ML for bigger game

[buckskinner]

hey all,

new to ML but totally hooked. currently have gr.plains rifle .54 with barrel for shooting round ball (1:66).

for hunting bigger game like moose, elk, buffalo is .54 roundball enough or should i go to .62 or bigger? I know i can get another barrel with the 1:32 for shooting conicals which have almost 450 grain weight compared to the .235 grn round balls.
but i like the traditional idea of round ball.
i appreciate any feed back, thanks,

 

[rabjr]

I wouldn't totally count out the .54 but bigger does it better. A .58 or .60 or .62 would definitely be better choices.

 

[roundball]

For hunting bigger game like moose, elk, buffalo is .54 roundball enough or should i go to .62 or bigger?

I'm sure the .54cal has probably killed Moose like a .22cal has killed deer, but nobody would ever think of a .22 as a deer rifle.

If it was me I'd want a .58 or .62cal round ball, and if I had them both, I'd hunt the .62cal.
(and take the .58 in the truck as a backup).

 

[Bearbait2]

Mr. buck-skinner,
Your .54cal with PRB will get the job done within a reasonable distance. As always, shot placement! The .54 with conical (Improved Minnie, REAL, etc.) and appropriate powder charge leaves nothing to be desired when it comes to penetration and encountering heavy bone or less than ideal angle to get to the vitals, imho.
.54cal PRB used to be the minimum allowed for our larger game. Many of us up here preferred the .62cal PRB when one could find a suitable weapon. Next to that, in preference, seemed to be the .58cal for PRB.
Best Wishes

 

[Ron LaClair]

I've got a couple .54's and they're great guns but....for larger game like you're talking about shooting a PRB, the .62 is definitely the route to take.

Here's one of my .54's on the left and my.62 on the right.

Here's a moose taken with the .62 with a PRB

 

I have no doubt it could do it but I hear Elk die real hard sometimes. I'd go with as big a caliber as you could say a .62 with a hardball and a stout load. I use a .62 for deer, big hole in, big hole out bigger blood trail. One deer this year didn't leave a drip till she fell.

B

 

[buckskinner]

thanks for the feedback everyone,

where do i look to find a .62 flinter?

also can a .62 smooth bore shoot knuckle balls and shot for winged game? or should i stay with a .62 rifled?

thanks again

 

[roundball]

thanks for the feedback everyone,
where do i look to find a .62 flinter?
also can a .62 smooth bore shoot knuckle balls and shot for winged game? or should i stay with a .62 rifled?
thanks again

.62cal smoothies generally seem to shoot like a rifle to at least 50-60yds, and depending on the powder charge can start getting a little sloppy as they slow down over longer distances.
Like a knuckle-ball from a baseball pitcher by the time it gets to the plate its getting a little unpredictable...but while under a full head of steam most of the way in from the pitcher's mound it's as accurate as a rifle.

IMO, one benefit to smothbore PRB accuracy is to use stout powder charges and keep the ball under a full head of steam for as far as practical, even at that they won't match the accuracy of a rifled .62cal at the longer distances.

Others can answer better than I about the more traditional .62cal Flintlocks...mine are GM .62cal Flint drop-in barrels for TC Hawken stocks...have them in smoothbores for turkey, crows, squirrels, and have had one of the smoothbore barrels rifled by Ed Rayl for deer hunting, etc.

 

[Allan Gray]

For Elk...
.62, short barrel, fixed bayonet, back-up side arm, club or tomahawk, good pair of running boots.

Kidding aside, shot placement is more important, but I've seen elk take many, many hits.

 

[pmwest]

Interesting question in that I am currently reading “The Sporting Rifle and Its Projectiles” by Lieut. James Forsyth written in 1862. Forsyth advocates the 16 gauge round ball rifle as a minimum for deer size game and shows a preference for 14. He also states that “less than 12 should never be used for bison or buffaloes” and considered his 36-bore loaded with 368 gr. conicals to be unreliable on deer. Forsyth had his opinion and it differed from others of the same period. They were as spirited in their discussion of such matters as we are today. His perspective was for knockdown power for recovery of game in thick cover. The traditional theory was that shock on game was achieved by the blunt force of a pure lead ball and that the diameter of the striking surface was the key to quick knockdown not necessarily deep penetration of the bullet. The argument was over mass of the conical or striking area of the round ball of the same mass.

To follow this line of thinking, I would select a .58 rifle with round balls for whitetail and use a minie for better penetration on larger game. If I intended to stay strictly with round ball for larger game I would go with a .62 rifle as a minimum up to .72 (12 gauge) rifled.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Buckskinner: At what range are you expecting to shoot at a moose? This is a large animal- much larger than most men imagine. It has a huge torso, making for a large target to hit. If you believe that your shot will be under 100 yds, and more likely less than 75 yards, you can use a smoothbore .20 gauge fowler. That shoots a .325 grain PRB that is .600" in diameter.

If you think you are likely to need a gun that will reach out beyond 100 yards for you to kill your moose, then I would recommend using a .58 caliber gun, rifled, shooting a good conical. The heavy conical will penetrate further, and shoots flatter out of a rifled barrel.

If you can use a smoothbore, then the fowler can also be used with shot to shoot small game, and birds. Considering the money usually spent to go on a hunt for moose, you want to know well in advance the hunting conditions and usual ranges you are likely to see to get any kind of shot. If you are hunting woodland moose, you are not likely to get a clean shot until they are within 50 yards, just because so much tall grass,saplings, and trees will be in your way. On the tundra, where nothing seems to grow more than about 3 feet, but everything is Pot holes filled with water, getting close enough to a moose to take a good shot may be the real problem. A .260 grain Round ball out of that .58 caliber rifle would be no slouch on moose, but a heavier conical might give you more distance for " point blank range".

 

[buckskinner]

thanks for the insight...

can anyone point me in the right direction to find a .62 flinter in either rifle or smooth ?

thanks again

 

[cptleo1]

This is a good deal on a smoothie
[url] http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/pp-classifieds/showproduct.php/product/1709/cat/9[/url]

I myself would want something with rifled barrel but that is going to be your call.

I just got done building a .62 Jaeger for the same purpose, actually for bear hunting.

I can't think of a production flint .62, but you might want to check out a Jaeger from TVM.

They build a reasonable hunting gun that a working man can afford.

 

[petemi]

Hi, get in touch with Wayne Garber. He just got done building a .62 Jaeger. He's in Port St. Lucie. [email protected] He's a member of and shoots with Treasure Coast Muzzleloaders.

 

I have a .62 TVM Leman flinter I just took in on a trade that I would be willing to part with. It's in unfired condition. Shoot me an email if you like that style.

Billy

 

[paulvallandigham]

My gunmaker, Craig Witte, in Fairmont, Illinois, has made a couple of .62 caliber rifles. This would normally be his slow time of year if you want to order a custom made gun.