I may be as old as dirt, but I was not living back when the Trappers were exploring the Rockie Mountains. So, I don't have first hand information.
But, years ago, now, in Muzzle Blasts, the issue was raised by a man researching a book he wrote on possible bags. He visited museums all over the country looking at possible bags. He noted a couple of things:
a. No evidence of Short starters, nor any loops to hold them in the bags;
b. When the bag came with a fixed powder measure he tested the measure with black powder and a scale to see how much powder the measure threw.
When He was looking at Jim Bridger's Gear, the powder measure only threw 50 grains.
He was curious, as he had read a biography of OLE GABE, when he was younger. He went back, found the book and reread it. Bridger was quoted as saying he used ONE measure of powder if he was hunting deer; 2 measures for Elk and black bear, and three measures of powder if he was hunting Grizzly bears. His rifle was either a .53 or .54, depending on what source you read. ( I believe one of those numbers is just a typo.)
Bridger further explained that he used the smaller powder charges so as to NOT Shoot all the way through the game, so he could recover the lead ball, and re-melt and cast it.
I think most of us would consider a 50 grain charge of powder to be fairly light in any .54 caliber rifle today.
If you pick the angle of your shot, ( I, for instance, like to shoot so that my ball either breaks a front leg/shoulder on entering, or breaks the front leg/shoulder on the way out) and use a light charge of powder, its quite possible to recover your ball from the carcass. Having done it on several occasions, I speak from personal experience.
I was " Trained" about picking my shots by a very good friend, who has been shooting deer all his life, and has a huge collection of bullets, and ball of all calibers, that he has recovered from deer. He was very adamant with me over choosing my shots, and the first question he asked me when I got back home after a successful deer hunt was, " did you recover your ball? Okay, when can you bring it over here for me to see?"
Jim got his backside whooped by his father if he ever shot a pheasant any where other than its head. I had heard that story about him from other common friends, but never talked to him about it.
Then, one day, a very good friend of mine told me about the time he went Pheasant hunting with Jim. Jim groaned after shooting a bird flushing far out front of them, and said to Bruce he thought he might have hit that bird too far back.
Later, when they cleaned the birds, Jim had 4 birds and ONE of the 4 had ONE PELLET in its neck, just behind its skull. The other three had NO pellets anywhere but in the head!
Bruce told me he never questioned Jim's ability, or his story about how he learned to shoot pheasants in the head with his shotgun ever again.
Later, I asked Jim about the story of his father, and he admitted I had been told correctly. Then he wanted to know where I heard the story, because he knew he hadn't told me that one, yet. When I told him about the hunt Bruce described, He just smiled, and laughed a bit, and admitted that what Bruce said was what happened exactly. He had hit that one bird with a pellet right behind the skull.
Jim has excellent eyesight, even in his 70s. I saw him miss a pheasant one day when we were hunting together, because he was using a gun he had not shot in a couple of years, and he had a bad mount. He told us to mark our calendars, because we were not likely to see him miss another pheasant in our lifetimes. He was serious. I still believe him. :shocked2: :hatsoff:
