to .54 or not to .54?

[n8dawg6]

well, before i buy my flinter, i want to take a poll and see who's a .50 fan and who's a .54 fan. :hmm: probably doesnt make any difference which caliber i get, but i need something to help me decide. :grin:

ive got supplies for either caliber, so that's not a factor. :hmm: i know that sam fadala says that the .54 is better on deer :hmm: , but ill probably be plinking with this gun more than shooting deer. :hmm: but i figure that the .54 has a bigger bore :hmm: , with the same diameter barrel :hmm: , so it probably weighs a little less. :hmm: but probably not much. :hmm: also, ill be casting my bullets, so lead costs arent a big deal. :hmm:

 

[roundball]

well, before i buy my flinter, i want to take a poll and see who's a .50 fan and who's a .54 fan. :hmm: probably doesnt make any difference which caliber i get, but i need something to help me decide. :grin:

ive got supplies for either caliber, so that's not a factor. :hmm: i know that sam fadala says that the .54 is better on deer :hmm: , but ill probably be plinking with this gun more than shooting deer. :hmm: but i figure that the .54 has a bigger bore :hmm: , with the same diameter barrel :hmm: , so it probably weighs a little less. :hmm: but probably not much. :hmm: also, ill be casting my bullets, so lead costs arent a big deal. :hmm:

Here's one opinion...with everything you've outlined above, and it was my only Flintlock that I'd be going deer hunting with, I'd get the .54cal...a little larger frontal area and heavier weight then the .50cal...and the extra weight will carry a higher level of energy to a longer distance than the .50cal.
Enjoy!

 

[J.D.]

I like the 54. IMHO, it's an all 'round caliber.
J.D.

 

[more powder]

Ilike the 54 it good for targets and hunting and wind does not blow it off as much as a50

 

[rusty]

54 if you ever hunt anything bigger than a whitetail the extra weight and mass will come in handy.

 

[Big John]

I only use .50cal but feel the .54 might be better for 100yd. targets, especially hunting. It's just wally worlds don't carry much in .54cal accessories.

 

[Swampman]

I've owned 8 or 10 .54s and I think they are easier to shoot accurately. Given the weight and velocity of the PRB, we need all the help we can get.

 

[rich pierce]

All I know is, for custom builders, most customers want .54's now, not .50's, in guns where this is appropriate. .54's are probably 3x as popular right now. Of course that will change. Fun to see what's the next trend in what is "cool".

Reasons I like the .54:
I have big hands
Big hole in end of the gun- easy to center
Lighter barrel at given diameter for hunting
Could be an elk gun

Reasons I like the .50:
lighter balls- carry 36 instead of 28, weighs about the same.
Lower recoil at same velocity
Less lead, powder used if I shot a lot
Better for an offhand gun with same barrel dimensions (heavier)

 

[Old Charlie]

I have both and find I do almost all of my shooting with the .54s. Can't say why. Just the way it is.
Old Charlie

 

[walruskid1]

thanks guys, it was great reading all the posts in favor of a .54 today. of course i just bought a .50 gpr last week. probably would have bought a .54 armed with this info. i am mostly just punching paper with it. its my first flintlock. :hmm:

 

[roundball]

thanks guys, it was great reading all the posts in favor of a .54 today. of course i just bought a .50 gpr last week. probably would have bought a .54 armed with this info. i am mostly just punching paper with it. its my first flintlock. :hmm:

Yeah, but the differences are not all that noticeable at typical deer hunting distances, and you essentially got a new Renegade with a way above average beautiful stock for the outrageous price of $150...that trumps everything...buy all the .50cals at that price that you can !!
:hatsoff:

 

[Landngroove]

My vote also goes for a .54. More versatile.

 

[n8dawg6]

thanks guys, it was great reading all the posts in favor of a .54 today. of course i just bought a .50 gpr last week. probably would have bought a .54 armed with this info. i am mostly just punching paper with it. its my first flintlock. :hmm:

aw, dont give up on the .50 too soon. :winking: i was actually quite persuaded by the following:

Reasons I like the .50:
lighter balls- carry 36 instead of 28, weighs about the same.
Lower recoil at same velocity
Less lead, powder used if I shot a lot
Better for an offhand gun with same barrel dimensions (heavier)

 

[walruskid1]

thanks roundballshooter, i am very happy with the rifle so far. nice grain in the stock and decent finish on the metal. of course the inletting looks like it was done by a nearsighted beaver. little oversized around the tang. should get to the range today.

 

.54 fan here, that's all I've ever owned.

 

[Birddog6]

I would go with the .54 if it were me. More knockdown energy at the 75 yard mark, larger hole, just a better all around deer caliber, IMHO. Not a noticable dif. in the recoil to me.

1: Deer hunting you need 4-5 balls in your possibles. So basically we are talking about little weight dif. in the 50 vs 54

2: On the ones I have shot, I usually use almost the same amount of powder in both so there is no powder savings $ for me.

3: Weight ? Well, that all depends on the maker & barrels used. Some us a smaller dia. barrel for a .50 , some use the same dia barrel with dif. bore size.
Using a B-50 (B weight in .50 cal.) a swamped 38" barrel weighs 1/2# less than a C-54 (C weight in .54 cal.) in 38" length.
However a C50 in 38" weighs 1/2# more than a C54 in 38" length, because it is an identical barrel with smaller more = more mettal in the barrel.
Just depends on the rifle & maker. But all in all, we are usually talking about a 1/2 - 1# weight difference & to me that is not an issue when deer hunting or target shooting.

:thumbsup:

 

[tg]

As I limit my range to about the same with either for hunting and have owned a few of both and target/trail shot both I would have to flip a coin, as the difference for my purposes is nill, If I were to step up to Moose or larger than Elk type game I would go for the .58 or .62 and skip past the .54 anyway.

 

[RiverRat]

I have two 50's and they both are here to stay. I will be getting my first .54 in a couple of weeks so I can not comment from expeirence. Shot placement is what's important.....Good luck with your new rifle :thumbsup:

 

[Jacobite]

Between .50 or .54 I would go .54. The first rifle I built myself was a .54 wish it was a .58 I still have it and shoot it once in awhile but like the .62 jaegar I built better.

 

[Swampman]

"thanks guys, it was great reading all the posts in favor of a .54 today. of course i just bought a .50 gpr last week. probably would have bought a .54 armed with this info."

Get Track of the Wolf to make you up a .54 caliber Green Mountain drop in barrel for it. They shoot like a house-a-fire.