Last minute Q on Kibler Woodsrunner purchase

[akroguy]

Thank you folks! Placed an order for the Woodrunner in maple and 54 from the ships now page!

Welcome aboard! Now start saving for the next one.

Seriously.

Kibler kit addicts anonymous meetings, Tuesday nights, coffee and cookies will be served.

 

[RocketMan58]

Welcome aboard! Now start saving for the next one.

Seriously.

Kibler kit addicts anonymous meetings, Tuesday nights, coffee and cookies will be served.

Wow, there is some real truth there. I'm about 5 hours or so from finishing my first (SMR in 40) and was up until the wee hours of the morning trying to decide if my next will be a Woodsrunner in 45 or if I should just wait for a Hawken . Winters get longer as I get older and this will easily be a two build season for me.

 

[jjexp]

Now that's my kind of thinking. I have bought reloading dies and then later found a rifle to validate their existence.

Rifle seeds! Sprinkle them around the house, and watch a crop of new guns grow!

 

[JDBraddy]

In BP, 45-50cal is like the .308Win, it's a middle of the road compromise. It will do just about everything, but isn't the optimal choice for anything. For big game hunting would choose. 54-58cal, for small to medium game, economical plinking, and targets, go for a .32-40cal. If you're going to try to do everything with one gun, a .45 or 50cal is probably the way to go.

 

[akroguy]

Wow, there is some real truth there. I'm about 5 hours or so from finishing my first (SMR in 40) and was up until the wee hours of the morning trying to decide if my next will be a Woodsrunner in 45 or if I should just wait for a Hawken . Winters get longer as I get older and this will easily be a two build season for me.

So then, the meetings are at your house. What kinda cookies ya gonna make? Hmmm?

 

[Texcl2]

I think there’s not a whole lot of difference between the .50 and .54. If you cast your own either will do. If you don’t I’d definitely go with a .50 otherwise you add a lot of expense plus just about every sporting goods store carries supplies for the .50. After that it’s pure preference. Killing power is primarily dictated by shot placement. That being said my average flintlock bore size is probably .60 caliber. I bought a .45 SMR recently to offset the powder consumption, lol.

 

[Meadowlark Gallery]

It is all in my mind, if I am comfortable with the rifle then the caliber just goes along with me.

 

[BR Sorenson]

I agree with above recommending .54 cal. Your choice of stock wood probably doesn't have much influence on fulfillment time. If you're in a real hurry, you might peruse their "same day shipping" sale pages to see if there's some already-boxed rifle that might fit

your needs.

If you are a hunter, in my opinion a 54 will be lighter and balance a bit better than a 50.

I just weighed both .50 and .54 woodsrunner that I have. On my scales there isn't enough difference to make one feel lighter than the other. About 1/4 pound go figure.
If you want to keep it simple stay with the .50 that was my first thought. Then I got a Colonial in .54 to reduce the barrel weight. Did I save much. Doubt it. Next woodsrunners I got in .54 darn that quick ship page. If you see the stock you want you can choose. The caliber ifyou want a different one.

 

[FlaminCrow]

Welcome aboard! Now start saving for the next one.

Seriously.

Kibler kit addicts anonymous meetings, Tuesday nights, coffee and cookies will be served.

Have to say I’m a member, just let me know, time and place.
It’s putting a dent in my unmentionables. The ones my kids have no interest in turn into Kibler kits, it’s a magical thing.

 

[RocketMan58]

So then, the meetings are at your house. What kinda cookies ya gonna make? Hmmm?

Heck, I'd be happy to host a meeting but you would NOT want to test my baking skills. We'd be better off gnawing on scotchbright pads dusted with a metal filing topping. Not to worry though, I know a guy. Heck, he might even be related to the culprit that got us all addicted

 

[Mike in FL]

Actually your 58cal roundball has a higher ballistic coefficient than a smaller ball , so it will not drop as fast as a 50 or 54cal ball.
The Colonial's long 44" barrel is very efficient at using powder, so velocity is quite ample.
100 grains of powder will yield a velocity of 1825 fps. Adding 10 more grains of powder raises velocity to 1850fps.
Reoil with the 58cal does gets tiresome after shooting 30 or 40 shots....but it shoots excellent with 45 grains of powder so....

No doubt, the 54cal woods-runner would be my choice. @Philip Chua

Sounds like you know your stuff, but I am ignorant enough not to be convinced that a 58 shoots flatter than a 54. I really don't think it does if each one is propelled by a normal hunting charge. Of course 58 would want more powder than a 54, but not so much as to make the trajectory flatter than the lighter ball.

 

[SDSmlf]

I am ignorant enough not to be convinced that a 58 shoots flatter than a 54. I really don't think it does if each one is propelled by a normal hunting charge. Of course 58 would want more powder than a 54, but not so much as to make the trajectory flatter than the lighter ball.

A 58 caliber roundball (.570”) fired at the same velocity as a 54 caliber roundball (.530”) will shoot flatter, but probably not by enough to make much difference to the traditional muzzleloader at typical distances.

Checking a couple ballistic calculators, at 1700fps MV a .530” lead roundball zeroed at 50 yards will be -6.6” at 100 yards and -57” at 200 yards. A .570” roundball at the same MV and zero will be -6.3” at 100 yards and -54” at 200 yards. A difference, but not really that much.

 

[Buff1958]

just no downside to hunting with a .54

 

[Freedom]

Sounds like you know your stuff, but I am ignorant enough not to be convinced that a 58 shoots flatter than a 54. I really don't think it does if each one is propelled by a normal hunting charge. Of course 58 would want more powder than a 54, but not so much as to make the trajectory flatter than the lighter ball.

The 54 is a great caliber that nicely balances trajectory, hunting power, and recoil. And its performance on big game seems like a considerable step-up from the 50cal.

The 58's recoil gets a little obnoxious trying to keep up with the 54's velocity.

My 58 is sighted in at 125yrds with a 120gr load. But I don't make a habit of shooting it with that much powder.


When shooting steel, or our forum matches, 50gr+/- is very easy to shoot all day long,..and usually gives me a reasonably competitive finish.

Rams were shot offhand at 50yards.
And the piggy at 25yards