What cal for elk

[humpy blaster]

Hi all
Got another question seems like I got lots of them. I am having a rifle built just for hunting big game, mostly gonna target elk since I live kinda in the middle of them.I was going to have a 54 cal 42 in built but then figured since it was probibly going to shoot more elk than anything I would have it in 58 cal.I was thinking on a c weight rice swamped barrel cause it would be lighter to carry.I would like to hear all the pros and cons any suggestions would be appreciated.Anyone ever shoot an elk with a 58 and how well did it perform for you, a flint of course.Thx Don

 

[roundball]

I've never shot an Elk but am fortunate to get to fill several eastern whitetail tags each year, and having used several calibers over the years, I became sold on the .58cal from from the first range trip / deer that I took with it.
IMO, it definitely has "whompability" at a step-level beyond the normal progression from .45 to .50 to .54cal.
So much so, for my final retirement deer rifle I had a .58cal Virginia built using a Rice 38" D-weight barrel with round bottom grooves...well balanced, easy in the thick woods, and absolutely love it.
I've had other Virginias built with 42" barrels and could easily see the .58cal being built with a 42" just as well...probably more of a decision based on your personal preference than actual performance.

 

[humpy blaster]

Thx Roundball
Reason I thought on a 42 in is may get a little more velocity out of it though dont know for sure.I know from experience that I dont cover more than 2 miles all day long so a long rifle is not much bother.I also know they are tough and like to run down hill when hit so like to anchor them where they stand. Just thought a 58 ball through front shoulders should do that at close range

 

[Kentuckywindage]

54cal without a doubt. Im using a 50cal this year but im shooting conicals.

 

[hoochiepapa]

I use a .54, never seen the need for a larger caliber.

 

[KHickam]

Shot elk with a 50 a 54 and a 62 - they all did the job - that being said - moving to NM so elk are on the list to hunt again - I ordered a new 54 cal - because I wanted just a bit more ooomph than my 50 cal.

 

[Bill Hall]

If you're talking round balls only, .54 and larger for a dedicated elk rifle. I have used .54 and .58 round balls to take elk, and each have their pros and cons.

The .54 is relatively flat shooting, so less adjustment is needed to compensate for range variation. It has PLENTY of knock-down power, so that's not an issue. But, if you're using a straight barrel (not tapered or swamped), you are lugging around extra weight as compared to the .58 with the same size barrel.

The .58 has more of a ballistical arc, so more practice at different ranges is needed, so that a "right now" shot becomes instictive, without taking time to think about elevation adjustment. Obviously, the rifle is lighter with the same size barrel as a .54, so that is a BIG plus when sneaking through the mountains all day. The difference in wallop between the .54 and .58 is very noticeable. As our member Roundball would say, It has some serious "Whompability".

Thinking back, I believe I've taken 5 elk with a .54 round ball, including one big bull. All but one went 20 yards or less before falling over. (we won't talk about the one that didn't, botched shot :redface: ) I've only taken one big cow with a .58 round ball, but boy howdy, it did a job on her. There was a loud "SMACK" when the ball hit her, she lunged forward, did a flip, and that was it.

My .58 is my dedicated elk rifle from now on, due to its lack of weight and power. It gives me a sense of confidence. You may like a .54, or even a larger caliber, like .62. Confidence in your ability is a big factor in whatever you choose. Bill

 

[gsday]

Put me in the bigger is better catagory.

I'd be fine with 54 cal as a minimum. Lots of elk die from 50 cal holes too.

You know elk though. You don't always get the angle you want on that crease behind the shoulder.

I've killed 2 with my 62 (round balls). Both shoulder shots. Both at odd angles. Both went right down.

I'm always joking that I've never seen a whole elk to shoot at!

My suggestion is if you have the chance to decide on a "Big Game" caliber get the 58.

I hunt whitetails with my 50 and love it. I hunt elk with the 62!

Greg

 

[VTdeerhunter]

Placement is more important than size, IMHO...I shot my biggest elk, a huge 6x6 bull with my bow, he went 20 yds after a double lung hit.

Tough lesson learned sharing time :shake: .... you need to remember that an elk anatomy is different than a deer...there is a large gap between the top of the lungs and the spine where there is nothing...a hit in this area can lead to a long tracking job and no dead animal for your tag, hit in this area they seem to heal up just fine.

Hunting the Hela in NM, one of the guys in our hunting group hit one, he claimed a perfect double lung hit, 2 days of tracking = no bull. Heading out of the woods 4 days later we saw him again..... in the back of another hunters truck (recognized him by the broken brow tine) :slap:

The animal had traveled miles from my buddies shot and was mounting a cow when the successful hunter found him....yes, he let him finish before dropping him :thumbsup: . Was nice enough to let us examine the animal and we found a thru and thru in the empty spot between the lung and spine....tough lesson :shake:

 

[Vaino]

Shot a few elk w/ a .50 cal using a 410 gr Buffalo Bullet and also w/ a .54 cal. using a PRB and all the elk went less than 50 yds after the hit. All were broadside lung shots. The last elk was shot at 107 paced off yds w/ a .54 PRB and went 40 yds before dropping. As was said...shot placement is of prime importance.....Fred

 

[Snow on the Roof]

In 1998 I was on my first elk trip in Colorado. At the time I was shooting a a recurve. On the 5th day my hunting partner killed a nice cow elk with his training wheel bow. This was my first time up close to an elk and my initial reaction was " Bill, ya killed somebody's horse!" I have since been involed with the butchering duties of several more elk but they continue to impress me with their size and physical structure. These are heavily muscled, large bone animals. A 177 grain pill seems terribly small by comparison. Personally a .54 RB would be my minimum. A dedicated elk rifle .58 would be a better choice .62 better yet {long as we are talking roundballs}. I have always thought, if one can handle the recoil, bigger is better. In hunting big animals there is no such thing as too dead. With in reasonable limits a lrger caliber will always prove best.

Snow

 

[Bill Hall]

Good point about the size of an elk. I think what often happens when a hunter is first confronted with an up close shot at an elk is they get overwhelmed by their size. It's safe to say that most first time elk hunters are already familiar with deer hunting, and when they are told that elk are bigger than deer, they think, "Ok, elk are like big deer, maybe a few inches taller. I can handle that".

The fact is, elk are 5 to 6 times larger than deer (weight-wise), so when a hunter gets a shot, especially at closer muzzleloader ranges, he gets a little flustered (like pee your pants flustered). It's instictual to just point the rifle at the side of the animal, since it's a big area, and it's the best they can do with shakey hands and erratic breathing. Well, there goes the pinpoint shot placement out the window, it's either a miss, or a botched shot.

So with that in mind, I tend to tout a .54 or larger for elk, especially for the first time hunter. Larger calibers don't totally compensate for a bad shot, but they do help bring the animal down if "elk fever" plays a part in a less-than-perfect shot placement.

A few months ago, I wrote a post about my daughter's first elk hunting experience. She was so overwhelmed by the sheer size of the elk that she missed a perfect broadside cow standing at 40 yards. She had all the time in the world, she just couldn't get her breathing under control. Luckily, it was a complete miss, rather than a crippled lost elk. After the shot, she told my she had no idea elk were so big, even though she's seen planty of elk before. It's different when your looking down your sights at one. Bill

 

[BillinOregon]

I have a 1:100 twist heavy .72 flint English sporting rifle in the pipeline, designed for good, stiff 150-grain charges and patched round balls. I b'lieve she'll "make 'em come," but I may need a personal teenager to carry it for me!

 

[Herb]

Here is Donald Coombs with a 6x6 bull he killed with a .58 Bill Large rifle I worked up loads for. He used 130 grains of Goex 3F and a .570 roundball at 1780 fps. Read about it at http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/240313.

Here I am with a .58 fullstock flint Hawken I built and hunted spike bulls with for six days in Utah's Book Cliffs in 2010 and 3 days for any bull in the Uintahs this year. Did not get a shot, load was 140 grains of Goex 2F at 1820 fps with a roundball. But I learned something about carrying a big heavy rifle. That was OK, but it is too heavy for me to shoot accurately off-hand. So I will put this rifle up for sale (I repaired it after my fall), and build a lighter one.

Here is what I will build. This is Neill Fields rifle that he built for the Fort Bridger Rendezvous last September. It is .54 caliber, swamped barrel, flint, and handles very well. A friend acquired it from the raffle winner.

If for mainly elk, I'd make it a .58 swamped barrel. But I have two Chambers Jaeger barrels, 31" .50 and .54, so will build up a .54 for antelope hunting this fall and a bull elk hunt. For antelope and deer I'd make up the .50, but for elk I want the .54. For mainly elk it would be a 31 or 32" swamped barrel .58.

 

[Bill Hall]

Herb, you're supposed to SHOOT the elk, not BUTTSTROKE them. Bill

 

[Herb]

Thanks, Bill, I got a kick out of that. By the way, the rifle I will build is called an English Sporting Rifle, I think. Flint, of course.

 

[BillinOregon]

Herb, that Fields rifle is elegantly simple. I like that in a hunting gun. Can't wait to see what you come up with.

 

[VTdeerhunter]

The shaking hands gets even worse when the bulls are bugeling...something everyone should hear in their lives...awesome, but intimidating

 

[Kentuckywindage]

The shaking hands gets even worse when the bulls are bugeling...something everyone should hear in their lives...awesome, but intimidating

For me, its my legs and then my guts turn ice cold when stalking something big.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

Two years ago, we used a 50 cal, it when through the first rib bone, and all the way thought the far side rib bone.

My 45 cal does 2030fps, way faster than my 45/70.

Dont even own nuttin bigger