.54 PRB Capabilities

[Eric M]

What would you say are the limits of this caliber on big game, i.e. bear, moose, elk, mule deer?

 

[Ft. Jefferson]

Anything that walks on this continent. Given a 100gr-2fg charge and suitable projectile. I've taken several elk and would not hesitate to shoot a moose with 90gr-3fg w/530prb out to 100yds. broadside! The large bears may require a conical though.

 

[wvbuckbuster]

Ever read of the trip Lewis and Clark made? .54 was used and recorded some what. Their biggest problem was the big bears. Everything else taken. Dan.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Agree, everything on this continent up to big grizzly. Those are tough to kill. Many stories about them being shot repeatedly with ml round balls and still not stopping.

 

[nchawkeye]

Ever read of the trip Lewis and Clark made? .54 was used and recorded some what. Their biggest problem was the big bears. Everything else taken. Dan.

Were they??? Or were they the .49 caliber 1792 contract rifles???

 

[mooman76]

I think it would kill a grizzly also if you do your part but the question is will it kill the grizzly before he kills you?

 

[hanshi]

A grizzly is a creature from a nightmare. We don't have them where I live but even if we did I'd leave them alone and show them the utmost respect.

 

[BrownBear]

...leave them alone and show them the utmost respect.

Amen, brudda.

Stuff of nightmares when you live with them, but stuff of fantasy when they're just pretty pictures in magazines.

 

[Little Wattsy]

Anything that walks on this continent. Given a 100gr-2fg charge and suitable projectile. I've taken several elk and would not hesitate to shoot a moose with 90gr-3fg w/530prb out to 100yds. broadside! The large bears may require a conical though.

Ditto that!

 

[Loyalist Dave]

A grizzly is a creature from a nightmare. We don't have them where I live but even if we did I'd leave them alone and show them the utmost respect.

AGREED. Anything that seriously has me on the menu if it chooses, I will give a wide berth. With my luck if I had to defend myself from such a creature, I'd end up killing it, but it would fall on top of me when it died and squash me so I couldn't get air. :shocked2:

LD

 

[hanshi]

I admit to frequently hunting grizzly where I live and friends keep telling me (needlessly) that "grizzlies don't inhabit the eastern US". My response is that "Duh! You really think I'd go out hunting them if I even thought there might be one around"? :rotf:

We do have blacks, of course, and attacks by them from time to time. I truly respect blacks but give them no thought in the woods.

 

[blackpowderscout]

We do have blacks, of course, and attacks by them from time to time. I truly respect blacks but give them no thought in the woods.

LOL.... :stir:

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Most of the black bears that I have "encountered" were rather neighborly..., they went the opposite direction from me, and I did the same for them. I do admit though, when I ran across tracks of a small cub with a full sized pair of tracks when stationed in NC..., I chose not to run the risk of encountering the she-bear and her cub, and retreated to my vehicle.

I taught a class on "Threats in The Woods" and was surprised to find that actual deaths by bears were greater for black bears than the family of brown bears, combined...BUT I think that's due to human population density in Black Bear areas as compared to where the brown bears live.

LD

 

[nchawkeye]

An encounter with a pretty nice blackie is what made my decision to move from a .45 to a .54...This was in the mid 80s...Dang bear got to 35 yards, then stood up...I'm 6ft 5, 245 and it made me feel like Tiny Tim.... :haha:

 

I have taken many deer and more elk than I can count with both hands and six bison, one of the bison I shot at a little less than 100 yards and the ball took a rib going in and one going out and was just under the hide on the off side. that is what I consider perfect use of power. I have also shot them in the head at 50 yards and have blown clean through the skull. my hunting load is also my most accurate load 95grains 3f and a 526 prb shot out of a leman fulstock flint.