Caliber choice for first rifle

[earlwb]

I would suggest the .50 caliber as it is easy to find bullets for it at the gun stores. .50 cal has sort of become the standard caliber for muzzleloaders nowadays. The gun stores that stock muzzleloading stuff invariably have a lot of different kinds of bullets for them, if nothing else.

But there is nothing wrong with a .40 or .45 though. Those plastic sleeved sabot bullets they sell for the .50 cal rifles are actually .45 bullets.

Like some others stated, get all three calibers.

 

[French Colonial]

Personally I would not worry a bit about the caliber (at least in those sizes) I would be looking for THE GUN that spoke to me.

Pick it up, how does it handle, how does it feel when you shoulder it, does it make you smile. When you find the one that does that buy it and then you have the correct caliber.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

My first first was a 58 cal, my second a 54 cal, and my last one is a 45.
The reason I went with 45 instead of 40 were the states hunting regs.

 

[Sparkitoff]

I don't think this is helpful. How is someone else going to decide what is best for you? A common factor that does deserve serious consideration is the availability of components locally. If you can't go to a store and buy what you need, you will have to rely on the internet or making your own. If you're okay with either that factor becomes minimal. A typical whitetail deer is not hard to kill. If you do not want to shoot from a blind or tree-stand, you may experience shots further out. That'd be a reason to go for something that is accurate and overly capable at whatever range that might be. Do you have any friends that use traditional muzzleloaders? If everyone has similar or the same components that is a plus and should influence your decision. Most people that really enjoy muzzleloader hunting end up with either more than one rifle or switching around to different rifles over time. Don't fool yourself into thinking you will get one and that'll be the end of it. There is a natural craving for better accuracy and performance if there is room for it. Maybe your first rifle is a tack-driver at the range you want and never lets a deer take a step after being hit. That is optimistic but about the only scenario where you will lose interest in trying a different style/type/caliber. In an honest assessment, most people are drawn to one thing or another slightly more than other choices. Go with that one for now and see how it goes.

 

[Critter Getter]

I own several of each of those calibers. My personal favorite is the .45. If you are only going to own one rifle go .50. The good thing is that there is no bad choice there. Greg

 

[EastoftheBay]

What is your main use going to be and what are your local regs like? A .45 is a good all around gun especially for a focus on smallish whitetails. It is a little much for squirrels but not bad on other small game. I'm a fan of big bores and a .54 is going to be the best balance of power and trajectory and would open up using your gun for larger game. .50 is easy to find everything for and Conicals would open up the opportunities for elk and moose. .38 or larger is the law for whitetail here in Ohio so a .40 would be legal but our deer can run pretty large so I would be iffy on some of them. Really your particular focus is what matters. If it's going to be all whitetail and the possible occasional coyote or pig then the .54 is an excellent choice (.50 isn't bad) are you a recoil sensitive person? Really the .54 is not a monstrosity at all. If you don't want to go that big the solely for northern whitetails I wouldn't go smaller than a .50 cause you never know when that behemoth may walk out and give you a hard quartering shot. I mean a .490 ball weighs less than 180 grains and when you talk velocity and ballistically inferior projectiles weight is what gets it done.

I would only be using the rifle for White Tails and Coyotes. Like I said in the post our Deer on the farm are typically 125lbs for Doe and 140lbs for Buck. Smallest caliber here is .40 in Maryland for deer.

 

[SciAggie]

I love large calibers for hunting - but - given your conditions I would suggest a 45. They are forgiving and accurate. They are easy on the shoulder. You can load up for hunting large game and use reduced loads for plinking and small game. Components are easy to find. It is a fun and versitile caliber in my opinion. I own several muzzleloaders and the only guns in the same caliber are 45's. I have a caplock and a flintlock both.

 

[Josephg]

First rifle, 45. Round ball rifle. Light recoil. Very accurate. Easy to load and clean. You will like it.
My very first MLr was a .50 and my buddy had the same exact rifle in .45. His rifle was far more accurate and more fun to shoot.

 

[Snake Pleskin]

I say the .50 is the "do all, be all" for most people. Big enough to handle most jobs yet small enough to not waste powder & ball. Easy on the shoulder. Easy to find accoutrement for etc. I own .50, .54., and .62. The .50 gets the most use.

 

[VA Hawken]

Loads of advice here, but I think in some ways it comes down to your intended use. If you're doing targets only, a .45 will be a touch cheaper to shoot and perhaps more enjoyable due to less felt recoil. If you're looking to hunt, my personal preference would be a .50 cal. (Which coincidently was also my first muzzleloader). .54 for larger deer or elk, and a .58 for larger game. I'd certainly also stress that good fit is as important as caliber.

If you can find a local club, or other local enthusiasts, I'd think they would likely be willing to help you out with some trial shots with their rifles to help guide your selection.

 

[appalichian hunter]

.54 would be my go to, it will not be your last smoker.

 

[hanshi]

I'm a huge fan of the .45 and have 4 of them. With my .45s I've killed deer up to 75 Yards - about as far as you can see in the Georgia woods - and that includes deer from 80 lbs to 200 + lbs. I've never needed but one shot and never lost one. The .45 is underrated as everyone seems to want to "magnumize" their artillery. Yes, I've killed deer with .50, .54 and a .62 but it was mostly the .45 in my deer hunting career. My .45s have also taken squirrels and bobcats.

 

[SmoothboreMurph]

I would have to say go with the .40 or .45 caliber rifle. It will be your first muzzleloader and flintlock rifle so you'll need to get used to the delayed ignition, sparks and fire of a flintlock muzzleloader. That being said you'll also need to get that rifle shooting the way you want it and .40/.45 caliber is cheaper per shot fired and is lighter recoil. Also if you want a long rifle .40/.45 tends to be the lighter rifle so that you can get used to a rather long firearm. If I were you I would go with the .40 or .45 it depends on you. Personally I would get a .45 as it is half way between both. Eventually you'll want a .54 or a .58. My first rifle was a .45 and now I have a .45, .50 and .54.

 

[BoomStick]

.45 is a fine choice as an all-around caliber, but .50 is super common, easy to find supplies and does most things well.

 

[brazosland]

My .40s are hands down the most fun to shoot but would be a little light on your whitetails.

.45 is good enough, and works fine for bunnies also.

Now on the big end…the .54 is nice but a rifled .58 or .62 is a beautiful thing to hunt with, even for deer. You will see…

 

[josie wales]

All in on a .54 because there is NO replacement for displacement.

 

[French Colonial]

I would have to say go with the .40 or .45 caliber rifle. It will be your first muzzleloader and flintlock rifle so you'll need to get used to the delayed ignition, sparks and fire of a flintlock muzzleloader. That being said you'll also need to get that rifle shooting the way you want it and .40/.45 caliber is cheaper per shot fired and is lighter recoil. Also if you want a long rifle .40/.45 tends to be the lighter rifle so that you can get used to a rather long firearm. If I were you I would go with the .40 or .45 it depends on you. Personally I would get a .45 as it is half way between both. Eventually you'll want a .54 or a .58. My first rifle was a .45 and now I have a .45, .50 and .54.

And what, pray tell, delayed ignition would that be???

If there is a delayed ignition in a flintlock something is not right and needs corrected.

 

[SmoothboreMurph]

And what, pray tell, delayed ignition would that be???

If there is a delayed ignition in a flintlock something is not right and needs corrected.

He has never used a muzzleloader only a modern shotgun hence a delayed ignition upon trigger pull compared to a 12ga. Flintlocks have a delay in ignition when compared to a Percussion or a modern boxer primer ignition system. Its simply worded and put. My .75 caliber Bess has a more delayed ignition than my .54 caliber Mortimer and my H&A Underhammer had a faster ignition than both. Simply put its something he has to get used to. I did and others here on the forum I have invited to shoot my rifles at my range have also had to get used to it as well. Granted if the Flintlock system takes forever to go off then there are issues but a Flintlock is still a delay in ignition from modern standards which EastoftheBay is used to. Eyes and Brains

 

[Hatman/2nd line]

My only deer that was shot with a ML was a .50, hit in the neck and never moved. My caliber now is a .54 smooth rifle for anything I want, larger cal. are usually a little lighter to carry around too.

 

[EastoftheBay]

Thanks for all the replies to this thread, looks like the common consensus here is .45 caliber. I definitely like the idea of the cost per shot and lighter recoil. I will be doing a lot of target shooting to get everything just right so that when the time comes to aim at a living animal I want to make sure its done right. I will be casting my own lead in the future but I checked in with my local hunting and fishing shop and they have Hornady round balls on the shelf from .32-.58 so I should be covered until I learn to cast my own ammunition. If I need a larger rifle one day then I will purchase one and go down that rabbit hole of owning lots of rifles. Until then though I will just be hunting deer on the farm and I dont need a cannon or a large bore. Thanks to all the replies now I just have to find a rifle in .45 cal.