.54 for Big Game

[Eric M]

Anyone have any experience with a .54 PRB for big game, bear, elk, mule deer, etc.?

 

[VEARL]

Would prefer a .58 cal with a hefty load.

 

[hanshi]

I've only killed one deer with a .54 so anything I say should be taken with a grain of salt. The deer dropped in her footie prints. But so did several other deer I killed with .45s and .50s. For elk the .54 is obviously a better choice but not necessarily required.

 

[roundball]

Would prefer a .58 cal with a hefty load.

For sure...while I'm sure a .54cal has killed those animals, you're starting to get into some pretty hefty size game there, and often with shots at some distance.
Having used .45/.50/.54/.58/.62cals on the smaller big game of eastern whitetails, I already prefer my .58cal for whitetails...and would definitely prefer it for the even larger game mentioned above.
Like the old saying:
Would rather have more gun and not need it, than need more gun and not have it.

 

[vthunter52]

My experience has only been with .50(2 bear, and 25 deer), but if shooting larger game at longer ranges I would definitely go with the larger caliber. I also think that it comes down to what you are familiar with, and shoot the best. Confidence is as important to me as is accuracy.

 

[Black Hand]

Works very well on deer. Most dropped right in their tracks.

I wouldn't hesitate to use a .54 on elk, bear or bison.

 

[Maynerd62411]

I've taken several White tail deer with a .54 . That's as big as it gets around here. Never a problem.

 

[George T.]

I have shot a fair amount of game with the 50 but more with a 40 and from what I see the old rule that shot placement is key is right on! It was interesting to me many years ago when Washington State outlawed the 32-20 for big game the number of them that were traded in and had done a great job for years. I got a great Deal on a 92 Winchester! Your 54 should do just fine. Unless ofcourse you need a new rifle! :wink: Geo. T.

 

[Bill Hall]

I can recall five elk I've killed with a .54 roundball. All but one fell within a few yards of his/her tracks. The one that didn't fall was due to a botched shot on my account. It took me nine hours to track her down and finish her. But a bad shot could happen with any size caliber, so... Bill

 

[Loyalist Dave]

A .54 is fine on mulies. Lots of folks report good results. Works fine on black bear too. Some folks when going after elk or moose work up a load using a harder alloy than pure lead to ensure they will get the penetration. Tough to tell if that's is needed, but it's not a bad idea. Moose or something from the Brown Bear family, as suggested you might want to go "up" in caliber.

I am building a rifle for my brother in .58 for elk in New Mexico, because I have a .58 GM barrel in my basement, and can't remember why I bought it in the first place.

LD

 

[Rat Trapper]

Having shot deer with the 45/50 & 54, I do like the 54 and that's what I'd carry if going after larger than deer. As the critter gets larger I'd start thinking about a big old lead conical too.

 

[Little Wattsy]

Anyone have any experience with a .54 PRB for big game, bear, elk, mule deer, etc.?

Yes I do...
I came into BP shooting specifically to increase my hunting opportunities about 7 years ago. My previous weapon of choice had been a 7mm Mag and quite honestly I was more then a tad skeptical about the lethality of a muzzle loader.
I ran tests wit hmy .54 taping phone books together - looking for penetration abilities, hours of shooting to confirm accuracy, etc and still I questioned...
First deer season finaly came along and I started to change my mind...
I whacked a big bodied buck and it barly made it 45 - 50 yards... all in all little differance from what I would have expected from my 7 mag considering the hit.
Later that year I went "Full Monte" for PROOF that my .54 was leathal; I went on a Buffalo harvest. http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/232538/post/700405/hl//fromsearch/1/
When that was done I knew I need not question my trusty .54 any further.
Since then it has taken several deer and an elk. The only issue I had was a extra tuff deer that took awhile to give up but it was the shot not the caliber that was to blame. http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/275191/post/1223217/hl//fromsearch/1/

All and done I personally think that the .54 is THE BP hunting caliber of choice for N America; one MIGHT make a arguement for bigger on brown/grizly bear but for Deer, Elk, Bison, black bears... its the shiz! In fact over the last few years I hvae develeoped a love for BP and its almost hard to imagine hunting anything but a my .54....
Below are a couple other deer Ive taken with .54's ....
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/252656/post/927558/hl//fromsearch/1/
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/263802/post/1077015/hl//fromsearch/1/

 

[Vaino]

After having shot a few elk w/ my .54 using a PRB, I'd say the .54 is ideal for this animal. Larger game than elk....won't venture a guess because I haven't "done it" so won't play a guessing game on the suitability of a .54 or if larger calibers are needed.

Of the elk I've killed w/ a .54 PRB, none went further than 40 yds and the penetration was sufficient for what I consider a "quick kill".....although there weren't any exit holes.

We can surely surmise that if a .54 is doing the job on elk, then a .58 or .62 would do the job better. Really?

For years my "deer rifle" was a .300 Win Mag....was all this "power" req'd for whitetails....the answer is no. I used it because of the highly accurate loads developed for elk. Did it kill deer any better than my previous rifle, a 7mm Mauser? Again the answer is no.

This "bigger is better" asre MLers can be taken to ridiculous lengths....Fred

 

[cynthialee]

After alot of reading on this forum I am leaning to switching from .50 as my primary deer rifle to the .54

Alot of various reasons are bringing me to this train of thought.

 

[Little Wattsy]

After alot of reading on this forum I am leaning to switching from .50 as my primary deer rifle to the .54

Alot of various reasons are bringing me to this train of thought.

I totally agree ( I switched from a .50 to a .54 back when too) but would like to hear your reasoning....???

 

[roundball]

We can surely surmise that if a .54 is doing the job on elk, then a .58 or .62 would do the job better. Really?

Yes, really.

In terms of upping the odds for a 125yd shot where a bull starts to turn just as the sear trips and then there's a big shoulder / leg / bone in the way of what you thought was a broadside lung shot by the time the ball gets there.
Its terminal ballistics...otherwise you could just hunt everything with a .22 rimfirre or a little .40cal PRB and they'd be as effective.

 

[Vaino]

What you're neglecting is the trajectory difference between those larger calibers and a .54. The .58 and .62 have a much greater mid-range height, so they're not as versatile....unless the powder charges are greatly increased which is unnecessary w/ the .54. Many original Hawkens are .54s....must have been a reason. Have found the .54 quite suficient for elk.....what's been your experience?.....Fred

 

[Bill Hall]

Exactly right Fred, which is why I hunted so many years with the .54 roundball. For me, anyway, it's a good balance between killing power and flat trajectory. Compared to a .58, the .54 takes less mental sight adjustment calculatin' for differing ranges and angles, which is good for those quick shots. But it still has enough whompability to knock down a big old bull elk. Of all the deer and elk I've killed with the .54, I don't ever remember adjusting the sight picture for range.

I've lately switched to a .58 for my elk rifle, but have only killed one elk with it so far, and she was about ten yards away when I hit her. Since she was so close, I can't comment much about actual trajectory experience under hunting conditions, but I can say that bigger is better, but only after the ball reaches its mark. Shot placement is king with muzzleloaders, and with the .54, shot placement is accomplished more efficiently than with a bigger ball, hence the .54 roundball could be considered a better caliber for certain species and hunting situations. Bill

 

[jrmflintlock]

I've taken 2 mule deer bucks, and 2 bull elk with my .54 jaeger. One of each fell down dead right there, one deer jumped over a hedge of oak and died about 20 ft away, and one bull flownderd in a stock pond, fell over backwards and died about 10 feet from where he was standing in the pond (I almost had to go swiming!)

Funny think the two bigger of each were the ones that fell DRT the ones that tried to run were much smaller.

Thats shooting 80 grains of FFF behind Patched RB.

The furthest shot was about 60 yards, closest was about 20.

But thats just my experience.

That said, I am still going to make a .58 :grin:

 

[cynthialee]

Flater trajectory.

Whompability.