50 or 54

[HOGGHEAD]

I know this gets kicked around alot. And I have read through most of the posts in the forums, so I have done some searches. So please don't flame me for that. I apologize for being redundant.

I have been discussing a new FL build with you guys. And I think I will be ordering a rifle in the next week or so.

I have a couple of decisions to make. One of them is to finalize the caliber. I have limited it to the 50 or the 54 caliber. And I have narrowed it down to either an Early Lancaster or an Early Virginia style with a 36" barrel.

The rifle will be used as a deer rifle. And it will be a hunting rifle, not a competition rifle. I will spend a good bit of time practicing with it in the summer time, so I suspect it will also kill a bunch of groundhogs(the fun part). I may get to go on another elk hunt someday. But if so it will probably just be a cow elk hunt, but none the less an elk hunt all the same.

I am a handicapped hunter. And I do all my shooting and hunting off of my modified Kawasaki Mule.

I think I have listed my usage as well as possible. So what do you guys think?? 50 or 54??

Please also discuss the type of powder you use(2F or 3F), and the load. And any trajectory comments if you know the exact trajectories to maybe 175 yards. Thanks, Tom.

 

[ohio ramrod]

I would go with the fifty, but others probably will recommend the 54. It seems like many people feel "The bigger the better" :hmm:

 

[roundball]

Didn’t we just go through this?

50 or 54 caliber?? I want to shoot PRB's out to 100 or 125 yards.

You asked it here: http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/...tid/252986/pid/931911/type/reply/quote/931911/

 

[Dave K]

I have a 50 GPR. I like it, a 54 would be lighter, but if lighter it would have more felt recoil. The 50 is perfectly legal here in Ohio and has done what has been asked of it to do.

I can well remember when everyone seemed to have a 45cal. Then the 50cal. came out and everyone seemed to dump their 45's and get 50's. Then 54's came out and they became the rage, so history repeated itself. Anyhow, I don't have all GPR's, but including that, I have 3, 50cal. ml'ing rifles here. So I guess they fit me fine. But, so would a 54cal. You confused yet? :idunno:

 

[HOGGHEAD]

Didn’t we just go through this?

50 or 54 caliber?? I want to shoot PRB's out to 100 or 125 yards.

You asked it here: http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/...id/252986/pid/931911/type/reply/quote/931911/

Yes, you are correct. And if you read my post I actually apologized for being redundant. But this is a major decision for me, and I would like to really delve into the real differences of the two calibers. Sorry, but I did not mean to offend. Just trying to learn. I have owned a bunch of 50 caliber rifles in my life, but never a 54. And for the money I am going to spend I would really like to get it right. I am also going to be a bit redundant again, becaue I am also going to want to start a discussion about swamped barrels. But I am still searching the old threads and reading as much as I can learn about the swamped barrels before I post a question. Then I might be able to ask my question a bit more intelligently. Tom.

 

[Tim Ott]

Personally, I have had shorter blood trails with my 54. Most deer I shoot, just go straight down. Since you mentioned about the type of hunting you will be doing, I would think that would be an important feature?

Now as for the long distance stuff? I would limit that to 100yds. And that is with lots of practice.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[ebiggs1]

It depends on "which" barrel you choose but I am going to stay with my suggestion of a 54. You need the gun before you decide of which powder but basicly 2f or 3f will do just fine.

 

[HOGGHEAD]

Personally, I have had shorter blood trails with my 54. Most deer I shoot, just go straight down. Since you mentioned about the type of hunting you will be doing, I would think that would be an important feature?

Thatis a very good point. I see where you are going with that. I know that at times if I do not drop a deer where it stands and when they run even 20 or 30 yards it can make an easy recovery into a real chore for me. Good point, thanks. Tom.

 

[HOGGHEAD]

It depends on "which" barrel you choose but I am going to stay with my suggestion of a 54. You need the gun before you decide of which powder but basicly 2f or 3f will do just fine.

I have read in a few older posts that 3F is great for rifles up to 45 caliber. And then so-so in the 50 caliber. That is why I asked that question. From some of the older threads I deduced that the 54 is better shot with 2F. But i did not know why?? Thtis why I asked the question the way I did. I have no experience with a 54, so I wondered about the 2F or 3F. Thanks, Tom.

 

[ebiggs1]

Tom,
The 2f or 3f thing is largely one of the myths of flintlocks. Maybe some validity in the really larger calibers but certainly not in the 50 or 54 debate.
EB


Go with the 54!

 

[saber]

I use 3f in my fusil 20 ga and like it in my 54 cal but 2f works best in mt 58cal it all depends on your gun and the load you want to use

 

[Tom Compton]

Whenever there is a choice between 2 or 3 calibers, choose the larger!

TC

 

[longbow1]

My take on this is a .50 cal has taken most North American game up to moose any .50-.54. In fact even the .45 has been known to kill anything that the .50 cal's could but the larger caliber is a nice edge to have a cleaner kill . The smaller calibers the shot will need to be more percise .
I perfer the .50 the ball is easy to find in stores. I shoot the .495 it weights around 180gr with the right powder,patch, and ball combo you can expect at least 1800fps thats enough for any thing short of brown bear under 50 yards.

:thumbsup:

 

[dyemaker]

I would suggest the .54 too. If it were a dedicated Elk rifle i'd maybe go with .58 but a .54 is enough. I think .54 caliber is the ideal deer caliber. And why get caught short if a monster buck comes your way. Weight and Recoil is something to consider tho especially if you are handicapped. Choose a style of rifle meant for the caliber you choose to use.

 

[BrownBear]

The hole in the middle doesn't matter to me for deer. Either is going to be good.

Since you're looking at a build, the bigger question would be barrel profile. I'd go with swamped rather than straight for better balance. If weight is really an issue for you, compare barrel weights for the different profiles and calibers. They're listed side by side on the parts pages for kits at the TOW site.

 

[buzp]

I have hunted with both and find little difference in the field. As others have said, ball placement on the target is more important than than the difference between .50 and .54. If I had only one and was going to use it only for hunting I might lean toward the .54. But, my guess is that if you have a longrifle, you will end up shooting it a lot more than you think, it is just that much fun. Bottom line, don't waste too much time worrying about 50 vs 54, you will probably end up with more than one rifle anyway.

As to 2 or 3f, I use what I can find and have found good loads with both. Right now I am using 3f and will probably stay with that as long as I can find it locally.

 

[capt_turk]

One thing I've noticed hasn't been mentioned. The 50 will be easier to find on the shelf in stores. Unless you plan on casting your own, or mail ordering them, the 50's will be much easier to find.

 

[Black Hand]

.54, without a doubt...

 

[capt_turk]

Don't know about other areas, but in the area's that I have lived, Central Florida, southern Louisiana, and southern Texas, the only thing I've found on the shelves are 44's and 50's. The only BP guns I've found, other than the unmentionables, are C&B revolvers, except for Cabelas in Baton Rouge.
We have a shop here north of Houston that has a bunch of BP stuff on the wall, but they are personal collection of the owner, and he won't sell them.

 

[Mike Burns]

54 cal, you had mentioned Elk hunting with it. I have no experience with hunting them but me thinks I would chose the bigger caliber. I primarily hunt whitetails and use a .54 cal.