Is .50 cal. roundball enough for a cow elk?

[F.G. Ford]

Great Information!
Fred

 

[BE Wild Willy]

Thank you screamin...

 

[BE Wild Willy]

By the way, I also have a muzzy deer tag for area 6 so maybe I'll see ya up there. Or do you have an area 7 tag? I hear most of the elk are in the Bull Run Mtns in 6 which happens to be on fire right now.

My buck tag is for 071-079/91, and my cow tag is for 074. Hope to see ya, but best of luck either way.

 

[silly goose]

And that sounds like the voice of experience. Wow, you wore me out just reading all that. And I mean that sincerely.

 

[dant]

Willie, I have an extra box of the Honady PA Hunter conicals I'd be happy to send to you if you need them. I think they would work well on a cow, if you developed a load. Dan

 

[BE Wild Willy]

Thanks for the offer Dan, gonna send you a PT.

 

[Goldhunter]

Be Wild Willy...if the .50cal is it, consider this:
There's a projectile that supposedly does well in round ball twist guns:
Hornady "PA Conical"...weighs 240grns which is 1/3rd again heavier than a 180grn ball.
Run a few of those through your rifle with a stout powder charge, and an Oxyoke 'wonderwad' over powder to protect the base, and see if you get decent enough accuracy to hunt it.
Doesn't have to be "National Match" accuracy...tennis ball/baseball size groups will be fine...and the extra weight will give you an advantage in the .50cal.
http://www.hornady.com/store/50-Cal-240-gr-PA-Conical/[/quote]





Are those the same as the "Ball-ets" that used to be out there? I bought a box about 10yr ago to try in my GPR (.54). Couldn't really get them to work very well.

 

[roundball]

Don't know about that...sorry

 

[BE Wild Willy]

Yes indeed, they are the same as Buffalo's Ball-etts

 

[jrmflintlock]

One last piece of advice, after your shot, give your cow a chance to lay down before you go after her. The .50 is not likely to drop her in her tracks unless you spine shoot her and in that case put another ball into the heart lung area or other vital area asap to end it. a spine shot is cripling but she will take a while to expire.

If you go chasing after her while she is still on her feet, adrenalin will keep her up until she ends up in the raunchyest area she can find. If she don't know what hit her she will likely run a few yards and lay down. Do try and keep an eye on her but don't push. it is similar to an arrow in that its not the concusion that kills but the loss of blood. The .50 may not exit either, so a blood trail may be minimal.

Know your rifle, keep your shots close and "aim small, miss small" and your .50 will put meat on the table!!

And by all means if you plan to go after a Bull, .54 or larger! As any one can attest, Bulls are almost twice the size of a cow.

Good Luck!!!! I can't wait to see pictures!!!!

 

[hoochiepapa]

good advice. My dad once shot a cow in a herd at about 250 yards with a cf. He went after her too soon, and we tracked her all day. We found her about dark, gutted, skinned and hung her in a tree until morning. About a 3-4 mile trek out.

 

[sidelock]

PBR will do it if you do your part. Good luck.

 

[Outdoor Success]

Though I have never hunted elk with my Muzzleloaders (Longbow only so far) I hear much of the same about my choice of traditional archery (not enough energy to shoot through an elk with those bows yet I've done it and thousands before have as well. Looking back the prefured buffilo gun was a black powder cartridge gun in a 45-70 (45 Cal. 70 grains of powder) later to be the 45-120. A .50 Cal Hawkins was considard the big bear gun. Most animals harvested for the early explorers was killed with. 36 Cal. Rifles including elk. Like my longbows and recurves the tools we choose to use limits our range and shot placement. I'm not saying bigger isn't better but a .50 Cal round all will work just fine like anything when put in the right place. I find it funny that even as traditionalist we forget what worked in the past. Get close, put the ball where it belongs with a good charge and enjoy elk backstraps

 

[Matt85]

not sure why but i dont see any one mentioning Minie balls...

the minie ball does outstanding with slow twist barrels, most minie ball guns have 1-72 twist rates. i would give a 50 cal minie ball a try if you want a heavier round.