Plains pistol hunting load

[MosinRob]

I have a .54 Plains pistol. I shoot her with a prb and 30 weighed grains of goex FF. I'm going on a hog hunt on Saturday. Do you think the load is enough to ethically penetrate a hogs side and kill? Should I bump it up some? It's extremely accurate out to 50 yards with this charge, but I'm not one to wound a animal. I just don't know if taking it up 5-15gr in that small barrel is going to matter? Thanks guys

 

[M. De Land]

I'd bump the charge up to 50 grains of 2F and strap on my .44 mag or .45 colt loaded with heavy Keith or LBT bullets for back up. Mike D.

 

[Don]

I'm no expert on BP pistol hunting but 30 grains seems a bit light. I'd go to the range and bump the charge up by 5 grain increments until groups start to open up too much. Back off on the charge to tighten group some then settle on a charge between 30 and where ever you groups became less than acceptable. It will be a compromise between accuracy and power. However, what I've heard about the Plains pistol I doubt you will get terrible accuracy with a stouter load.

Don

 

[Shifty]

I don't have a Plains Pistol ,but a 50 cal of my own making has a 16" barrel 1-48 twist it will shoot up to 50grns FFg Goex and still hold a 3 1/2 to 4 " group at 50yds , but 40grns is a lot better, have not tried it on Game though.

 

[poordevil]

I also have the .54cal and have used 60gr of 3FFFg. If I was to take it pig hunting , that is the load I would use. Its a rip-snort, but still accurate.

 

[awebbersr]

The owners manual calls 50 grns of 2 f a max load, 45 grns of 3F is also there max load. Do what you think is best, but that is their guideline. :hmm:

 

[cynthialee]

After reading up some on hogs, considering what I know from the range and hunting, 30 grains does sound on the light side. However... many hogs are shot at 'spitting distance'. At such close range that load should do the trick.
Now if you wanted to shot them a little further out then a larger charge would be in order.

 

[crockett]

I live in the hog hunting capital of the world. If I run into a trophy boar I'd do the heart/lung shot in order to save and mount the head. I did run into one a couple of years back- a "Russian Red" with no spots, beautiful animal but a lot of hogs are small, some have spots- don't really want to save and mount a head of something that looks like it ran away from a farm.
I just got finished reading an article in a national outdoor magazine on bullet placement, how the heart is low and the lungs farther forward and with a thick grisle in front you need some sort of super magnum.
I've talked about head shots in the past and a lot of folks are really anti-head shot. On the accuracy, once again, if you can throw a BASEBALL and hit the hog in the head- if you can't do a head shot from that range you really shouldn't be hunting. In any event, think about a head shot. Base of the ear- to eye. Also saves you a tracking job through the thick stuff.

 

[hanshi]

I have a .50 pistol but it's flint. Still, my serious load is 50 grains of 3F. 2" at 25 yards! 30 grains of 3F is my standard plinking load.

 

[crockett]

I use 37 grains in a 50 for target- as it is most accurate. I would think 50 grains in a 54 for hunting would be good.

 

[MosinRob]

Well I went out on Saturday for them. I ended up using 30gr of FF. Was about a 35 yard shot. Round ball went in, hit both lungs and buried into the skin on the other side. I posted pic and video in the hunting section if your interested. Thanks for the suggestions guys.

 

[awebbersr]

Good shooting. :hatsoff: