Good load for deer hunting

[BrownBear]

... .490 with a .20 patch. using 60 grains of 3f Goex powder. The rifle seems to shoot very well but am wondering if my choice is good enough for deer at distances out to about 75 yards.

Based on a whole lot of experience, no doubt in my mind that load will do the job. My wife hates recoil and she carries the same 60 grain powder measure from one rifle to the next, whether 45, 50, 54 or 58 caliber. She holds her shots to 50 yards for her own reasons, but she's never needed a second shot on a deer. More significantly, we've never recovered a single ball from a deer. She shoots only broadside lung shots, but every single one regardless of caliber has been a complete pass-through. I have little doubt that if she stretched her range to 75 yards, results wouldn't be any different.

 

[wzroberts]

You are golden. As others have said, 60 grains of fff should give you plenty of energy and light recoil. If it's giving you good accuracy, too, then be thankful!

In .50 caliber, any load that's shooting 1"-2" high at 30 yards and still easily "in the vitals" without holdover at 75 yards is going to do it's job if we do ours. ("in the vitals" = <5" drop)

 

[deermanok]

I'm very grateful for all the positive responses. My first 3 shots with the deerhunter, were loads of 70 grains powder under the patched round ball. They struck the paper at about 5 inches high at 50 yards. I lowered the elevation a bit which brought the POI down some but still hitting high. When I cut the powder charge down 10 grains, my next shot struck dead center bullseye. All the rest of the shots I took that day, I think about 9 or 10 more were right in the ten ring or pretty darn close. The muzzleloader season came and went without getting a deer to step out in front of the rifle. Lord willing, maybe next season. In the mean time, I'll spend more time at the range.