Howdy all,
I'll be after rutting Arizona bulls this fall with my GPR .50. I have some deer & a javelina with a PRB, but I am going with the 1-32 twist GPH barrel and a conical for this hunt. The barrel is unfired and I have never shot conicals before. Initial bit of research has me looking at the 460gr No Excuses. I'd love to hear experienced recommendations for projectile, load and reasonable max range for acceptable terminal performance vs recoil. I have not done any of my own casting before and starting in on that is probably a bridge too far for me with an out of state move and a lot of other competing priorities this summer. Also, I have the Lyman tang peep sight and have done some target shooting, but never hunted with that sight. Would anyone call it too restrictive for a close encounter say, inside 50 yards?
Thanks
I have considerable knowledge with elk hunting, Shooting conicals, and hunting with peep sights. If you look up threads I have made it will give you a start.
This is one of my Renegade's I hunt with. It has a Lyman 57 SML peep and a Lyman 17AML globe with Lee Shavers inserts. I have taken a lot of game at 50 yards. The peep sight has never impaired me. The great thing about the peep sight and globe is your eye naturally centers the rings. at low light and close range they are very easy to shoot in my opinion. If sighted in with a range finder you can set the sight for the shot.
In this picture you can see on the scale on the side that I have white lines. These are in 50 yard increments. This is an old picture, My scale now goes to 300 yards.
In this picture you can see the push button. By pushing it you can adjust the sight to the yardage you wish to shoot at, or in this picture you can take it off and put it in your pocket to protect it if you are on an ATV, Horse, Or climbing in an area that might make you think twice about safety.
The Lee Shavers inserts
Of all the factory bullets the No Excuse is probably the best I have tested.
This picture is of two Hornady 410 gr flat nose bullets. They were discontinued in about 2007 or 2008. The bullet that they stuck with is a hollow point. As you can see the flat point is turned inside out. It over expanded to the point of reducing penetration. The hollow point is garbage in my opinion, but they are accurate.
This is what I use. It is the Lee 500 S&W bullet. It weighs 458 grains and is slightly hardened to between 6 and 7 BHN hardness.
I shot this bull with that bullet.
The bull was very close to private property. I had to put him down where he stood or risk him going on to private land, and possibly losing him. I held for a high shoulder shot. If you read about my shooting, that is a shot I take often. But I don't recommend unless you are shooting bullets that are hardened like mine, and you know the animals anatomy extremely well. The bullet was 458 grains to start and 454 grains when I found it under the skin on the off side.
The 460 gr No excuse is still going to be a soft lead. I wouldn't go specifically for a shoulder shot. But they are good bullets and I would trust them. I would try 80 grains of Pyrodex P or 64.5 actual grains with a 54 cal over powder wad. Yes a 54 cal. The 54 cal makes a better seal. The 64.5 actual grains is important. Not everyone measures volume the same. That weight of powder is going to give you about 1310 fps. Some might think this is not enough. I can tell you for a fact, this is enough to take any animal in the lower 48.
The recoil is more than a PRB but it is not bad in my mind. I like Pyrodex P because the granules are smaller and they filter under the nipple easier when you tap on the stock.
Someone tried to make it sound like the bullets were falling out of the sky almost vertically, and they don't hit straight on. All projectiles are falling. No projectile defies gravity, even 17 cal bullets going 4000 feet per second is falling. Conicals DO hit straight on, and I can prove that with splatters on steel targets. In this picture you can see the splatters are in a circle not just splattering down. This target was shot at 500 yards with my muzzleloader. That is actually a 3 shot group at 500 yards with my muzzleloader.
