of caliber.

 

[Gametracker]

Thanks for the answers gentlemen! Guess it's unanimous. Looks like I need to reconsider and go with .54.

 

[Keith]

One other thing the GPR is available in two barrel twists. The 1-32" is for conicals the 1-60" is for roundballs. If you use PRB, and most here swear by them, get the slow twist barrel.

 

From practical experience and also wintenssing the results, .54 is much superior to the .50 for Elk and Moose. For deer, the .50 will drop them about as quickly, but Elk do show a decided advantage to the larger bore. I would suggest the .50 is OK to around 100yds., and the .54 is good for as far as you can hit one properly in the centre to 1/3rd way up, just behind & above the elbow. Elk are tough & deserve to be killed outright with 1 shot.

 

[Rat]

.50 is a good caliber, but when you consider the difference in weight between a .50" ball and a .54", you can see there is quite a difference. It's funny how a little difference in size really increases the weight of the ball.

I don't see a problem with 100 yard shots on Elk, as long as the animal is standing still, and you can take a very good, steady rest.

Be sure to practice shooting in all the field positions to know how far you can shoot. Small groups off the bench at 100 yards will not always translate into putting the ball in the kill zone at 100 yards from a standing, kneeling or sitting position. I find that sitting with my back against a tree is almost as accurate as off the bench, and going prone, for me, is even more accurate than the bench. Be SURE to find your sure killing range from a standing position.

I figure that one can almost always find a way to take a rest, but this year I came on a real beuty of a black bear, and guess what? The only shot I had was standing. I was in the open and could not move, and there was enough "horizon" that if I had even kneeled I would have lost sight of the bear. As the bear was right on the ragged edge of Bloody Bess's kill zone, (70 yards) I didn't take the shot. I knew that from a standing position, my "zone" had shrunk back to 50 yards.

That's ok, I'll be looking for him next year with the Jaeger!!! HOOOAH! (and another giant black sow we saw, that we now refer to as "the She Devil")

Rat

 

[Plains99]

.54 in a GPR. You can shoot round balls and move up to some big conicals if and when you need them. That rifle will do very well with both. I'm betting you won't miss sabots AT ALL!

 

[Rat]

Just noticed no one has mentioned that maximum range is more a function of the open sights, range estimation, and the trajectory of round balls and even slugs at BP rifle velocities, than it is of remaining energy...with calibers of .50 and up.

Generally speaking, this is around 100 yards, which is actually a far-piece, and again when you do consider remaining energy at 100 yards the .54 is really the logical choice.

I would not shoot at a game animal over 100 yards, (or maybe 110-120 under IDEAL conditions) with even my .62" Jaeger or .58 minnie rifle. And again, your maximum range can shrink up quite a bit depending on what kind of rest you can take, if the animal is spooky and moving around, degree of buck-fever, etc.

Rat

 

[crockett]

Amen Rat. A few years back I cut out a deer sized and shaped target from a cardboard box. Same color as a deer. I put it out in a regular field at 150 yards. I proceeded to try my 94 Winchester. Oh boy, I had trouble even SEEING the target let alone hit it. Trying to figure whether the deer was wearing antlers was all but impossible. Group was about six inches plus. Then tried a Marlin 336 with a 2 1/2 X scope. 3-4" group without having to spend a lot of time sighting the weapon.
Point is, I'll bet most game is shot a lot closer than most realize or claim. A white target with a black bull at a known distance is a different situation. That said, I think the 54 may be a LITTLE better than the 50, it makes a bigger hole and at the closer ranges the trajectory isn't that much worse.