New toy? Trajectory- .50 vs .54

[1shot]

Hi Guys,

Been successfully shooting (thanks to forum members input and help) a .50 T/C Hawken for 3 months now with PRB and ended up with the worst blackpowder bug ever!! :grin:

I can buy a new assembled Lyman GPR at a very low price (last one in local store) but its only in .54 cal. So I'm wondering what difference there would be in actual user operation between .50 and .54, I'm only interested in PRB and looking at pro's/con's of each.

The .50 groups very well with 70gr FFg and .490 ball, so if we say this ball weighs approx 175gr and produces a given trajectory with 10grains of FFg per 25grains of lead, then would a .535 ball give the same trajectory with 95grains FFg? :hmm:
Hope my twisted logic makes some sense..

How about the recoil aspect? I barely feel the push from my .50 but what of a .54 using more powder?
My T/C is a great shooter but I've got "the" bug!


1Shot.

P.S I'm using Canola liquid cooking oil on my homemade patches to fire and to store, is this an OK lube or maybe too thin?? Cheers!

 

[biliff]

For all intents and purposes you're not going to see a whole lot of practical difference between the two in terms of trajectory, wind drift etc. The .54 will kick a bit more (assuming identical guns) and it will also have a bit more oooomph on the receiving end. If you need to kill something bigger than a deer the .54 is the way to go. You can only do so much with a round ball from a shoulder fired weapon.

 

[renovato]

1Shot, there's not much difference between the two with regards to trajectory or recoil. The .54 kicks a little more but the difference is barely noticeable. The .54 ball is a little more resistant to wind, and being a little heavier, it penetrates a bit more in game. I have a preference for the .54 because of the slightly added versatility.

The GPR is a very good rifle. On par with your T/C accuracy and reliability wise. If it's a good deal, grab it! You'll thank yourself down the road.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

Yes, the .54 with 90-95 grains of 2f will produce about the same velocity and trajectory as the .50 with 70 grains. And yes, the .54 with 90+ grains will surely kick noticeably more than a .50 with only 70 grains. But I don't think you should start out with a pre-conceived notion as to the powder charge, start light and shoot groups, at least five shots, save the target or record the group size, then step up 5 grains and shoot another group of five shots. Keep working up until recoil becomes unpleasant and then go with the best compromise of accuracy and power, meaning, where both are at least adequate.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Look at it this way. A .490" ball weighs 177 gr +/-. A .530" ball weighs 224 gr +/-. That's a 26% increase. They both clock out at 1,800 fps with a good enough load. The .54 will therefore hold it's energy longer and farther because it is heavier. I've hunted with a .50 and .54 T/C of similar twist and only 2" barrel length difference and I don't really see any difference in hunting results. But then I hunt up close.

And if I was hunting larger or fiercer critters than whitetail I'd grab the .54 hands dowm, just because.

 

[WV_Hillbilly]

P.S I'm using Canola liquid cooking oil on my homemade patches to fire and to store, is this an OK lube or maybe too thin??

I am surprised that no one commented on this last question that you posed... Oh well. My general feeling on lube is: use what works! But with that said, I don't personally like to use "thin" lubes or "oils" due to the chance of powder charge getting fouled if the gun is loaded for any length of time. It would NOT be a fun thing to be hunting bear and have a misfire!

Anyway, if shooting from the bench at the range where I know the shot will occur less than a few minutes after loading, then I wouldn't worry. Also remember that this Lyman may NOT shoot well with the Canola oil lube. You may want to try some form of "moose milk" (Ballistol + water, or one of the various recipes). Again, I've not had much success with "runny" lubes, so I might be biased in that respect.

You're going to get a GREAT muzzleloader. I've had a GPR in .54 for a while and it will shoot with the best of them. I never regretted not having the .50cal instead. With black powder, you can't up the velocity at will to increase energy (besides that, round balls lose velocity really badly), so the way to increase energy is with an increase in bullet mass. The others already told you about the greater recoil, but don't sweat it. The trajectory will be similar. I've discovered that over hunting distances, that patched round balls at velocities in the mid teens all hit "about the same". It's because the ballistic coefficient of all round balls are almost next to nothing.

Keep us informed about your "new toy". I think you'll be very pleased with it.

Regards, and safe shooting/hunting,
WV_Hillbilly

:hatsoff:

 

[renovato]

The Ballistol and water lubes really should be allowed to dry out before using. This lets the water evaporate away and leaves just the right amount of Ballistol. The patches feel rather dry and they won't wet the powder.

 

[nchawkeye]

If you only have one muzzleloader then you need two....Get the .54...I have used one for about 16 years and love it...Look at it this way, the .50 can be used for a spare...As far as lubes, I use SnoSeal.

 

[WV_Hillbilly]

The Ballistol and water lubes really should be allowed to dry out before using. This lets the water evaporate away and leaves just the right amount of Ballistol. The patches feel rather dry and they won't wet the powder.

Plink (and all),

Thanks for pointing that out about the lube needing to dry after treating the patches. That is true with all of the more "liquid-y" lubes. Sometimes I get a little too far ahead of myself when trying to explain something, and I forget to mention facts that I assume everyone already knows. I shouldn't do this and it's a bad habit of mine. Sorry if this caused anyone confusion, it was purely unintentional.

I usually treat my patches with lube mixture and let them "cure" for about a week or less if the air is really dry. Drying time can vary greatly with location--humidity & climate. Also remember a "spit patch" is about the best field expedient thing you can do when needing a quick follow-up shot (or a coup de grace) needed during hunting. The exposure time is so short in duration that the powder typically doesn't have time to get contaminated and misfire.

Again, sorry for any confusion that I may have heaped on anyone.

your humble servant,
WV_Hillbilly

 

[WV_Hillbilly]

The Ballistol and water lubes really should be allowed to dry out before using. This lets the water evaporate away and leaves just the right amount of Ballistol. The patches feel rather dry and they won't wet the powder.

Plink (and all),

Thanks for pointing that out about the lube needing to dry after treating the patches. That is true with all of the more "liquid-y" lubes. Sometimes I get a little too far ahead of myself when trying to explain something, and I forget to mention facts that I assume everyone already knows. I shouldn't do this and it's a bad habit of mine. Sorry if this caused anyone confusion, it was purely unintentional.

I usually treat my patches with lube mixture and let them "cure" for about a week or less if the air is really dry. Drying time can vary greatly with location--humidity & climate. Also remember a "spit patch" is about the best field expedient thing you can do when needing a quick follow-up shot (or a coup de grace) needed during hunting. The exposure time is so short in duration that the powder typically doesn't have time to get contaminated and misfire.

Again, sorry for any confusion that I may have heaped on anyone.

your humble servant,
WV_Hillbilly