PRB for Hunting

[grndhntr]

This was my test for a PRB. A big bull elk. Probably the hardest animal to drop in N. America (not quite as big as a moose, but will run harder and is tougher, in my opinion). I used a .490 cal. PRB in front of 80 gr. Pyrodex P powder. The ball nearly exited the off-side shoulder. The bull died just as fast as the same shot from a high-powered rifle (and I have shot a few elk with a modern rifle):

 

[hanshi]

You do realize you won't be able to get into Heaven, don't you? :grin:

 

[hanshi]

Okay, I've never used a conical and have never seen a reason to. I've used prb exclusively since the mid 1960s. I killed many deer - all with one shot, never lost one and with many falling DRT. The ones that ran dropped either within sight or hearing. Two were killed at 100 yards or a little more. Rarely recovered a ball but the few I did recover were flattened impressively.

An unfired ball next to one I recovered.

 

[Yankee Doodle]

Yeah. In my case, that's probably not such a bad thing. Considering the life I've led, if I were to get into heaven, I wouldn't know anyone there with the execption of my mom, dad, and when she passes, my wife.
I think I'll have to take my chances.

 

[Stumpkiller]

My main concern is that the places I hunt are not big, 50 acres or less. Although I aim for the heart, if I end up hitting the lungs I do not want the deer to get onto a neighboring property that I already know I will not be able to access.

In the real world you have little control over that. I have shot deer with a 0.490" round ball that never took a step. And I have shot deer with a .30 cal 2,700 fps 180gr soft point that ran 150 yards. I have arrowed deer that fell in their tracks and others that ran hundreds of yards. Shot placement and luck has as much to do with dropping a deer quickly as projectile shape and velocity.

 

[Lonegun1894]

I completely agree that it's placement and a bit of luck. My most recent meat is a 175-200 LB wild hog I took with a .22 LR pistol at 40yds last weekend. It was hit just behind the elbow when it took a step forward like I usually try to thread an arrow into the vitals. The 36gr HP bullet, which I was told wouldn't do the job, punched a hole through both lungs and the top of the aorta, and then exited the other side and into a dirt mound (safe backstop). The hog walked about 10-15 feet, then stumbled, went down, kicked twice and never moved again. Overall time between bullet impact and the last kick was about 5-6 seconds. I don't recommend people do this, but it was the best tool I had at hand at the time, knew from past experience that I could make it work with careful shot placement, and frankly, I needed the meat. And before anyone asks, Texas considers hogs to be a nuisance animal/varmint that causes a LOT or property damage, so taking this hog was 100% legal, and there are no caliber restrictions. Shotplacement is your best tool, and a little or a lot of luck always helps too.

 

[pchwcf50110]

Assuming a hunter is able to use a big enough caliber / ball for the game being hunted, nothing else is needed at typical muzzleloader distances.
I think the biggest attraction of a conical to the occasional hunter who might only have a small-ish to medium caliber rifle available, is the obvious increase in weight / penetration for bigger game than the existing caliber ball might be best suited for.

couldn't agree more. i've never been impressed with .45 and .50 roundballs for big game (deer/elk) hunting. i like proper hunting conicals in fast twist .45 and .50 rifles and PRB's in my .58, .62, .66, .69 & .72

 

[Eric M]

All and all, I just like most hunters want to make a quick ethical kill and a quick ethical recovery.

 

[hoochiepapa]

Sounds to me like you should have a forum hog hunt!!

 

[Snow on the Roof]

I am not worried about my accuracy, I can shoot well i.e. 2 inches or less out 75 yards with the round ball. My main concern is that the places I hunt are not big, 50 acres or less. Although I aim for the heart, if I end up hitting the lungs I do not want the deer to get onto a neighboring property that I already know I will not be able to access. I love the traditional aspect of muzzleloading or I would not even bother with it. As I just said I want to be able to recover the animal.

Intresting :hmm: , in my experience it was those heart shot deer that run off. I've seen heart shot deer go 200 yards plus but never had a lung shot deer go more than 60 yards. Roundball and broadhead consistantly gave the same results.

Snow

 

[Robert Egler]

See? Now there's another advantage of squirrel hunting over deer hunting! Not only are they a whole lot easier to clean and easier to carry out of the woods, but heart or lung shot squirrels rarely go more than a few feet. :haha: (Unless you count the vertical distance they fall out of the tree.)

 

[roundball]

See? Now there's another advantage of squirrel hunting over deer hunting! Not only are they a whole lot easier to clean and easier to carry out of the woods, but heart or lung shot squirrels rarely go more than a few feet. :haha: (Unless you count the vertical distance they fall out of the tree.)

Amen and I'm getting ready to go after them with some chilled #5s on Monday !
:grin:

The heart shot vs. lung shot on deer does come up often though and there are definitely different opinions. Speaking only from my own experiences every heart shot deer I’ve taken has made a frantic mad dash for a very short distance and fallen in sight of me...they die due to the immediate loss of oxygen to the brain. IMO it’s no different than when a person has a massive heart attack...the organ stops beating which immediately stops circulating blood, which starves the brain of oxygen, and the person basically dies almost instantaneously on the spot. I’ve always viewed deer (mammals) the same way.

Heart Shot Deer
Heart stops pumping immediately, blood flow stops immediately, oxygen to the brain is shut off immediately, brain is starved of oxygen immediately, death is almost instantaneous.

Lung Shot Deer
The heart is unhurt and keeps pumping blood to the brain...all the existing blood that was in the arteries still has oxygen in it and the brain keeps getting oxygen for a period of time.
Meanwhile the capability of the damaged lungs to refresh oxygen into the recirculating blood starts getting reduced and ultimately the blood being circulated by the heart that’s still pumping begins to reach the brain with reduced, lower and lower levels of oxygen, after a period of time the brain becomes starved of oxygen, and ultimately the animal dies.

IMO, there's a lot more time involved in the lung scenario than when the heart is stopped immediately like in a person's heart attack...but maybe I have a misunderstanding.
Whatever the correct scenario is I've been lucky to have taken a number of deer over a lot of years now and just don't have situations of deer running off 100yds, 200yds, or never found, etc...I shoot them down low through the heart and so far every one of them has fallen in sight of me.

 

[Lonegun1894]

Mike,
I completely agree, but there is just one problem. They are very inconsistent, or I should say, for now, i'm very inconsistent in finding them. There's times I will go for 3-4 months and not see one or any sign of one, and then see them all over for a few weeks, and then gone again. I have never heard of them "migrating" but starting to wonder if they travel a home range kind of like a mountain lion will tend to do a large loop where it only stays in a location for a few days and then moves on. If I ever figure out the pattern so I can consistently put us on hogs, I would love to do a forum hunt.

Sad to say, but this hog I shot as I was getting off of work. So I wasn't really looking for him, and that's why I had a modern instead of a ML. I wouldn't have posted except to add to the discussion that even a .22 or other small caliber will work better than expected when the placement is correct.

 

[hoochiepapa]

I hear what you are sayin', I read an article many years ago where the author said eskimos were hunting polar bear with .22's. Or .17's.

 

[Rev_William]

Sounds to me like you should have a forum hog hunt!!

What he said!! :thumbsup:

 

[boydusmx]

I shot my last elk's heart in two and she still ran 60 yards and didn't leave drop of blood. I thought I missed and almost gave up looking. I don't know how a conical is going to do any better. Still, use what you're confident with!

 

[larry wv]

Just keep running down the conical shooters fellows. I expect it will turn more than a few future members away. Oh yea if they don't use a prb they should just go to a center fire....Not good for anyone. Larry

 

[Idaho Ron]

Just keep running down the conical shooters fellows. I expect it will turn more than a few future members away. Oh yea if they don't use a prb they should just go to a center fire....Not good for anyone. Larry

I am with you. :hatsoff: :hatsoff: :hatsoff: Ron

 

[Matt85]

Just keep running down the conical shooters fellows. I expect it will turn more than a few future members away. Oh yea if they don't use a prb they should just go to a center fire....Not good for anyone. Larry

i think conicals are fine and in fact can be PC depending on the firearm and conical in question.

EX: my longrifle is a caplock which could put it in the second half of the 19th century (not likely but its possible). this means using a Minie ball would not be out of the question with my rifle. (in fact im considering trying some 50 cal minies in it)

now using conicals in flintlocks... :nono:

-Matt

 

[roundball]

Just keep running down the conical shooters fellows.

:shocked2:
Wow, where did you get that from?
I don't see this thread has been "running down" conicals at all.
The OP specifically "asked about PRBs”, not conicals”¦this was his question:

I am real hesitant to use PRB for hunting although I have heard many success stories on here. Has anyone noticed any benefits from switching from conicals to PRB other than not having to deal with lead fowling and reduced recoil?

As a result the thread has been a series of pretty balanced replies from PRB users to provide testimony to the OP about the effectiveness of PRBs.
I don’t understand how you translate that into “running down conicals”...