best caliber

[tcsmokepole]

I guess this is atouchy subject because everyone has their own opinion. Anyway, I was curious what you guys felt was the best caliber for big game. In my opinion it's at least 54 cal, preferably bigger, like 58 or 62. How about it?

 

How big is the game?

Does it bite back?

Does it run at you, or away from you when shot?

 

[Rebel]

I think that a .54 cal is plenty for anything other than dangerous game. If i knew i might encounter a grizzly or even a mad black bear, i would want something bigger, say a double barrel .12 ga with a round ball in one barrel, and buckshot in the other. Course if i knew i was going to run into a griz, i probably wouldn't be carrying a ML'er anyways.

 

[tcsmokepole]

I should have been more clear as far as game goes. I meant general big game hunting, not dangerous game.

 

[roundball]

In my opinion, .45/.50cal round balls are great for deer at average woods distances.
.54/.58cal round balls would be better for longer range deer...and/or larger size game like elk, caribou.

I've been lucky to be able to add different calibers over the years but if I could only have one rifle, it would be one of the following:

1) a .45cal x 1:48" standard barrel rifle to shoot both 128grn round balls and 255grn maxi-hunter conicals;
2) or, a .54cal x 1:66" round ball barrel rifle shooting 230grn round balls;

 

.50 works for EVERYTHING includeing elk.. #1 SHOT PLACEMENT... a .62 smoothbore will do for gen. all round huntin..we have a "few" griz round here, it aint much but I carry a .45 Colt in the woods--ALL the time- 2.5 in. taurus 1 snakeshot, 4 300 gr. SWC's when huntin up near the park I usually have a .375 H&H mag nearby,ain't gonna argue w/ a bear over who owns the downed elk.. :m2c:

 

[Stumpkiller]

I'm having a flintlock made to be my all purpose rifle. It is a .54 caliber. Bunnies to Bambies, squirrel to s-s-something like an Elk or a Caribou if it's in the cards. Ooo, or a Sika Deer if I get to the right part of Maryland.

 

Fifty-eight.
'Cause I gots one. ::

 

Any accurate rifle with a potent enough load that you can consistently shoot well enough to hit the vitals will be the best all around big game rifle. Note, you are part of the equation. That said, many people opt for the .54 as the best for big game. I am building one now, my first, so I can't talk from personal experience yet. Certainly a .54 should be able to develop a "potent enough load". But, I feel that given the proper circumstances, my .45 or my .50 are also adequate. Part of that "consistently shoot well enough to hit the vitals" and "potent enough" means limiting the range game is shot at to match the caliber/load used. I used to have a .58. No doubt it was powerful enough. But you had to pour a bunch of powder down it to get it to shoot "right". The .54 is supposed to be a better balanced caliber--considering powder charge, ball weight, accuracy and power.....

 

[RussB]

Yes, just what Mike Roberts said.
I "still" own a .58, along with several others, but my preference is heavily weighted in favor of the .54. I like it, it likes me, makes for good shooting....and a very high level of confidence. :m2c:
Russ

 

[Tom]

Your mention of Sika Deer hunting in Maryland really rang my aging chimes. In the fall of 1952 I shot my first ML Sika Stag on James Island out in the Chesapeake Bay off Dorchester County. I took him with a .43 cal. percussion maple half stock shooting a round ball. I bought it from Red Farris and had the barrel freshed by Bill Large. James Island was the source of Sika hunting - that is where Clement Henry stocked them in the early teens. You probably know the story. Ten years later a group of us bought the island, built a cabin and enjoyed ten years of remarkable deer hunting before re-selling the island. The Sika Deer have spread to several other Eastern Shore counties, but the best hunting is still in Dorchester County where I will be for the early Maryland October ML season. Hope you get there soon!!

I'm having a flintlock made to be my all purpose rifle. It is a .54 caliber. Bunnies to Bambies, squirrel to s-s-something like an Elk or a Caribou if it's in the cards. Ooo, or a Sika Deer if I get to the right part of Maryland.

 

[musketman]

A .58 will drop anything that comes your way, big game hunter Val Forfett used a .58 back in 1973 to take an elephant, cape buffalo and a hippo...

He used a 610 grain "custom" minie-ball over 180 grains of FFFg...

The slug traveled lengthwise through a mature cape buffalo, possibly the toughest animal on the planet...

 

[tjnjt07]

Val Forgett was a tough SOB. Ever shoot a heavy conical with a heavy powder charge and a steel butt plate? Ouch!! :cry:

My favorite is still the .54 round ball. Good for anything in the lower 48 if the hunter does his part. I gave up on the .58 roundball as it took too much powder to make it perform.

 

[RussB]

A .58 will drop anything that comes your way, big game hunter Val Forfett used a .58 back in 1973 to take an elephant, cape buffalo and a hippo...

He used a 610 grain "custom" minie-ball over 180 grains of FFFg...

The slug traveled lengthwise through a mature cape buffalo, possibly the toughest animal on the planet...

MM, The .58 is indeed a great caliber. I think anyone who disagrees is simply in denial. However, like any other caliber there is a "shootability" factor.
When we bring the recoil level of the .54 up to that of the .58...or, the level of the .58 down to that of the .54, it is IMHO the .54 that has a bit of an edge.
Bigger and faster will always be the winner no matter how we slice it, but how much of a good thing can we stand?

I shoot a Lyman 575213PH in my .58. This puppy weighs 565gr and has a thick skirt on the HB. The thick skirt requires a lot of powder to get "bump-up", and good engraving required for top accuracy (130gr FFG, or 110gr FFFg). This is NOT a load to shoot from the bench for fine tuning hunting load accuracy....it is absolute dynamite for those who can control it off sticks, or standing free-hand.

On the other hand, the .54 with a .485gr Lee OS Conical, with about the same powder charges, can be "fined tuned" from the bench, albeit it is not a fun thing to do either.

So, the best caliber would, IMO, be that caliber which you can shoot best with it's heaviest loads, and that could well be a .50, or a .45 cal.
BIG, heavy calibers that don't hit their mark are useless.
BIG, heavy calibers that do hit their mark are priceless.
Every single person must look at what "he" can do with "what".
Age also has a way of making those afflicted look for itty-biity calibers that can perform miracles...and that's where I'm at if the truth be known. Those big bruisers have knocked the snot out of me for about as long as I'm willing to put up with.
Just my thoughts on this never ending, but very worthwhile discussion.

Respectfully, Russ

 

[Rat]

I spent a long agonizing time deciding what caliber my Jeager would be in. As I too love the .58, my choice came down between the .58 and .62".

It wasn't easy, as I have more than a few .58" moulds. (although the Jeager would strictly be a round ball rifle)

Many tried to convince me the .54 was "best". (and I do believe that the .54 is a very nice caliber) Some insisted that it was superior to all other calibers.

I finally chose .62, not because it would kill any better than a .54, or the .58, but because being a RB rifle I just thought I'd err on the big side, if I was "erring" at all, and would not have the option of shooting slugs. If I really needed to shoot a slug...well then it's time to grab the 1861. But really I wanted a rifle that was capable of taking large bear cleanly, with a heavy charge, with round ball...for my Alaska dream hunt some day...which will probably never happen.

If I was absolutely strictly never going to shoot anything bigger or tougher than an Elk...I probably would have gone .58, and maybe considered .54...

I also like to keep a rifle as light as reasonably possible, and the bigger hole down the tube also meant the rifle would be a hair lighter. That sounds silly, but being a back-packer I know how every little ounce counts.

Having said that, I think for 100 yard hunting the .50 is a fine weapon. The .45...I know it's a proven killer, and even the .40" kills deer...but that ball sure "looks" tiny, and just seems under-gun for Elk, although I'm sure more than a few elk have been taken with it.

Rat

 

[gordy]

This is a discussion,I'm certain that if You were to dig back in the archives You'd find nearly all the same replys.One point mentioned many times on this and other forums is You can only load a .45 up to a certain point and then bore capacity dictates where that is.This point is where the FPS and ME fails to increase,and at a certain point starts to drop off.This is also the point where preasures reach dangerous levels.On the other side of the coin,a .54 or .58 can be loaded down to near the level of standard loads in the .45.If I were to have the choice of only one caliber,I think I'd go for the .54.Right now I don't have this problem,I have 1-.54 2-.50s 1-.45 and a 12ga.shotgun.As was mentioned by others,a large caliber with a heavy load is no more effective than a .40 or .45 if the recoil makes for poor shot placement.Another point is stock fit,even a .45 can have uncomfortable recoil if the stock is not well fitted to You.Best to try out as many different calibers and models as possible, then make the choice. :thumbsup: :: :m2c:

 

[musketman]

I spent a long agonizing time deciding what caliber my Jeager would be in. As I too love the .58, my choice came down between the .58 and .62".

So take the middle of the road and have it made in .60 caliber...

They make a .595 round ball...

 

[Rat]

DO'H!!!

Well actually, I hear that the Colerain .62" barrel likes a .600" ball...so it's probably what I wound up with!!

Rat.

 

[Plains99]

Powerbelt makes a dangerous game bullet in 530-grains for .50 caliber rifles. White's 600 grain PowerPunch is good in .50 but difficult to load in anything other than a White. I like .58's. Buffalo makes the 525 grain, T/C has the 555 grain Maxi Ball, Warren muzzleloading was selling a 600 grain .58. I've shot elk and big hogs with these .58's and had very good luck at close range. A .58 round ball gun will do very well on deer and can be loaded with a big conical for bigger game. The 425 grain .54's are very good performers as well. Precision Rifle makes a 500 grain for .54. Although it is overlooked by gun writers (and companies it seems like) the .54 is a very underestimated muzzleloader. I think it is a great Rocky Mountain choice. Right now I've got a Traditions Evolution and a Cabela's Sporterized Hawken carbine that I'll be testing this fall and they are both doing well with sabots and still quite accurate with Great Plains and Buffalo conicals. A guy could go elk or bear hunting with either one, I'm thinking, with plenty of confidence.

 

My .62 Jaeger with the Colerain grouped tighter with .610 than it did with the .600 rb. Wal-Mart pillow ticking, moose milk and 90 gr of FFg Goex. The flat buttplate makes for a comfortable day at the range. Having said all that I'm trading it to TOTW and it should be on their website soon.