Hunting with .62 Cal?

[cannonball1]

I built a 62 caliber flintlock full stock hawken with a 32" barrel. I shoot a .60 round ball pushed by 140 grains of BP. I shot a bull elk and several deer with it. I drew a once-in-a-lifetime free roaming buffalo permit and tried to shoot a bull with it, but didn't get the job done. Didn't hit it and had to shoot the buff with a 270. I was hunting in the snow, mud and up steep hills. I was lucky to get one at all, believe me they are fast and mean. My priming horn now decorates a pinion tree on the side of the mountain or I may have got a second shot.

 

[larry wv]

It sucks on the hunt Cannonball. But I bet you got some good memories. :thumbsup:

 

[cannonball1]

Ya,
Like the episode with my friend who had the camera. New fallen snow, first thing at daylight and we ran into a big bull. We followed the tracks in the heavy junipers and pinions. After a long time on the tracks I ask my friend if he would stay on the them and I would skirt the animal. Next thing I know was my partner yelling, only to find out that he had come around a tree face to face with the buff. He charged him and he ran. I asked if he got a picture of the animal. I will tone down his answer, but it was sorta like this, "Are you kidding, I thought I was dead".

 

[Ron LaClair]

Note the exit hole from my .62 smoothbore loaded with 80gr's 2FF and .600 prb

The same deer hanging along with a 2nd deer that the .62 ball killed after it passed through the first deer.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I don't know I thought about a .58 but figured that was to close to the .54.

Your instinct lines up pretty well with my experience. I don't notice a heck of a lot of difference when making single-caliber jumps. But when you skip a caliber going up the scale, the difference seems huge. Only "down" side if there is one, I basically quit shooting my 54's when I got into 58's. I shoot the 50 a lot and the 58 a lot, but the 54's have been kinda orphaned. When I want more than the 50, I grab a 58. When I want less than a 58, I grab the 50. By the same token, I often just stick with the 58 rather than grabbing a 62. For my hunting the flatter trajectory of the 58 over the 62 is the bigger reason. If I didn't have the 58, of course I'd go right to the 62 for more power rather than pulling out a 54.

Long term solution? Getemall! :rotf:

Ye proved this is a do yer own thang game.
The deer I have taken with an ml rifle was all done with a .45 cal. soft round ball. But...they probably weren't as ded as being hit with a .62. :shocked2: :rotf:

 

[Spikebuck]

they probably weren't as ded as being hit with a .62.

But as Brownbear has mentioned a few times..YOU might be if you're carrying that .45 in the country he hunts and run into one of those animals like in his avatar! :shocked2: :grin: Sometimes you might want to carry the "big gun" because of what is hunting you. :rotf:

 

[smo]

Note the exit hole from my .62 smoothbore loaded with 80gr's 2FF and .600 prb

The same deer hanging along with a 2nd deer that the .62 ball killed after it passed through the first deer.

They don’t go far when you let the air out of them like that!

Great pics Ron :thumbsup: