Roundball Performance on Game

[jethro224]

So far I've only killed 4 deer with PRB. With a bit of luck that may change tomorrow. :grin:

My first PRB deer was a doe I shot 40-50 yards out, broadside thru the center of the lungs with a .54 flint GPR .530/.018 ticking/80g 3F. Pass-thru. She ran about 30 yards with no blood trail, then about 30-40 more with a good blood trail.

Second was a BIG buck broadside at about 100 yards. Low toward the back of both lungs. .50 GPR capper .490/.015/70g 2F. Pass-thru. He turned and took 2 steps uphill. Stopped. Wobbled. Two steps back and turned the way he was going before. And crumpled.

3rd a small bambi doe at about 10-15 yards. .490/.020/70g 2F. Double lung pass-thru. Ran 40-50 yards. Decent blood trail from the start to finish.

4th a good size buck at 50-60 yards quartering away and down-hill. .490/.020/75g 2F. Hit high in the left back, nicked the spine, took out the right lung and exited the right armpit. He dropped like a sack of hammers and slid down the hill about 20 yards leaving a blood smear a foot wide all the way to the bottom where I couldn't see. I let him sit 15 minutes or so and when I got down there he was gone.
He went 15 yards and left one drop of blood. Then about 300 yards with no blood I ever saw. Then bled real nice for about another 100 yards to where he finally dropped for good. Thank God for good luck and good neighbors or I'd have lost that one.

In about 6 hours I'll head out to see if I can shoot number 5. :thumbsup:

 

[Greenmtnboy]

 

[rabjr]

Gman, wash yer hands! It's time to eat! :haha:

 

[XXX]

Stop show'in off. :grin:

 

[Little Wattsy]

Well....Did it die?
:wink:

 

[KyFlintlock]

Most pics are only worth 1000 words, that one HAS to be worth 2000.

If you hit them where you are supposed to, you will have a pic just like this one above.

Good luck
Wess

 

[ryanhogg]

Greatest.Picture.Ever

 

[lonewolf5347]

I have a week left to decide on what load to shoot out of my 50 cal. flinter 100 grains of 3F goex hornady Patched RB OR
I tried a few last week 320 Grain REALS conicals with 70 grains of goex 3F man they just made one large hole at 50 yards target
round ball with that charge just drop s them in at the 50 yard target about 3" high over center right on at the 100 yd target.

 

[jethro224]

I'll head out to see if I can shoot number 5.

Number 5 with PRB. :grin: .490/.020/75g 2F, big doe, 30 yards broadside, double-lung pass-thru, 1 jump forward and a spin, 2 more jumps, fall down, hop right back up and run away. @ 75 yards total covered after the shot. No blood for 15 yards or so then a good blood trail all the way to the deer. Looked like this.

 

[tg]

"What are everyones experiances with roundball on game?


Don't see how you could possibly kill a deer with one.. :stir:

 

[Walks with fire]

My experience with roundballs is limited to .50 caliber but I have seen the results of .54 rb's on game and I think they would be a tad better even on whitetails. Most of our group shoot .50's and a few use .54's so I do see alot of roundball harvested deer.

What I have found (for me) is that if range is kept under 80 yards they work fine. I also push them a little faster than most would. I want as much expansion as I can get. On shots under 40 yards or so with 90-100 grains of Goex I have found the ball does not normally exit and drops whitetail quite quickly but at ranges beyond that it does exit and most will run a short distance. With shots over 80 yards I have (and others in my party) had whitetails go many yards even with very good hits and some were not recovered. I don't shoot beyond 80 yards anymore with my .50 and a roundball. Years ago I used much lighter charges of 60-70 grains and even on shots under 50 yards it would exit but the deer would still travel some distance and some required a second ball. I don't like it when my deer is not put down fast and expires quickly. I hit em hard if I am going to shoot. I normally shoot conicals for that reason; big soft lead just plain works. I do have to get a slow twist .54 barrel to test out one of these days!

 

[Headhunter]

One shot kills on over 50 head of big game.

50 and 58 Caliber.

Nuff said.

Headhunter

 

[Greenmtnboy]

If you are hunting states that only allow open sights, conicle or PRB should be on par with each other because you shoulden't be shooting over 100 yrds with open sights anyway.
The draw backs, PRB can be easly affected in heavy winds where conicles, because of the weight factor drop quickly after 100 yrds but ride true in the wind at short (100yrd) distances.
I now shoot only PRB and shoot a heavy load(110grns ffg Goex express) out of my 54 hunting rifle for down range ballstics but when I was a big conicle shooter I put ajustable peep sights or creedmore sights on my rifles and practiced at many different ranges so I would know when and how much I needed to ajust my sights.
For folks who can't judge distance, GET A RANGE FINDER! I have shot all my life and can range very accuratly.
But have seen a lot of folks who can't especially out west here where distance is hard to judge.

 

[Greenmtnboy]

Well....Did it die?
:wink:

 

[rabjr]

"What are everyones experiances with roundball on game?


Don't see how you could possibly kill a deer with one.. :stir:

Come on TG, theres a time and a place for that. Heres your chance to answer the question like so many of us have and you, post this? :idunno:

 

[Walks with fire]

150 yards is a perfect 7 iron; don't need no range finder and I can and do hit a 6" pie plate every time at 150 yards with standard open sights with conicals and the unmentionables. The bead rests on top of the rear sight at 150 and shoot to a 6-oclock hold. Getter done.

 

[Idaho Ron]

"What are everyones experiances with roundball on game?


Don't see how you could possibly kill a deer with one.. :stir:

Come on TG, theres a time and a place for that. Heres your chance to answer the question like so many of us have and you, post this? :idunno:

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

[Stumpkiller]

I think it's mostly shame as kills them for not bein able to out-run such a dismal ballistic coefficient. :haha:

 

[Goshawk]

I can’t imagine a better explanation!

 

[roundball]

I've been lucky to have had a couple great small places to hunt since the early 90's...loaded with oaks & acorns, with adjacent crop fields, clear-cuts, and water ponds. We get 6 deer tags per year (2 bucks, 4 Does) with our license and up until a couple years ago when I started hunting for bucks only I used to hunt until I filled all 6 tags.

My closest deer were a 5 pointer, then a doe, shot at 18-20 yards as they each came through an oak flat where I was sitting squirrel hunting with a .45cal and 40grns Goex 3F...both heart shots and fell in sight after a 20-25 yard sprint.

My longest was a 70 yard shot down a logger’s road with a .54cal...heart shot complete pass-through, lunged a few body lengths and fell in sight.

I shot one buck straight in the chest through his heart at 20 yards with a .62cal...the big ball traveled the full length of his body, stopping bulging the hide on the back of his right ham...he fell stone dead where he stood.

The rest over those years, 75-80 bucks and does, were all shot in the woods with .45/.50/.54/.56/.58/.62 cal PRBs in the 25-50 yard range...heart shot / pass-throughs. The reactions were everything from a few dropping in their tracks, to most making a mad dash for 25yds before crashing, to a few going 35 yards before falling...all fell within sight of where I was sitting.

The killing power, efficiency, and reliability of the simple round lead ball that was commonly used during the early American traditional muzzleloading era is incredible and the settlers knew it. This year I was lucky to get a couple good bucks...both were taken with .58cal PRBs right at 50 yards...heart shots/passthroughs...the 6 pointer dropped in his tracks, the 8 pointer sprinted 25yds.