Hesitant on a .58

[Sparkitoff]

I found an English Sporting rifle I really like. It’s .58 cal. I have several .54s and one .58, a Buffalo Hunter carbine with a round balls twist. I like the trajectory and effectiveness of my .54s. My sole .58 is accurate and I can shoot for hunting to 100- yards with it using a 100 grain load. I don’t want a .58 that has no advantage over the .54. I want to shoot PRB. What I see on paper is a pretty heavy charge to get maybe 1200 FPS in the .58 with round ball. Any experience or advice? It’s a fairly expensive rifle so I need to be serious if I go ahead with the purchase.

 

[bang]

I know 54 has some characteristics that make them better than a 50 and 58. Saying it's fairly expensive would be enough for me to just stick with what I have.

 

[brewer12345]

Uh, any reason you need 1200FPS? My 58 likes 75 grains of OE 1.5F. With that load it is soft shooting and very accurate. It about wrecked the small doe I hit at 70 yards this fall.

 

[Britsmoothy]

If you are hesitating cousin don't bother. If the passion isn't there.....
If however you need 1200fps to shoot something real big and desire something special to shoot it from then go for it....
We can't really tell you what to do.
Sooner or later we end up with a cabinet full of favourites and not so favourites.

 

[Grimord]

I get 1600 FPS with my .58 using 90 grains of 2f, and a PRB out of a 32" barrel with 1:66 gain twist.

 

[Sparkitoff]

Maybe I can get even more velocity. My intentions are largely related to game at 80-100 yards. I’d like the terminal performance to equal or exceed my .54s

 

[Tom A Hawk]

I have several 50's and .54's and now have parts on order for a .58 which has been missing in the arsenal. I have no qualms regarding the power of a .58 PRB and it is the flat trajectory that I enjoy with the others that I will be looking for.

 

[Elkhorse]

Buy it because you want it.
The rest is irrelevant.

 

[jackpine54]

You'll end up buying one sooner or later anyways, they'll never be any cheaper than they are right now, the list goes on. I think a 58 is in your future.

 

[brewer12345]

Maybe I can get even more velocity. My intentions are largely related to game at 80-100 yards. I’d like the terminal performance to equal or exceed my .54s

Unless we are talking about something huge (moose, grizz), I don't think you need to worry about lots of velocity unless you really need to flatten your trajectory. 58 balls (let alone REALs, maxis or minies) are big hunks of lead and penetrate like crazy. With any reasonable powder charge, as long as you can put the ball where you want it, an animal within 100 yards is dead.

 

[Nameless Hunter]

Is there a compelling reason NOT to get it?

 

[William Sublette]

Buy it because you want it.
The rest is irrelevant.

Basically.

 

[excess650]

I fully expect my .62 PRBs are 1600fps MV from 28-1/2" of barrel, so shouldn't be a problem to make a .58 go that fast or faster.

 

[Stony Broke]

The 58s do make a great hunting rifle, but there are also other reasons to own one. I shot a .40 for years in matches and at rendezvous, until I figured out that the larger ball gave me some advantages. Things like splitting a ball on an axe head and games like that are easier with a larger ball.

 

[hanshi]

Is there a compelling reason NOT to get it?

My thought is...well, NEVER is there a reason not to.

 

[oldwood]

Built a scratch long rifle for a guy in .58 using a .562 r/b. Colerain , 42 " C-wt. ,tang peep sight , and Compression miked .014 patch lightly grease lubed , 85 GR. FFG , . Could tell the gun was a serious rifle, while nice to shoot. 2" group , 2" high ,at 50 yds. and sighted in for 75 yds. , a touch low. Guy wanted to hunt deer in Pa. Shooting was between 25 yds to maybe occasional 75 Yds. +...............oldwood

 

[Topsail]

Many years ago (30) I used 140 gr 2f with my 58 cal, 36” barrel, 1/72 twist. First elk I killed flipped over at the shot. Was only 25 yards though. That load killed at both ends. Now using 90 gr.

 

[sheriff john]

If you're shooting in a match where the target is scored not by the center of the bullet hole but by what line the bullet cuts, the larger the bullet, the better chance you have to win. Novelty targets - cutting a stake, splitting ball on axe, some others - larger bore size is an advantage if accuracy is the same. My .58 sure puts the "whomp" on steel targets.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

Started with a 58, went to a 54, now a 45.
2033fps out of the 42 inch barrel is good enough for me.

 

[Gianki]

I use only enfields in 58 with both two and three bands, 640-grain ball with 80 grains of F2. If I'm not wrong the shot the beast always goes down, take it that you are not wrong for deer is fine in my opinion with rounds