Smooth bore elk

[Herb]

I agree with Rifleman1776 and you. Good advice! I hunted spike bulls with a .58 Hawken fullstock flintlock I built, in the Book Cliffs of Utah for six days two years go. Never saw a spike, but about 25 five and 6 point bulls. My load was 140 grains of Goex 2F. A friend killed a trophy bull with 130 grains of 3F in his .58 caplock Hawken. A hunting guide acquaintance of mine told me he saw a .58 roundball BOUNCE OFF the shoulder blade of an elk! I did not get the range or load, but for sure, don't hit bones! As for accuracy, how big is the heart-lung area of an elk, say pizza size? I stongly concur with Snowdragon.

 

[tg]

I would use trhat load out to my p[ersonal limit of 40-50 yds I hunt with a .58 fusil and often use a .550 ball or a .562 you might get a bit better accuracy with the smaller ball if you use a op card and a snugger patch, I use 80gr3f in my fusil 44" barrel for deer and would not hesitate using the same for Elk but I would avoid the shoulder bones, all in all you should be good fro close shots which is really the smoothbores thing so to speak if you could add 10 gr of powder and get a good group it would be a leg up in the game.
the key here will be getting as close as you can, which can equate to a heavier load,manybloads deemed much to light for a particular un at 100 yds will be moving quite fast enough at 40-50 yds due to the rapid shedding of speed/enegy of the ball, distance is the big factor to look at if shooting less "than" stout loads, I used to use a .50 for Elk and still kept my mak range at around 50 yds and this worked very well, I have always felt that if one thinks "archery" when ML hunting most amy reasonable load in an appropriate bore size will dure very well, I have helped look for hit animals for folks for years and the common denominator I always saw was shooting to far with a smoothbore there is a double whammy here one not only looses energy but looses accuracy faster than a rifle, good luck on your hunt whatever you choose to use.

 

[Herb]

Goldhunter, from Lyman Black Powder Handbook & Loading Manual, 2nd edition, a .570 roundball in a 32" barrel, Goex 2F, 60 grains went 1166 fps, 80 was 1323, 100 was 1461, 120 was 1625 and 140 grains was 1773 fps. A 24" barrel was 1188 fps, 1288, 1450, 1568 and 1708 fps. I have not shot a TC New Englander, but the stock shape might give excessive felt recoil with heavy charges.

 

[Bill Hall]

A hunting guide acquaintance of mine told me he saw a .58 roundball BOUNCE OFF the shoulder blade of an elk! I did not get the range or load, but for sure, don't hit bones!

Just to push that point a little more, here's an experience I had that I don't necessarily like to tell, but important to the subject. I was tracking down a wounded cow elk, when I rounded a cedar tree and found her bedded down behind a log, just staring at me no more than four feet away. Instictively, I just pointed the barrel at her chest and fired. This was a .54 roundball loaded with 120 grains. She just got up and walked away. She slowly walked into a small meadow as I reloaded. After about 20 minutes of her and I dancing around to get an ethical shot, I finally got her with a well placed neck shot.

When I was butchering her at home, I found the close-up chest shot I made did nothing but shatter her shoulder blade, with no penetration beyond the bone. I can't imagine how she walked away like she did, but it goes to show how ineffective a shoulder shot can be. The first shot which originally wounded her, was honest. A little too high in her chest, due her angle on the side of a canyon. The first shot illustrates how even the best held shots can be off just enough to cause a wounded animal situation, which is always a possibility and should be prepared for. The second shot is an example of a botched shot, due to my excitement and reaction. Point is, stay away from shoulder shots and bone. Go for the heart/ lung area, but still be prepared for the uncertainty of a quick kill from perfectly placed shot. Bill

 

[Herb]

Bill, thanks for that post. You have done a lot to educate us elk hunters!

 

[Herb]

Here is a yearling elk killed by a rancher on a depredations permit. He donated the meat to a friend, and we cut it up today after aging it for a week in the cooler. This is a yearling.