What is your tried and proven 54 Prb Elk Load?

[Wink]

Ok, No speculation or should be plenty enough.

For those of you that have taken Elk with a 54 prb load, what was your load, at what distance was the animal, and what were the effects?

I mean no disrespect to the many knowledgeable shooters out there, but its only by sharing true results or failures can we hope to learn.

I hope to someday soon do my first ML ELk hunt, and I just want to be amed with best info and load possible to do right by the animal I'm hunting.

Thanks Wink

 

[harleysboss]

My 16yr old son shot his first elk,a 5x5 raghorn, this past hunting season. The gun was a Lyman Trade rifle 54 cal 1 an 48 twist. The load was 100grns ffg Goex .530 Hornady ball and .018 ticking patch lube was ballistol 6-1 let to dry. The shot distance was just under 30 yrds. I did not see the shot due to my calling position. He thought the shot was broadside. His excitement and fear and all the things hunters are faced with at the shot clouded the actual body position of said elk. It was later determined that the shot was actually quartering to him and the ball struck only one lung and traveled through quite a large portion of the elk but failed to exit. We followed up on this animal and can say we were able to put a final killing shot into this bull. That shot was at a bedded elk and the distance was maybe 40 yards. We were above the animal and I watched the ribcage with my binos and saw that the impact was perfect. The bull was unable to regain its feet but was able to live for several more minutes, even with a tight behind the shoulder hit. My son and I learned a great lesson that day about just how tough wild animals are and how making the right shot is. It can and does make a huge difference in distance an animal will travel after the shot. In this instance maybe a half mile. Well that is a first hand account of of an elk killed with a PRB. Good Luck with your hunt.

 

[Little Wattsy]

.535 RB over a .015 prelubed patch over 90 grains of Pyrodex RS sighted in at 100 yards (1" high at 25 yards = 3" high at 50 yards = 'dead on' at 100 yards) out of a 32" 1/60 twist barrel.

 

[Vaino]

My Hawken uses a .535 RB,.020 patch and 120 grs 3f. Last elk was a "lead cow" at a paced off 107 yds...she ran 40 yds towards me and collapsed. Shot was broadside, through both lungs and the greatly flattened RB was retrieved just under the skin of the opposite shoulder. Two more cows were killed w/ this rifle and load..both w/in 50 yds w/ lung hits and none went further than 30 yds after the shot. One flattened RB was retrieved and the other passed through....Fred

 

[longcruise]

For those of you that have taken Elk with a 54 prb load, what was your load, at what distance was the animal, and what were the effects?

I mean no disrespect to the many knowledgeable shooters out there, but its only by sharing true results or failures can we hope to learn.

Full grown lead cow at 45 yards, 535 ball, 110 gr goex ff, broadside through both lungs and topping the heart, elk ran all out from point of impact for 100 yards. Probably covered that distance in less than five seconds and then piled up dead.

35 yards on 5x5 lead bull, 535 ball, 80 gr goex ff, through both lungs. Bull barely reacted to the shot and walked about 15 feet toward the lip of a steep sided timbered gulch about 75 feet deep. Fell over at the lip and slid to the bottom and was DOA.

Now, as old timey muzzle loaders we (at least many of us ) don;t like to get too technical about our loads, but, it can serve you well to think purely in terms of velocity. The variations in barrels, patches and lubes can make a big diffeence in the muzzle velocity of various rifles. Then, you can add in some even bigger differences between powder brands and granulations of powders and we find that the difference between the velocities of two different rifles shooting varying load components can differ as much as 400 fps when using the exact same powder measure. :shocked2:

My own range limits on elk are 50 yards off hand and 75 yards with a good rest. applying that criteria for the .54 I set a minimum velocity of 1650 fps MV for my loads. I know from my own expereince in the field as well as that of others, and having chronographed my own guns and loads as well as the guns and loads of hunting partners that this will do the trick.

I know that is not a very good answer to your question, but given all the variables, it's the only one I got!

 

[hoochiepapa]

...and following Mike's response, please make up your own loads and practice, practice, practice. Following advice is okay as long as you know that your gun will respond most likely different than someone else's. As you are seeing elk are very tough critters.

 

[Ft. Jefferson]

I've taken 1 bull and 3 cows with flinters. 3 were 54cal. 1 with .62 smoothie. All 4 were one shot kills. Yardages: 35,32,34,26. 2 were double lunged. 1 liver shot. The 62cal was at 26yds, took out both shoulder blades. She went 80yds straight down hill. 1 double lung went, maybe 120yd sidehill, the other, the 4X3 bull stood still as i reloaded, then fell as i put the ramrod away. The liver shot cow went uphill 60yd, then collapsed. All 4 loads were PRB with 90grs-3fg. All 3 .54RB could have been reloaded and shot again. The 62ball, while still round, was mildly damaged by the shoulder blades. All 4 balls were recovered under the skin on the off side. Hope this helps!! With any luck at all, I'll have another story this fall!!!

 

[Bill Hall]

Here's some loads I remember using.

.535, 120 grains ffg goex, 32" and 34' barrel. Farthest shot was around 60 yards, closest was maybe 40 yards.

.535, 110 grains ffg goex, 34" barrel. Around 50 yards.

.530, 100 grains ffg goex, 26" barrel. About 30 feet.

5 or 6 elk I can remember with a .54, all were with round ball, and all but one went less than 20 yards. Bulls and cows. I switched to a .58 with 90 grains ffg. It really puts the smackdown on 'em :grin: . Bill

 

[Wink]

All the loads described so far are pretty stout with plenty of powder being used.

Does one ever reach the point of diminishing returns where the amount of powder used isn't being burned compeletly?

And how does one know when that point is reached?

 

[longcruise]

All the loads described so far are pretty stout with plenty of powder being used.

Does one ever reach the point of diminishing returns where the amount of powder used isn't being burned compeletly?

And how does one know when that point is reached?

Yes, there is a point where returns diminish. But, a point where powder is not being burned in the barrel is a matter of considerable contention on this board! :shocked2: I'm of the school that loads within manufacturers recommendations will certainly burn in the barrel.

You can know when you are at the point of diminishing returns by using a chronograph. Not one bit traditional, but an invaluable tool for those who are *learning based*.

 

[tenngun]

took a cow at nearly 50 yards, had an early style hawkin full stock .54 flint it had an l and r waterproofe engllish style lock,42 inch greenriver 1/66 1 inch barrel,load was 110 grains 3f .526 rb with .15 patching lubed with lard. She was angled away from me.Shot just in the rib cage ball went through lung and vasculcer exited just left of center in very stright line,she ran less the 200 yards was about 400 lbs on the hoof :thumbsup:

 

[FGW]

Myron Carlson custom Fullstock Percussion Hawken, 36" Douglas barrel, 120 grains Goex, .530 round ball w/.18 patch. Nice 5 point Colorado bull at 60 yards. Ball broke his back lodging on far side of spine, just under hide. Anchored him, loved the no tracking job. Have shot game all over US and Canada, with this gun over the last 39 years and do to my field experience feel the .54 is the best "all around" big game caliber.(That ought to start something!) Good luck on your hunt.

 

[roundball]

Ball broke his back lodging on far side of spine, just under hide. Anchored him, loved the no tracking job.

In other words, you almost missed him...LOL...I did that one time on a good racked whitetail buck that surprised me and was almost out of sight in the timber. Got excited and rushed the shot, didn't have my head down good, the ball hit high right through the spine and he dropped like a sack of door knobs...a little .40cal ball would have given me the same result in that circumstance.