Elk hunting

[Pasquinel]

I'm a lowlander from NC and have never hunted the Mts. of
Colorado, Utah or New Mexico. Working on the fitness aspect
of a elk hunt and was wondering about the rifle. Anyone with elk hunting experience can answer this question. I love my 50cal Flintlock Penna. LR, have a 54Cal GPR which I
enjoy but its' percussion, what I'd like to have is several
opinions on the adequate caliber flintlock to have made for
Elk hunt. I want to shoot RB but also want to kill humanely
if less than perfect hit is made. So is it a 50, 54 or perhaps even a 58Cal. flinter? :what:

 

[roundball]

I'm a lowlander from NC and have never hunted the Mts. of
Colorado, Utah or New Mexico. Working on the fitness aspect
of a elk hunt and was wondering about the rifle. Anyone with elk hunting experience can answer this question. I love my 50cal Flintlock Penna. LR, have a 54Cal GPR which I
enjoy but its' percussion, what I'd like to have is several
opinions on the adequate caliber flintlock to have made for
Elk hunt. I want to shoot RB but also want to kill humanely
if less than perfect hit is made. So is it a 50, 54 or perhaps even a 58Cal. flinter? :what:

FWIW, if I was going to go to the trouble and expense of going out there, after a larger animal like Elk, with the probability of average shooting distances being longer than the typical NC woods distances for whitetails, I'd choose a .58cal flintlock without hesitation.

The heavier ball would hold it's energy further and flatter...even with a mild 100grn charge of Goex FFg, zeroed at 50yds, mine only drops 3" at 100yds.

For Elk, you could max out the charge at 120grns, get a better trajectory easily out to 125yds, and a Hornady or Speer .570/278grn ball will get the job done when it gets there.
:redthumb:

 

[Slamfire]

The real secret is gettin' to altitude at least a week ahead of exertion. Your body needs time to make more red corpuscles, which carry oxygen to the muscles. With thinner air and consequently less oxygen, more corpuscles are necessary. There is no shortcut, short of intravenious injection.
50's kill elk, but 54s are better.

 

[Barney]

I stand by..."you can't have too much gun". I've dropped elk in their tracks with a 338 mag at over 400 yds and had them run 100 yds + at a 90 yd shot. That being said, I just ordered a GPR .54 for my new elk rifle. Just put the hole where it counts. Caliber doesn't really make a big difference if the hole ain't where it should be.

 

i myself like my 54 .
the 58 while more then enough will kick your hind end from packing it by mid morning .
a 50 will also do the job nicely if you put in the time .
depending where in those units and what time of year you will be hunting will have some to do with your decision . if its in the rut you will find that unless your out in open valleys and meadows your shots will range from a few feet to 50 yards
Through the years here in Idaho I would have to say the longest shot I have ever taken on elk was 150 with a 30 30 on a bull back before I started really BP hunting,. She did the job just fine . Since then I bet I have harvested 20 some elk , some bulls some cows most between 50 and 100 and a couple at about 10 . One minute nothing and the next WOW how did they get so close LMAO
I would not go smaller the 50 though or bigger then a 58 and if I was not on horse back and had to pack that 58 all day , with the mountains we have here it would be staying at home as well , good luck

 

All "things" considered, a .54 and .58 in the same rifle (early fullstock Hawken fer instance), the .58 will weight 'bout 1/4 lb. less then the .54 if both rifles have the same size barrel (1"x36").

YMHS
rollingb

 

[Rat]

Been thinking about this post a lot...I guess if you would like another rifle, and for most of us there is always that "one more rifle" we would like...then it would be very cool to pick up a nice .58 for an Elk rifle.

On the other hand, if you are experienced with your .50 calibre long rifle, and would like to take an Elk with it, I think you'll do fine by loading up a little hotter and making a careful shot, and passing on shots that don't feel just right. You CAN take Elk with your fifty, and you don't HAVE to go to a bigger calibre to do that. But again, if you would like a larger calibre "Elk Rifle", then by all means...DO IT!! It would certainly give you a little "insurance".

A .58 does not have to be a heavy rifle...my .62" Jaeger weighs 8.25 pounds and feels like it weighs about 6 pounds. In fact, just as an example, a rifle in .58 or .62 will weigh POUNDS lighter than the same rifle in .50 calibre. So in it's self, a heavy caliber does not always mean a heavy rifle, and the bigger the hole in the barrel, all other things being equal, the lighter the rifle will be. One reason I chose .62 over .58 for my Jaeger was for lighter weight....and I HOPE to go on an Alaskan grizz hunt SOME day with it, before I become a geezer! So in other words, I went with the biggest calibre possible, in the barrel contour I wanted, in order to get minimum weight, and maximum power. If I never do my dream hunt, I figure the .62 will still work "ok" on deer, elk, and black bear around here. !!!!!

:hmm:

Using a shorter barrel on a large calibre rifle will also take off quite a bit of weight. Other tricks to save weight would be swamped and tapered barrels, and octagon to round barrels.

I don't see any problem building/having built or aquiring a middle-weight .58, (something in the eight pound range) unless you insist on some heavy contour to contain mega-charges of powder, or insist on a super long tom length barrel. For sure, a .58 caliber, heavy, straight sided barrel, 42" long rifle would be quite a beast, as would a half stock rifle with some of the "bomb proof" barrels I've seen on .58's. Just keep in mind that for reasonable powder charges in the 100-120 grain range, you don't need a big thick bomb-proof barrel.

Having said all that, I can't argue with Captchee as to the merits of the .54 calibre, and the right barrel and or rifle in .54 could be easier to find than in .58, although I think .58 calibre is getting a little more attention these days. Just saying that if the .58 is what blows your skirt up, or floats yer boat...go for it.

Good luck!

Rat

Rat

 

For sure, a .58 caliber, heavy, straight sided barrel, 42" long rifle would be quite a beast,

Ain't thet the truth!! :haha: :haha:

I jest had to try an Early Hawken fullstock .58 1"x42" GM barrel and although thet thing was a "shooter" it was also barrel heavy!! :: (good "tack-driver" off X-sticks tho!! :

Right after thet .58,.... I built a Early Hawken fullstock .54 1"x36" GM barrel (like the "4" before the .58, only this'n had the "extra fancy" maple), and altho it shot great I found thet I had fell in love with the .58 roundball, so,..... I sold thet .54 Early Hawken to a "friend" in Michigan,.... and built anuther Early Hawken fullstock .58 1"x36" GM barrel. :crackup: :crackup:

.... and, I'm keep'n this last'n even if she ain't got the "best curl" 'cause I'm git'n old and tired ( and she's a .58)!! :haha: :winking: ::

I don't have any way of prove'n it, but I think the .58 only has 'bout 10-15 yards "on" a .54, when it comes ta kill'n big critters!!

YMHS
rollingb