Hesitant on a .58

[stikshooter]

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.

Given the scarce BP and/or cost a 40 sounds about right , and the recoil /FPS goes away and not for nothing getting older lighter sounds good too ! It's getting harder hiking with something requiring wheels

 

[Dave Fox]

Well, there's this....

 

[Jim Wag]

Spark
Don't
Hesitate on the
Fifty Eight

Jim in La Luz

 

[pchwcf50110]

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.

Swiss powder gives a big velocity boost. No problem getting over 1650 fps with 100gr. of Swiss 2F in my .58 with prb. Triple 7 will also do it.

 

[Mogadishu Meanderer]

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.

I am going to reply without ready anyones post. If you have to think long and hard about it, don’t do it! Sometimes guns are like falling in love with a women, you just know what needs to be done! If it ain’t there, it ain’t there!

 

[Newtire]

Well, there's this....

You could say it was a present for her and then take it out once in awhile to check it for sighting in verification.

 

[Ron Wilkerson]

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

I like the way you think Hanshi!

 

[Tom A Hawk]

Well, there's this....

Not in my house.

 

[Old Hawkeye]

I have a H&R Springfield Stalker, which is a repro of a sporterized Springfield 1863 in 58 cal. It weighs less than 7 lbs. I load it with 55grains of FFg under a .562" ball with a .015" patch lubed with mink oil. It's a joy to shoot & carry, mild recoil, & very accurate. I can't imagine any game animal except a big Brown or Grizzly bear not succumbing to a hit to the vitals with this rifle/load combination. This was my first 58 cal & it has become my favorite. Makes my 50 cal seem inadequate. If you don't have a 58, that would be a perfect excuse to get one. What can it hurt?

 

[Dave Fox]

Me? I'm always acquiring my latest last antique firearm.

 

[doulos]

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.

Dont know where you got those velocity numbers. But i have chronoed my Stith .58 Hawken at 1680-1710 with 100grains Swiss 2F and 1592-16118 with 110 2F Goex . Plenty flat shooting for 100yards.

 

[doulos]

I meant to type 1592-1618 fps with 110 Goex . There seems to be some really slow velocities published out there for .58 cal. Most of the publications are old. Most everyone I know who actually chronoed with todays available powders has gotten similar results to mine. The .58 is not the slowpoke many portray it to be.

 

[Sixgun_Symphony]

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.

People buy larger calibers because they are hunting large game like elk, moose, and bison.

 

[brazosland]

OP, I have two rifled .62’s, two smooth .62s and two rifled .58s (well one is my sons Leman) plus several .50s, 54s and .40s.

Hunt with all of them. The .58 and .62 kill way out of proportion to their ball size compared to the smaller calibers.

.40 to .54 I try to put as much velocity on the ball as I can with charge weights up to 90 grns (I am not recoil sensitive and have tons of time on heavy recoiling military calibers), but the 58/62 just dont need it. 60-70 grains is more than enough. When you connect with one of those bowling balls stuff goes down and stays down.

If you hunt, you will love the .58

 

[brazosland]

I am going to reply without ready anyones post. If you have to think long and hard about it, don’t do it! Sometimes guns are like falling in love with a women, you just know what needs to be done! If it ain’t there, it ain’t there!

Very true…but you can’t sell your wife when you decide you don’t want her anymore. And certainly never for more than you paid for her.

A good rifle though…

 

[Sparkitoff]

Thanks for the info..... I have ordered the rifle I referred to....