hornady great plains conical .54

[Mr Hawken]

has anyone tried these on elk or moose? i have a elk hunt this fall and i have 425 gr hp conicals left over and they group pretty good in my gun. t/c renegade .54 100gr fff

 

[Sharp Shooter]

I think that would be an excellent load for elk! Those GP bullets are great and I love them. I shoot them in both 54cal and in 58cal but unfortunately they quit making them in 58cal.

Anyways, if that load is accurate then I would use it and you should have no trouble bringing down and elk.

 

[gmww]

It took two .54 conicals but it did the job on a 2 year old buffalo. :thumbsup:

 

[BrownBear]

If you get tired of paying big buxx for the factory version, the Lyman Plains Bullet is very similar, but without a hollowpoint. I actually prefer it to the Hornady, and you can buy the mold for no more than you would spend on store-bought bullets in a long afternoon of shooting.

 

[Idaho Ron]

I had VERY poor luck with the Lyman Great plains bullet. First they are sold as a .508 in the 50 cal. Mine measured .503 or .504 but it was way off. Anyway I shot a lot of them and I could never got it to group. How bad could they be? this is how bad. Ron

Here is a 385 Hornady 50 yards.

Here is a 410 gr Hornady 50 yards.

Here us a 410 gr Hornady at 100 yards.

I bought 25 boxes of the Hornady 410 gr. Even though I have paper patched bullets that shoot just about as good. If I had the chance to buy more 410's I would. Ron

 

[BrownBear]

That's interesting (and disappointing) about the 50 cal Ron. The 54 cal is right on the money with pure lead.

 

[PreglerD]

We have a bullet smith here in Germany who makes .54er maxis with HP real cheap, 100 per € 14.

Regards

Kirrmeister

 

[Idaho Ron]

That's interesting (and disappointing) about the 50 cal Ron. The 54 cal is right on the money with pure lead.

That did stink. The lead was Rotometal virgin pure lead, It is 5 BHN. Ron

 

[BrownBear]

You've resolved my itch for the 50 cal, Ron! Or at the very least I'd be sending it right back to Lyman if it was out of spec. Thanks for the heads up. :hatsoff:

 

[jtmattison]

That's interesting (and disappointing) about the 50 cal Ron. The 54 cal is right on the money with pure lead.

I cast and shoot the Lyman Plains Bullet also and mine are right on too. My GPH barrel loves them. I lube with Lee Liquid Alox and use a lubed felt wad.

HD

 

[woodsman1st]

I am pretty new to hunting with a muzzle loader; although at 74 I have many years behind me hunting with a bow and a regular rifle. I got drawn for the late(December) muzzle loading cow hunt here in Idaho. I will be useing a CVA 50 cal Hawkins.
My question is can I use other bullets than just the round ball in my Hawkins? From what I have read it would seem that the ballistics are much better with bullets other than the standard round ball. Will my barrel twist allow me to use any of these other bullets, either with or without sabots. With such a large variety of bullets to choose from, which one would be the best? I have only used black powder in the past; what is the thinking on using Pyrodex? What would be a good combination powder charge and bullet to start with.
I have been a reloader, casting my own bullets, for many years; so whatever bullet I find that works well, I would like to cast; I have a pretty good supply of pure lead.
Thanks for any help or suggestions.
Ken

 

[Kentuckywindage]

yeah you can use conicals over round balls. Sabots wont work in your 1:48 twist, plus its not legal during idahos muzzle loading season.

There are a good # of conicals you can try in your hawken. Run over to cabelas website and take a look at whats available.

 

[woodsman1st]

Thanks Kentucky I will do as you advise.