In defense of the 50......!

[vthunter52]

I thaught that this would better as a separate thread.

In several other threads, we have seen the indebt discussion of the larger calibers, and I do believe that you should whatever you want, and whatever you feel comfortable with. That being said I have never felt under gunned or disadvantaged with my .50. Two bear, one at 326 lbs, and 25 deer with 3 over 200 lbs have been harvested with my TC .50, 90grs. ffg and .490 rb.
The rifle with this load is deadly out to 80 yds. but has only needed 40-45 yds to do whats it's being asked. It has also been to Montana on game, and although an elk didn't present itself, a couple of large deer did. I felt no disadvantage at all.

To end I should also say that I am a firm advocate in totally being familiar with whatever weapon you chose, and that an accurate well placed shot is as, or more important than the caliber and load. MHO only.

 

[hanshi]

The .50 has always seemed (to me) to be a great bore size for east of the Mississippi River. My largest flinter is a .50; though I do have a .54 US M1841 I like a lot. Actually most of my deer hunting has been with a little flint LL and ALL were one shot kills. A couple I killed with various .50s required a second shot though they were pretty much anchored at the time.

I do hope someday to get a .54 flint but my .50 EL is still "big medicine". Even bigger is my .62 smoothbore, but that's another topic.

 

[Little Wattsy]

I ama big fan of the .50 - It is a great squirel gun with that little extra ooomph just in case you see a deer. :wink:

 

[rodwha]

A squirrel gun eh? He he he!

 

[cynthialee]

Well I ain't never had the chance to shoot big game with BP I did get to see the effects of a .50 PRB on a deer this fall.
It was more than plenty to do the job.

I think that the .50 is a psychological advantage caliber. In the common/group mind it is the minimum effective caliber for large game. That sticks in the back of the mind and as a result we feel confidant when we use this caliber and our shots are placed better. The mind is a really screwy thing like that. When I was a kid and I was watching my dad and his buddies hunt they all was gaga over the .45

 

[nchawkeye]

Nothing wrong with a .50 but it won't do nothing a .54 won't do...

 

[Shifty]

You are right about the cal,when I was a Kid around here about all the muzzle loaders you saw where 40cal originals,and I guess thay must have worked real well because about all the Deer had been killed out in these parts you never saw a Center Fire Rifle just old single barrel shotguns with Punkin Balls and the Muzzle loader where here first.I guess if my old folks had been luck enuff to have a 50cal they would have been S#$%in is High Cotton as the saying goes.

 

[wattlebuster]

The 50 needs no defense. Fine caliber, plenty of power and will do the job if proper application is applied :hatsoff:

 

[roundball]

The 50 needs no defense. Fine caliber, plenty of power and will do the job if proper application is applied :hatsoff:

Agree...we just can't make a .50cal into the capabilities of a .58cal any more than we can make a .40 into the capabilities of a .50cal...LOL

 

[George T.]

I agree with what you said! It's funny that when you tell a modern rifle shooter that you have a 50 they oooh and awww but many of us black powder shooters think that it's under powered. I have thought about another rifle and in 54. I well may be a victim of propaganda. Geo. T.

 

[Flint311]

I well may be a victim of propaganda. Geo. T.

Gotta agree with that! As things go, instead of cast round balls using wheel weights, we should just shoot the whole wheel at 'em! :rotf:

 

[Rat Trapper]

I've taken deer with the 45,50 & 54 all of these deer went to the freezer. A well place shot is still required with all of them. Nothing wrong with a large bore either.

 

[roundball]

I've taken deer with the 45,50 & 54 all of these deer went to the freezer. A well place shot is still required with all of them. Nothing wrong with a large bore either.

Same here, with .40/.45/.50/.54/.58/.62cals.
And after those experiences my preference is to stack the odds in my favor to cover the full variety of shot angles and shot distances I might encounter in a half day / full day of hunting by using a bigger caliber like a .58, or at least a .54.
On the other hand if I know I'm just going to sit a stand for a couple hours that overlooks a trail / creek crossing with a max 25-50yd shot, I've taken the smaller .45/.50cals and know they'll get it done.

 

[smo]

The 50 needs no defense. Fine caliber, plenty of power and will do the job if proper application is applied :hatsoff:

Well said Allen :thumbsup: IMHO it's great for the type of hunting I do here in Tn. & Al.

 

[Lonegun1894]

I prefer my .54, but having hunted everything I could in my area with a .50 when it was all I had, I know a .50 is perfectly capable of taking any squirrel, rabbit, deer, or hog I may run across. I haven't had a chance to take elk, moose, or bigger with it, but short of grizzly, I wouldn't hesitate to hunt anything in North America with a properly loaded .50. Now the grizzly requires a minimum of a .54, as we all know, and I will report how my .54 works on one the first time I find a grizzly while ML hunting here in Texas. :rotf:

 

[jamesthomas]

It would probably be the only grizzly that weighed 250lbs fully grown if it lived in Texas, if the deer are any indication. :hmm: :grin:

 

[F.G. Ford]

Hell!
I've seen gophers as big as Texas white tails !
And all I needed was a .50 cal. front stuffer.
Fred

 

[Lonegun1894]

LOL! Nice job guys. My hunting experience is mostly in TX, with some thrown in for AZ while I was stationed there. But yes, assuming the fairytales of how huge Yankee deer get are true, then yes, ours are a bit on the smallish side, but there's still plenty of big ones, they're just in the minority.

 

[Little Wattsy]

Nothing wrong with a .50 but it won't do nothing a .54 won't do...

And do it better..

I agree there is no defence for the .50 but for those who estern greenhorns its a nice little bean-flick. :stir:

:wink: :wink: :wink: :wink:

 

[AK in PA]

Heck, my .45 cal has been a great deer rifle, and I see no need to defend even that. But, I'm also used to shooting deer with selfbows and wooden arrows. It boils down to perspective, I guess.