50 vs 54 FlintLock Rifle

[Crow Choker]

Question for all of you that may have both a 50 and 54 flintlock and use them for hunting deer. Also question for those who have a 50 and wished they had gotten a 54 or for those who have a 54 and wished they had gotten a 50 and hunt deer with them. I understand all the technical stuff about a smaller caliber (ball) traveling maybe a bit faster (fps) and that a heavier (larger) ball having more knockdown power. Interested in a future project flint rifle in either 50 or 54 to be used for both target and whitetail hunting. For those of you who have both, which do you prefer and why. For those who have only the 50 or 54 and wish they had gone with the other, why. For deer hunting I'm seeing shots under 50 yards (25-35 average) for the most part, mostly in timbered areas or on the fringes.

I do have a 45 percussion rifle at the present so not wanting to build a flinter in 45, although aware the 45 will drop Mr/Mrs Whitetail. I know one of the most important aspects of hunting is shot placement in the vitals but have always wanted to step up to a 50 or 54. At present just getting started in the preliminary building of a Kibler SMR (36 caliber) that I bought sometime back but due to losing good closeup sight for a build I never got stated. Have a flint 45 pistol I quit working on because of. Cataract surgery recently improved my vision so will be starting the SMR next month hopefully after I finish the pistol. Just thinking ahead on a future 50/54 build.

 

[R Ellis]

I have one of each and muck prefer the 50 no real reason as they are both T/C Hawkin I will say the 50 uses less powder and when casting balls I get more to the pound but that is not a reason to shoot the 50 over the 54 but it is to some people I will say I do like the less recoil of a 50 over a 54 I also like a 45 but mostly shoot 50

 

[RIDE-RED350R]

I own three TC 50s and want to add a 54 for no other reason than just because.

Honestly and in my opinion, it's kind of like asking which is more effective on deer between a 270Win and 30-06. There isn't much a 54 can do that a 50 won't do just as well concerning white tails, especially if you decide to use heavy conicals. Hornady still offers their 50cal Great Plains Maxi Hunter in 385gr and TC still offers 320gr Maxi-Balls. Pickins for 54 is a bit more limited based on what I see. But the 54 conicals out there top out a bit heavier.

If I had to choose just one, I would probably go with a 50 by a somewhat narrow margin just due to more availability of different bullets.

If you have molds and cast your own, that point is moot

 

[deermanok]

My only flintlock rifle is a 50 caliber. I'm happy with that.

 

[tenngun]

I don’t think there is an advantage of one over the other. Elk or moose is another story. A .45 or even .40 will kill white tails all day. A mulie at longer range a bigger ball can be an advantage.
I THINK a .54 became popular in the old days as a bookkeeping idea, you got two shots to an ounce of lead
The bigger ball is easier to handle with cold fingers in the tall timber over a .45, but not so you would notice between .50 and .54.

 

[Grimord]

I have both but prefer the .54 for deer hunting. I hunt in very thick laurel, and I have found that the .54 drops deer faster, and more times in place, than the .50. Most of my shots are less than 40 yards, but recovering a wounded or hard hit deer is very difficult even if the deer only travels 100 yards from where hit. It sometimes requires an hour or more of crawling in hands and knees in the laurel following the blood trail, and trying to drag the dead deer out of the stuff is a lesson in aggravation. In fact, in the past 3 years I have switched to a .58 with PRB, and deer hit with that ball seem to just collaspe.

 

[TDM]

If I were 10 years younger and still hunting hard I’d go to a .54 or even a .58 just for the experience. But I’m not, and I have no complaints about my .50’s. Also, a big buck around here is 180-185 lbs. and more usually 150-160. if I were hunting 220-240 lbs whitetails or Elk I’d have switched long ago.

 

[Bushfire]

It's all personal preference no right or wrong. My preference is for 54, to me it's the best all round big game calibre

 

[tnlonghunter]

I've got both, both are 38" barrels. The difference is that the .54 is a straight barrel (15/16" across the flats) and the .50 is a B-profile swamped barrel. The .50 carries and balances SO much better, due to the swamped barrel. But the .54 is a little more stable off-hand. However, neither is a chore in the woods, and I've carried the .54 for several years.

If I could only have one, I'd get either a .54 in a C-profile swamped barrel or a .45 in the B-profile. In either case, that little extra bit of weight isn't a big deal to carry but is a little better for off-hand stability. Both will kill whitetails dead.

As it is, I'm most likely to shoot the .50 for plinking and hunting practice out to 100yds (but limit actual shots on game to less than that except MAYBE for ideal conditions from a solid rest). I'll lean on the .54 for more precise target shooting or matches at 100yds or beyond.

 

[Terry Lightle]

Know an elderly gentleman that has lots of years shooting flintlocks.Asked him If I should get 50 or 54.Without hesitation he said 54,bigger hole in the barrel made it lighter.I said ok and he built me a 54 and am happy with it.Called him elderly because he is 20 years older than me and I am 66 LOL.

 

[Crow Choker]

I've always thought of having a 50 as a bigger bore MZ, but have read here and other places of those with 54's praising it's abilities. I cast by own bullets and balls for both smokeless and blackpowder firearms so projectiles with either caliber would be no problem, just get the right mold. Have used alot of Maxi-balls for my TC 45 percussion since getting it around 1974. Shoot both Maxi's and round ball. Have always like Hornady's 45 Great Plains bullet, but they can't be found anymore. Consider shot placement over having a bigger caliber, ie 54 over 50, but not ruling out a 54. Right now if I had to make a decision, I'd go with a 50 caliber, but may change my mind whenever I get around to making the plunge, either a Kibler or Chambers. I won't make a decision based on some Macho thought process that a bigger caliber makes me a bigger bad axx hunter. Anyway, have some time to think about it. I'm liking what I hear about Kibler's Woodsrunner and have a $75 off letter.

 

[Ben Meyer]

.50 cal kills deer dead. 2 years ago I took a large doe with 80gr of 2f Goex and a .495 PRB. Perfect 45yd shot, she Ran 30yds and dropped dead.

If I was to go traditional muzzleloader elk hunting, I would probably go buy a .58cal Hawken. I do have(gasp) an inline that hasn't seen the light of day in 4-5yrs, so for now I could use it. But I like in Ohio, so elk season isn't a concern for me r8ght now.

 

[French Colonial]

I have some of each, not enough difference to get wrapped around the axles over. Get whichever floats your boat, if you continue this hobby of ours, you will eventually have at least one of each.

And a .32 and a .45 and a .58 and a .62 and .... you get the idea.

 

[thehorn]

I shoot mostly from a stand and take most deer within 40 yards. Have used both .50 and .54, but prefer .54 as they seem to go down faster without having to follow a long blood trail, especially here in central NJ where they’ll sometimes expire on neighboring non-hunting lands if not knocked down hard.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Your preference is all that will dictate this choice. .45, .50 or .54 will all kill Bambi just as ded. I have only used a .45 for whitetails. You know enough about rifles to know, with same outside barrel dimensions, the .54 will be lighter to carry. But, these days, the cost and availability of both powder and lead might be a consideration. Smaller caliber, less lead and less powder are needed to do the same job.

 

[Rod Man]

I like the .50, been shooting it for a long time. Just recently acquired the .54 due to game laws (Elk). It's got a touch more thump with full house loads but not terribly so.

RM

 

[Johnny Tremain]

The 45 cal is faster than the 30-30 rounds I build, and they have no problem killing stuff.
I saw a guy shoot n elk 4 times with a 54 and she was still standing.

 

[wganz]

Got a .32" Pedersoli Flintlock carbine because I wanted a Pedersoli Flintlock carbine and that was all that was in stock at Dixie Gun Works when I was there. No regrets. Naturally, the N-SSA stuff has to be .58" or .69"; no way around that. A .50" would be OK if I was only out shooting white tail but there are some big boars on my farm that I'm doubtful that a .50" would do more than just tick off.

The boar killed on my farm is pictured below was scaled at 853 pounds and took ten .308 rounds at 20' to kill. The two dogs both weigh over 100# as a matter of scale. And there are bigger boars out there. Could use a .50"; but that could entail more excitement than my 67 year old, fat buttocks could out climb at the moment. That is why I use a .58" Buffalo Hunter.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I like the .50, been shooting it for a long time. Just recently acquired the .54 due to game laws (Elk). It's got a touch more thump with full house loads but not terribly so.

RM

I haven't been keeping up with the Arkansas G&F regs. in recent years. Was not aware of this new requirement. In the past ml regulations were changed on much less than expert recommendations. I used to lobby against many of these.

 

[R Ellis]

Not wanting to change this thread but if you shoot your game in the front shoulder you dont have to track because it cant run off so get the 50 if you like it and put game on the ground I been doing this for 50 years and never had to track deer or elk just go drag em out