Round Ball Shooters...........

[ETipp]

.50 cal is what I’ve hunted with. RBs and conicals. There was a time when I wasn’t that concerned on shot placement, that was many years ago. Now, the little that I hunt now, it has to be close to a perfect heart/lung shot. The quick death of the animal means a lot to me now. But even so, it depends on the individual deer. I’ve had them drop straight down and with the same shot placement had them run 100 yards. As to what is going on to cause that I don’t know.

Indeed, always going to be those strange cases that makes us scratch our heads. Still collecting data so thank you for your input.

 

[ETipp]

I've killed 4 deer with .50 cal roundball. All shots were broadside at less than 50 yards. 3 dropped where they stood,and the other walked about 15 yards and leaned against a tree and died. I have got one with my .40 and round ball. It ran a half circle about 60 yards total and fell over. I use 60gr 3f in both guns.

Thank you. Can you elaborate on shot placement.

 

[ETipp]

I have used 50 and 54 balls. Mostly 50 for deer and antelope. Shots from 15 to 80 yards. One deer went about 20 yards but the rest less and most dropped on the spot.

I have lost one deer with RB. About a 30 yard shot. The deer had it's head down and was feeding. Was shooting a 54 . For some inexplicable reason that deer hopped forward pretty much simultaneously at the shot. I know I wasn’t spotted and made no sound. Maybe the springing forward of the hammer made a sound that caused the hop. In any case the deer was hit in the gut. The exiting ball sprayed a whole lot of stomach content on the opposite side. I and my partner looked for hours without any luck. We gave it another search the next day. Never found that deer.

The critters you dropped on the spot, what was the basic shot placement(s).

Sadly, if one hunts long enough a lost critter will happen. Never an easy thing.

 

[ETipp]

I use a .54 or a .58 for deer. Farthest shot I have ever taken at a deer was a measured 83 yards. The deer went 10 yards and dropped. I will only take standing, or very slow walking, broad side shots and i aim for the crease behind the shoulder about a 1/3 of the way up from the brisket. The furthest I ever had a deer run after the shot was 80 yards, but he was a dead deer running as his heart was completed destroyed. I have yet to recover a ball from any of the 35 or so deer i have shot over the past 10 years.

This is very informative. Thank you.

 

[TransYank]

I'm no expert. I have killed 3 with 50 caliber flintlocks using 90 gr 3f with 495 RB patched .010 Two of them where broadside about 75 yards ran about 60 yards. One was about 50 yards looking at me shot it thru the eye socket DRT. Killed a few more with 58 caliber over 80 grs. Fall right there. All kills complete pass thru. Will note I always follow deer when they run. The roundball doesn't leave a very good blood trail. Snow helps a lot.

 

[johnraleksa]

I can and have dropped a deer looking face on at 125 yards with my .50 cal. flintlock, .490 round ball I mold from wheel weights, .010 oiled patch with 65gr FFG Goex powder. I use the same powder in the pan as in the bore. The ball entered the chest, bounced off the spine and broke the femur on the way out the back. I think the furthest I've had one run is about 20 yards. However, I'm very cognizant of bullet placement.
Here is the rifle I hunt deer with. I built this rifle when I was 16, I'm now 67. It's a tack driver. In the years I've replaced the barrel and lock from the original barn finds I originally built the rifle with. It now has a Green Moutain Barrel and L&R Lock.

View attachment 198870

Got a question for you. I have some found lead bars. One weight is 25 lbs may have been a window, door weight from a 100++ barn. Other small 3lb bars. Do you think they would be good for bullet making?

 

[Thingamajiggy]

What I've found is that deer shot with roundball usually die relatively quick, with good shot placement but often lack any kind of decent bloodtrail. 50 or 54 cal, results pretty much same.

 

[TransYank]

I always take my fingernail and try to make a mark in the lead. If I can I use it for RB and Mini Balls.

 

[Wildman187]

Trying to find information on this but it is fairly scarce.

For all of you out there that have hunted with round balls, what is/was the average distance a critter traveled after being hit. Please list the caliber, type of critter, distance shot and shot placement as well.

45 caliber, traveled approximately 50 yards, shot behind shoulder, small doe. Shot from about seventy five yards.

 

[GeronPG]

shot 4 with .50 PRB, about 60-65 gr. of ffg. all shot at 15-40 yds., 3 broadside in the heart/lung area; those went completely through, those 3 ran 15-35 yds and dropped, 2 had good blood trails, one not so much. the one that didn't go through was found on opposite hip under the skin after a quartering front shoulder shot.

 

[Rum River]

There are others but these are the three where I can remember the most details.

T/C Hawken .50 caplock with 80grs. Goex FFg. I was moving to a different spot and got a broadside snap shot at a young meat doe at 15 yards. Both of us were very surprised to see each other and I had poor shot placement. Hit her high over the shoulder and broke her back. She dropped right there in great distress and I finished the ordeal with my knife. I’m still ashamed.

My wife used a different T/C Hawken .50 caplock with 60grs. Goex FFg. Was shooting down a slope while in a tree stand at a six-point mainly broadside but quartering slightly towards her. The ball went through the top of the right lung and lightly damaged the bottom of the left lung coming to rest on the inside of the ribcage. There was 12” to 18” of wet snow and the deer still managed to go a couple hundred yards. With flashlights it took an hour or more to find it dead. There were only six tiny drops of blood in that distance. That rifle had accuracy problems and the somewhat lighter powder charge worked best. We don’t do that anymore.

Lyman Great Plains .54 caplock with either 80 or 85grs. Goex FFg. Fifty yards through the timber from a tree stand broadside on a nice eight-point. (See my avatar pic) My hit grazed the back upper ‘corner’ of the shoulder blade, roughly three inches below the spine. Deer dropped in its tracks. The impact blew small pieces of vertebrae bone through the hide on the far side. The ball caromed down along the far inside of the rib cage, never leaving the animal.

 

[ETipp]

There are others but these are the three where I can remember the most details.

T/C Hawken .50 caplock with 80grs. Goex FFg. I was moving to a different spot and got a broadside snap shot at a young meat doe at 15 yards. Both of us were very surprised to see each other and I had poor shot placement. Hit her high over the shoulder and broke her back. She dropped right there in great distress and I finished the ordeal with my knife. I’m still ashamed.

My wife used a different T/C Hawken .50 caplock with 60grs. Goex FFg. Was shooting down a slope while in a tree stand at a six-point mainly broadside but quartering slightly towards her. The ball went through the top of the right lung and lightly damaged the bottom of the left lung coming to rest on the inside of the ribcage. There was 12” to 18” of wet snow and the deer still managed to go a couple hundred yards. With flashlights it took an hour or more to find it dead. There were only six tiny drops of blood in that distance. That rifle had accuracy problems and the somewhat lighter powder charge worked best. We don’t do that anymore.

Lyman Great Plains .54 caplock with either 80 or 85grs. Goex FFg. Fifty yards through the timber from a tree stand broadside on a nice eight-point. (See my avatar pic) My hit grazed the back upper ‘corner’ of the shoulder blade, roughly three inches below the spine. Deer dropped in its tracks. The impact blew small pieces of vertebrae bone through the hide on the far side. The ball caromed down along the far inside of the rib cage, never leaving the animal.

Sometimes things just happen. Anywhere near the neck and/or spine will put one down for sure with just about anything.

 

[Mowrey54]

5 white tails. 54 caliber, 80 grains 3f. 20-40 yard broadside shots through heart/lungs. All dropped where shot. All complete pass through.

 

[Art Caputo]

I’ve used 45-58 cal LRB’s in deer, most 50 yards or less, furthest 110 yards. I like a 1/3 up, behind the shoulder, shot. A few were dead right there, a rest ran 25-60 yards before dropping.

 

[Pierre009]

All the whitetail deer I have taken with my .45 cal. flinter have gone down within a couple strides. Ball placement was in the classic 'kill zone' for deer. I have taken up to 75 yards but would shoot one as far as 100,

Only had one run a short distance...most just take a few steps & drop...

 

[roundballman]

Trying to find information on this but it is fairly scarce.

For all of you out there that have hunted with round balls, what is/was the average distance a critter traveled after being hit. Please list the caliber, type of critter, distance shot and shot placement as well.

I have hunted with round balls in 40, 45, 50., and 54 calibers. Have killed 1 elk, 1 mule deer, and a good number of whitetail deer. The elk was a spike bull at 100 yds with 530 ball and 120 yrs FFg Goex. Shot was through the shoulder broadside and he went down and could not get up. Reloaded, ran over and shot him in the neck. Round ball above was from the shoulder shot, recovered from under the skin on the far side.
One whitetail deer killed with the 40 caliber ball shown above was the only other recovered ball I have. 395 ball, 60 grs FFFg quartering away from me at 25 yds. Ball entered behind last right rib and was found under the skin on the left shoulder. Deer wobbled about 30 yds.

All my other balls were pass through shots, mostly broadside at distances of 75 yds or less. Never had one go over 50 yds but I really try to keep range short and shot placement correct. The older I get the less I want to track 'em.

Trying to find information on this but it is fairly scarce.

For all of you out there that have hunted with round balls, what is/was the average distance a critter traveled after being hit. Please list the caliber, type of critter, distance shot and shot placement as well.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

White Tail, 45 cal, 42 inch swamped barrel. 2033fps.
Shortest shot 25 feet, longest shot about 40-45 yards.
All but one did not go 10 feet. one was a bad shot placement and he ran for 100 yards or so.

 

[longcruise]

The critters you dropped on the spot, what was the basic shot placement(s).

Was always the boiler room. Some lungs only, some lungs with heart damage.

 

[Okie Hog]

i've taken 15-20 deer with round balls fired from .50 and .54 caliber muzzleloaders. I've never had a deer go over 20 yards after being hit with a round ball. Nearly all were taken at ranges <40 yards. Most were standing broadside when shot.

High shoulder shots and high shots just behind the shoulder shots result in bang flops every time.

This buck was DRT after being shot from a tree stand while drinking. Buck was facing me.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Only had one run a short distance...most just take a few steps & drop...

I call those steps 'reaction leaps'. Animal may already be ded on it's feet but instinct causes it to try to flee.