Elk hunting
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Jim your .62 with 80 gr 3f or 90-100 gr 2f will do very well on an Elk at 50-75 yds or wherever your shot placement ability with the particular gun will dictate, I have found a .50 with 80gr 3f to do well at 50 yds +or- and feel it would be good for a bit farther but most ptrefer a larger bore like the .54 or .58 with the .62 you are in good shape Elk wise.
Will lose the primative season for folks who just want to use these:
Please dont take my brand new blue ridge flintlock away from me:boohoo: :boohoo: :boohoo:
Tell this to your State Representatives, that's what they're for...
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For elk with a fast twist .50, I'd use on the the buffalo bullets (or otehrs)in 400gr.+ weight. This will be 'plenty' of bullet for them.
; Do not use pistol bullets in plastic cups - sabots shoot too small a dia. bullet, reducing the effectiveness of the rifle. You have a .50 - so take advantage of it's increased game getting effectivness over smaller cals. by using a 'full sized' bullet.
; With a pure lead bullet, (required due to being a ML), one that is solid, flat nosed (no HP)will give much better penetration than one with a hole in it's nose.
: Shooting sabots reduces your gun to a .45 or .43 cal rifle, depending on the sabot.
: The 50-70 was a great buffalo killer, so try to duplicate it's ballistics - that means a 450gr. bullet at 1,200 to 1,300fps. More is better. Due to it's larger bullet, it is a more effective killer of large game than a 45-70 within our normal hunting ranges today.
; Do not use pistol bullets in plastic cups - sabots shoot too small a dia. bullet, reducing the effectiveness of the rifle. You have a .50 - so take advantage of it's increased game getting effectivness over smaller cals. by using a 'full sized' bullet.
; With a pure lead bullet, (required due to being a ML), one that is solid, flat nosed (no HP)will give much better penetration than one with a hole in it's nose.
: Shooting sabots reduces your gun to a .45 or .43 cal rifle, depending on the sabot.
: The 50-70 was a great buffalo killer, so try to duplicate it's ballistics - that means a 450gr. bullet at 1,200 to 1,300fps. More is better. Due to it's larger bullet, it is a more effective killer of large game than a 45-70 within our normal hunting ranges today.
I try to emulate the "Big Fifty" Sharps 50-90 in my non-primative conical firing M/L (a T/C New Englander). Original factory loadings of the 50-90 were with a 335 or a 473 grain bullet (& 90 gr of FFg powder), so the 350 gr Maxi-Hunter is ballpark for the ligher loading. We're fresh out of buffalo hereabouts so the 473 is hardly missed. The T/C Maxi-Hunter (Sorry Maxiball - I like the Maxi-Hunters much better) behaves more like a soft-lead bullet and works very well on whitetails. I would love to try it on an Elk; but would take my .54 with PRB if that opportunity ever arose.
Does anyone else suspect that the Maxi-balls are cast with a hardened lead - like linotype or such?
Does anyone else suspect that the Maxi-balls are cast with a hardened lead - like linotype or such?
hardened lead? Well, I shot my elk last year at about 70 yards with a 430 grain maxi-ball, 90 grains pyrodex. The lead went through, sheared off bone and lodged in the hide opposite. The lead deformed some but was still very recognizable as a maxi-ball. Make of that what you will, but it seems like hard lead to me.
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Personally I prefer more powder. In the .54's the local guys al use 120gr. 2F and in .58's up to 140gr. 2F My .69 got 165gr. 2F and Bro uses 100 to 120gr. 2F in his Bess.
; The reason for 165gr. in the .69 is for maximum point blank range & visible effect on contact. Moose hit with that load stagger when hit, then go down. The barrel sight is good for 25 to 100yds. and the 3 dram 100yd. sight is dead on at 150yds., being the 1st leaf.
; All powder is 2F GOEX BP - all rifles are custom rifles with 1" to 1 1/4" barrels.
: According to Lyman's crusher, the .58 developes well under 10,000LUP. The.54 is around 14,000LUP and larger bores are much less, including the .69's 165gr.2F load.
; The reason for 165gr. in the .69 is for maximum point blank range & visible effect on contact. Moose hit with that load stagger when hit, then go down. The barrel sight is good for 25 to 100yds. and the 3 dram 100yd. sight is dead on at 150yds., being the 1st leaf.
; All powder is 2F GOEX BP - all rifles are custom rifles with 1" to 1 1/4" barrels.
: According to Lyman's crusher, the .58 developes well under 10,000LUP. The.54 is around 14,000LUP and larger bores are much less, including the .69's 165gr.2F load.
