.50 or .54?

[Stumpkiller]

I cut out a deer sized and shaped target from a cardboard box. Same color as a deer.

I've done that for a number of new gun and bowhunters (including my wife). I try to practice that way myself at least once before season. It's much easier to aim at a paper target over a mowed lane. A plain, brown deer in the brush trains you to pick a spot. Stumps do, too. :haha:

 

[WSmitty01]

In 1979 I took out a 6 X 5 Royal Elk in New Mexico, the measured distance was 120 yards with a .53 roundball and 120 grains of blackpowder (not pyrodex). The bull went about 20 yards and went down deader than a doornail. Granted the shot placement was excellant with a standing broadside. They indeed are magnificant animals that deserve to be shot with the very largest caliber you are comfortable with and the shot placement on them is critical. By the way, that roundball expansion on the elk was unbelieveable, almost 1" diameter with no exit, lodged in the opposite shoulder! Bottom line, go with the .54 and shoot what shoots best, my gun has a 1 in 66" so I don't ever do conicals!!!

 

[Joe Yanta]

It appears that the .54 caliber is the favorite of your two choices and I tend to agree. It would be the minimum I would use for elk. I have harvested several elk here in Colorado. When hunting season rolls around elk like to find some pretty rugged country. And elk can be very tough to bring down. Suppose you were hunting at the furthest extreme from camp early one morning when you come across a trophy bull. You have a well placed shot but to your surprise the bull gets up, jumps across down timber and down into a deep dark canyon you can hardly walk down. You start tracking the trail and just manage to see a glimsp every now and then. The bull just keeps going down and further away from camp. Finally just before dark, both you and the bull tired and weak you are able to finish the monark. Now you find yourself very far from camp with a huge bull. Rewarding yes. But also very terrifying on how your going to get your prize back to camp. This is not an uncommon story. Dont under estimate elk. You owe it to the animal and yourself to harvest it as quickly possible.

In my old area where I hunt it took 4 men 3 full days getting an elk back to camp. It was a well placed shot, but elk can cover some very extreme territory in 30 seconds.

I have given some thought to hunt elk again in my old area. I have given idea to a .58 or even a making up a Green Mountain .62 caliber drop in barrel for the T/C Renegade stock.

Just some of my experience and my opinion.
:results:

Joe Yanta

 

I've found that when animals run a long distance after being hit - by anything, ML or modern, do so only because they are pushed or chased, ie; "catching glimses every now and then".
: We make it a point to sit down immediatley after watching the animal for as far as it is visible- to visualize direction of travel. We wait for at least 10-15 min,(hard to do by excited hunters) before tracking, and have yet to have to track from more than 75 yards after a well hit animal. Double lung shots are the only ones we take, and refusing to take 'chance' shots, makes for short tracking distances.
: The longest distance tracking for a double lung hit was a bull elk which ran 75yds. Bull moose rarely going more than 50yds before laying down to bleed out. Most animals are within 30yds. when shot with .50RB's or larger.
: Slugs, from large bore rifles usually kill slower than round balls- possibly due to lower impact velocities or merely nose shape. The hemisphere is a 'perfect' shape for delivering a "Smashing Blow", as Forsyth would say.

 

[brfire]

I personally prefer the .54, I have had one for about 7 years now. Although I just bought a omega( my wife actually bought it for me) :redface: in .50. I would go with the bigger caliber due to the fact you are considering elk hunting.

 

[BrownBear]

You might want to handle the GPR in both 50 and 54. I have the 54 and my hunting partner has the 50. Both of us like the way the 54 handles better.

Interesting side note that proves nothing, but provides food for thought: We had a group of 4 hunters take elk with MLs on a trip to Colorado. The one shooting a 54 with PRB dropped his elk with one shot. The other three shooting 50s with conicals each took two shots to do the job. They went back a few years later, this time only three of them. Once again the 54 PRB dropped its elk with one shot. The two 50s with different conicals than the previous trip each still required two shots. Both those 50 cal hunters went out and bought 54 or larger, and the one that stayed home on the second trip did the same after hearing the stories.

Here at home in Alaska I use the 54 a lot. Can't see much difference between it and my partner's 50 on deer, provided both are pointed at the right spots. Counting days hunting and shots fired, I put more effort into snowshoe hares than anything else. The 54 with 30 grains of FFF and PRB is a heck of a head-shooter. My partner uses his 50 the same way, but is seriously considering getting a drop-in barrel in 54 simply to re-arrange the handling characteristics more to his taste (more like my 54, that is!).

 

[dheisner]

Hey Gametracker,

I'm from Anna originally. I've been going to the 9-day since I was about 9 (30 years or so). I just have to put my vote in for the .54. I shoot a .58 cal Mississippi Rifle with Minie balls. I think it is around 500 grains. With iron sites in a seated position, I hit a gallon milk jug 5 out of 5 times at 90 yards. That would be a dead whitetail or elk.

It is quite effective! My two cents.

BP Newbie

 

My girlfriend's from Jonesboro! Small world isn't it?

 

[Slamfire]

Something not mentioned above is that the fast twist barrel not only lets you use conicals with full charges loads, but also prbs with reduced charges. ::

 

[dheisner]

Hey J James,

I was born in Cape at St. Francis. No maternity ward in Anna. You never know who you will meet on the net!

BP Newbie

 

[Gametracker]

bp newbie: just done a const. job in Anna over the summer. My dad used to do hot tar roofs and has done about half the flat roofs on the main street in Anna. We're looking at the possibility of a project in Cape Girardeau within the next year and a half or so.

BTW I did purchasthe .54 :thumbsup:

 

[dheisner]

Congratulations on the new .54. You'll love it. Pope Co. got a lot of deer, so you should have plenty to practice on! We run into them all the time at the trail ride. We also ran into a few turkeys up there.

Have fun!