Hunting Yardage?

What is the most yardage you would put ona well placed round ball shot? My rifle is a .54 with 38 inch barrel, I was thinking of trying 90 grns of 3F, testing still to come. What do most of you think is to far for a humane kill? Mainly for Whitetails and Elk, I also want to take Bear and Buffalo.
Aim small, miss small...

 

[YoungGunner]

Custom, I have been considering the EXACT same load with 777 for my 28" hawken and From what I have heard is that within 50 yards, out of a .54 with a PRB 90 grains should kill anything in the lower 48 (excluding those Ole Grizzlies walking around up north) But there is a post http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/232538/ Where the fellow shot his buffalo with 90 grns pyrodex rs at the base of the neck at 40 yards and had a through and through shot. I personally have decided to set my limits as 75 yards for Mulie bucks 100 for does, 60 for cow elk and 50 for bull elk and everything larger or "meaner". Hope this helps but I would be interested in replies as well!

 

[William O.]

Depending on the conditions at the time of my shot, I would not go over 100 yards. If unsupported, my limit would be 50 yards, using either my .54 and RB or my .50 with either RB or conicals, depending on which barrel I had on the stock at the time (fast or slow twist).

 

[longcruise]

For myself and probably most (certainly not all!) ml hunters, the limiting factor is probably going to be shooting ability rather than firearm ability. Some will take exception to this but having witnessed kills on mule deer with mostly .54 caliber round ball guns, I'll say that I have seen a one shot dropped on the spot 180 yard shot with 80 grains of goex ff. OTOH, there have been those 35 yard shots with similar loads that resulted in long tracking sessions and even lost animals. Shot placement was what made the difference and the shooters ability to place that shot under the existing field conditions was what determined the results.

Shots in the field are not the same as shots on the range or on a woods walk. Emotions run high when shooting at game (if yours do not, then why are you hunting ). Your physical condition at the moment is very much a determinant on how you will shoot. Are you; Out of breath? Tired from climbing that tree or last thousand feet of vertical gain? Frozen to the bone from sitting on stand? Dehydrated from sitting in the hot sun? Got the shakes from lack of energy having burned every available carb in your muscles and liver?

I'm happy to say that I recently missed a gimme shot on a coyote at a distance at which I could easily keep five shots in five inches offhand on paper. Dang near 64 and can still get so excited that I missed. :haha: I feel sorry for any hunter who is beyond having that experience.

All experienced ml hunters know that when it comes to shooting at over 100 yards, the ability to accurately judge the range is critical as well. A guy who can hold five shots in eight inches at 140 yards (I don't personally know that guy but there are thousands of them on the net :shocked2: :haha: ) can easily muff a shot on a deer by being off 15 yards in estimating the range.

So, for me at least, my maximum range on game is generally well under what I know my gun can kill at.

Just some food for thought.

 

[Vaino]

Using a .54 PRB ahead of 120 grs 2f, the zero is 100 yds. Have shot deer close to that yardage and a cow elk broadside at a paced of 107 yds. Most though were w/in 50 yds, but if a longer shot is needed there's no guess work out to 100 yds.The animals shot at the longer distances as well as the shorter yardages never went far...that's why I prefer the .54...good compromise asre killing ability and trajectory....Fred

 

[Little Wattsy]

For myself and probably most (certainly not all!) ml hunters, the limiting factor is probably going to be shooting ability rather than firearm ability.
.

Amen.... The gun will kill humanely further then a man can dependable hold. Here in Oregon we are limited by regulation to primitive open sights (Thats a good thing) so For ME the outside limit is right at 100 yards cuz thats how far I can see to shoot adequately given a rest. I know that my .54 will kill dependably well beyond that but I am the limiting factor.

When I shot that buffalo in the neck (useing my .54) that ball went through 30" of hair, solid muscle, and a neck bone the size of my bicept. For ME that was the 1st REAL test of the caliber in taking game.... I was IMPRESSED!

SO.... depending on the terain you hunt I would practice untill you have it in your own mind where you can dependably put a shot into a 6 inch circle (in hunting-like circumstance) as an outside limit for distance.

 

[rabjr]

For myself a lot depends on the conditions at the moment. My eyes aren't what they once were so I mainly concern myself with up to 75 yards. I'm sure in certain situations I would be able to stretch that a bit as long as I saw my target good and my sights. So far the longest shot I have taken on a Whitetail was 75 yards with my .12ga smoothbore on a big Doe and she went straight down. But most have been around 25, 40 yards.

 

Thanks to everyone whom posted to my questions, and their own questions. I can hold my own as far as shooting, but everyone is right as far as conditions, be it weather or personal. I am excited about the Buffalo story, that gives me some real insight as what this load can do. I was a Taxidermist for almost 10 years, and know the make up of animals pretty well. So with this custom .54 with the 38 inch barrel using the FFFg of 80-90 grains, I feel much better. Obviously I will see what load shoots the best, and will keep all informed. Open sights by the way, just me, the hard way.
Thanks again to everyone whom posted.

Aim small, miss small...

 

[longcruise]

Right on about the eyes! My eyes don't have the depth of field to focus like they once did. Add the play of light and other field factors and an easy 50 yard shot could become very difficult. It's all about that day, that time, that circumstance. At least for me.

 

[RickD]

Depending on light conditions most the game I`ve taken had been under 75 yards,most much closer

 

[tg]

I think Younggunner has a pretty well sighted in on the range issue, it is always better to set the limit shorter than longer, it reduces the chance of error and no matter what range you set there will alwasy be animals just past that mark live with it and watch them pass and keep the herd strong.I only shoot smoothbores now and like to have 40 yds shots or less but will take a 50 or so if a good rest and a stable broadside shot is there.

 

[RickD]

tg is a pretty smart fella..I`ve got alot of respect for him..Listen and learn

 

[texcl]

with my .58 virgini rifle, i will and have shot game out to 150 yards, but everything must be just right or I won't take a shot over 100 yards.

 

[Walks with fire]

For .50 cal. roundball whitetails I can hit at 100 with a good rest very well but prefer to limit shots to 80 or less. Last years deer was 67 paces but was with a fast twist flinter.

 

Thanks again for everyones response. I am for sure taking all things into cosideration. I do not want to try and set a new record here, just taking a animal be it a deer, buffalo, elk, moose, as humanley as possible. I am sure there have been some hunters out there that have pushed 200 yards, that is not me, and nothing against the person that can do that. For the most part I am a hunter and love to get as close as possible, but everyone knows that there are a few stubborn animals that just will not come in to that ideal shooting range. I myself would never go over a 100 yards, and everything would just have to be perfect at that. I know the rifle can shoot further than I feel comfortable, but I would never do that. Taking my quarry as humanley as possible is the most important thing to me. I would hate to think I wounded an animal and could not recover it.
Thanks again to all.

Aim small, miss small...

 

[doulos]

Just the other day my .58 Stith Hawken put 3 shots into about 2.5 inches at 110 yards FROM A Bench. While it gives me confidence in my gun and load everything would have to be perfecct to take a shot that long in the field. And they seldom are. In fact since ive been hunting the last 5 years with these roundball guns I have passed a lot of shots i normally would have taken and some were under 60 yards. If there is a doubt about the angle or intevening brush i wait or pass. the limitation is more a matter of optics than ballistic power for me.

 

[rawhide]

most of my shots on game have ben around 50 -60 yards. I also hunt with a .54 my longest shot on a elk was paced at 80 yards with a conical.(give or take a few yards)she went strait down. we figured she was around 500 pounds. my closest shot was at 5 feet! and my biggest elk. 1100 ponds on the hoof. big old girl! mostly here shots are around 50 yards on game to brushy. lots of under brush. I know I can hit targets out to 120 yards with it but I don't feel cufertable out past 100. on game I get the buck fever bad! :rotf: so I try to keep my shots closer if I can

 

[Trench]

I really don't do range estimation. I kinda go off my gut, so to speak. There's a line you can cross between uneasiness about a shot that you can feel in your stomach and shot confidence. I don't take the shot when I got that queezy feeling in my gut, if that makes sense. I'd have to say that in the woods, that would be around 40-50 yards. For some reason, the trees always make the distances seem farther than they really are.

I'd be comfortable taking a deer shot out to 75yds if the terrain was open. Heck, I get that queezy feeling at the 100yd range just shooting paper, so I know I'm not going to try that hunting. :grin:

As to humane, if the ball passes through a deer, it doesn't matter what the range is. I say that is a humane shot, if your load can do that at longer ranges.

 

[tg]

Good point Trench it is an instinctive thing to a degree, and it is a whole differnt ballgame if we are talking modern bullets and modern peeps, that is fodder for the (*&line boys

 

[Snow on the Roof]

Back in '42 I once't shat at a grizzly bear near 150 yards away with my 50 caliber Hawkins gun. I runs to him while reloadin' and he runs to me! At 75 yards I shat him again. We kept a running to one 'nuther an' by time I reloaded he was on me and kilt me 'fore I could shoot him a third time...

If'n I ever gets outta this hell I'm in I thinks I'll wait to git closer b'fore takin' a shot at ole mr. Griz again ...