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Poll: Best all around muzzleloader caliber
- Thread Starter titsonritz
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When I was playing with the smoke poles the 50 seemed to be the sweet spot. LOT's of choices, plenty of power to use for any big game that could be safely hunted with them. If I was going to start in with them again this caliber would be the first one for me.
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I have two rifles and a pistol in .50 cal., but I also have a Matchlock and a Blunderbuss bored to .70 cal. so I can shoot glass marbles. 
I can shoot round ball, or slugs out of the .50 cal's as I have a mold for both.
I can shoot round ball, or slugs out of the .50 cal's as I have a mold for both.
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.50 cal. for me.
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.54 is the one for me.
My favorite rifle is in this caliber.
I have taken :
Grouse
Coyote
Antelope
Deer
Elk
And Bear
With my .54 caliber Hawken Rifle.
Beyond personal bias....
In some states .54 is legal for Elk and Bear...whereas .50 and lower is only legal for Deer.
( Or at least used to be...its been awhile since I looked at out of state regulations )
Andy
My favorite rifle is in this caliber.
I have taken :
Grouse
Coyote
Antelope
Deer
Elk
And Bear
With my .54 caliber Hawken Rifle.
Beyond personal bias....
In some states .54 is legal for Elk and Bear...whereas .50 and lower is only legal for Deer.
( Or at least used to be...its been awhile since I looked at out of state regulations )
Andy
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With you I can see the problem being told only one. At this point Andy would be spending untold hours trying to decide which one.54 is the one for me.
My favorite rifle is in this caliber.
I have taken :
Grouse
Coyote
Antelope
Deer
Elk
And Bear
With my .54 caliber Hawken Rifle.
Beyond personal bias....
In some states .54 is legal for Elk and Bear...whereas .50 and lower is only legal for Deer.
( Or at least used to be...its been awhile since I looked at out of state regulations )
Andy
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This is true...I do have that issue at times.....With you I can see the problem being told only one. At this point Andy would be spending untold hours trying to decide which one
Just for fun here is a picture of the maker of my favorite rifle.
Loren "Doc" Brown.
He was a wonderful gun maker and all around great guy.
I was honored he thought well enough of me for us to be friends.
Andy
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.54 is my choice for the PNW. Have used a Lyman Deerstalker .54 and a T/C Renegade .54 over the years and have had great luck with both.
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These are original , as in antique muzzle loaders.
In my experience with antique muzzle loading rifles most calibers fall in the .42 - .53 caliber range.
Back then , just as now caliber choice depends on the game hunted....As well as the area hunted in.
I think that a rifle in .42 - .53 range was popular , back in the day , because those calibers worked well for most any game.
Which may explain why nowadays rifles in .45 , .50 and .54 caliber are also popular.
Andy
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Let me start off by saying that I know nothing about muzzle loaders.
I have shot exactly one in my life and only one shot (click,,, poof!,,, booom!)
I chose 45 just because that one I shot 40 plus years ago was a 45. Sound reasoning, no?
My wife will attest to the fact that even though I admittedly know nothing I will still have an opinion.
I have shot exactly one in my life and only one shot (click,,, poof!,,, booom!)
I chose 45 just because that one I shot 40 plus years ago was a 45. Sound reasoning, no?
My wife will attest to the fact that even though I admittedly know nothing I will still have an opinion.
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.45 is a great caliber for sure.
Many deer have fallen to over the years.
Historically , I have no doubt that other bigger game has been killed with it as well.
Please note that I am not saying that it is the best or advisable today to use a .45 caliber round ball on elk and such.
Not saying that it won't work...I am saying that legally it may not be allowed and more importantly....
While elk physically haven't changed much since the 1800's....
Hunting areas , game laws and seasons , the time able to hunt , game animal habits and the like have....which will play a huge role in hunting.
Also worth noting here in general....
Round ball makes for an excellent killer on game.
However conical bullets , sabots and the like have changed the game in regards to muzzle loading hunting.
In any event here is my favorite .45 caliber rifle....it is being held by my step-mom.
Andy
Many deer have fallen to over the years.
Historically , I have no doubt that other bigger game has been killed with it as well.
Please note that I am not saying that it is the best or advisable today to use a .45 caliber round ball on elk and such.
Not saying that it won't work...I am saying that legally it may not be allowed and more importantly....
While elk physically haven't changed much since the 1800's....
Hunting areas , game laws and seasons , the time able to hunt , game animal habits and the like have....which will play a huge role in hunting.
Also worth noting here in general....
Round ball makes for an excellent killer on game.
However conical bullets , sabots and the like have changed the game in regards to muzzle loading hunting.
In any event here is my favorite .45 caliber rifle....it is being held by my step-mom.
Andy
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Role of the firearm may play a part in what is "best"
As well as what type of projectile.
Round ball is very effective on game...and accurate.
Conical bullets which have been around since the late 1830's are also a great choice.
Modern jacketed bullets and sabots have made it so that the modern in line muzzle loading rifle , is more or less the same as a center fire rifle.
Just like with any other firearm...
Find a load that your firearm likes and one that you shoot well with.
Practice loading and using that loading.
Stay within your abilities with that load and firearm and you will do fine.
Andy
As well as what type of projectile.
Round ball is very effective on game...and accurate.
Conical bullets which have been around since the late 1830's are also a great choice.
Modern jacketed bullets and sabots have made it so that the modern in line muzzle loading rifle , is more or less the same as a center fire rifle.
Just like with any other firearm...
Find a load that your firearm likes and one that you shoot well with.
Practice loading and using that loading.
Stay within your abilities with that load and firearm and you will do fine.
Andy
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- Thread Starter
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That's a good thing to know. Thanks and for the pictures too
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I reckon that I would pick a 40 caliber. I find it effective on deer sized game and smaller and it uses less powder and ball for the same results.
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This is an interesting question, one Andy and I have had on and off for a while now, It started with my quest to learn which came first, the .44 or .45 bore size! LOL
I don't think we ever learned the answer, but it's a fun topic!
Many here know I collect the Colt Revolving Rifles from the 1850's on up through the end of production around 1865, they were offered in bore sizes from .36 on up to .62 Rifled, and with smooth bores up to .70 My experience is almost exclusive to the .44 and .50 bore sizes, with one of the rifles a "Loose" .44 that slugs out to .454ish! I find the .44's to be very accurate with the heavier then factory (220 grain conicals), or the 180ish round ball, these rifles tend to really like the 250 and 270 grain "Planes" bullets, with range and accuracy comparable to modern rifles like the .444. The one .45 is almost a match to full house .45/70 with the right conicals, the sweet spot being a 325 grain round nose, over 66 grains of 2F, with nearly the same velocities and range! Where things get really fun is the .the .50 cal rifles, the performance leaves no doubts what so ever, and for hunting (With State issued Variance) Killing power is a non issue, and the only real challenge is getting close enough to take an ethical shot, and then putting a bullet through the boiler room! So, my experience is that the .50's Ballistically tend to preform "Better" but it's really only practical in hunting applications, both the .44 and .45 are quite capable of exceptional performance! SO, my final answer is, it all depends, HAHA! Of note, I think you'll find the rifles Twist is going to have a greater effect on how well it's likely to preform, I have both slow twist and fast twist, as issued by Colt, with the rates being changed around 1858 or 59 (MK-III), the slow twist bores do well with ball, and yet handle the lighter end of the weights for the conicals, the fast twist do not do well with ball at all, and while they do perfectly well with the lighter weight conicals, they absolutely LOVE the heavies, and they love being pushed HARD, as in a full charge of 3F crunched down under the bullet! The One rifle I feel confident to take to the edge runs a 405 grain "Planes" type hollow base, flat point conical over top a 140 grain charge of 3F, and clocks a stunning 2500+FPS, THATS flat smokin ( and Boy, do you feel it) for an old smoke poll that was supposed to be outdated when the war broke out!
Beyond all that, I have ran a few .54s and recently helped build a pair for the kiddos, with my rifles, I have never found them wanting in anything, they shoot flat and accurate and hit like a freight train, making a clean and ethical kill isn't an issue, the kiddies are just starting out, so we shoot patched round ball, or Sabot using paper machet shot cups to allow for .45 caliber projectiles so we can keep the recoil reasonable for them, and yet accuracy is quite acceptable! When they are old enough, we will start working up the hunting loads for them so they can take part in this legacy they will inherit, both are super excited to reach the age when they can join the hunt and make their first kill! A YUGE shout out to @Andy54Hawken for his sage advice in choosing a suitable build for the kiddies, .54 is THE correct bore size for Younguns to learn and to grow with!
I don't think we ever learned the answer, but it's a fun topic!
Many here know I collect the Colt Revolving Rifles from the 1850's on up through the end of production around 1865, they were offered in bore sizes from .36 on up to .62 Rifled, and with smooth bores up to .70 My experience is almost exclusive to the .44 and .50 bore sizes, with one of the rifles a "Loose" .44 that slugs out to .454ish! I find the .44's to be very accurate with the heavier then factory (220 grain conicals), or the 180ish round ball, these rifles tend to really like the 250 and 270 grain "Planes" bullets, with range and accuracy comparable to modern rifles like the .444. The one .45 is almost a match to full house .45/70 with the right conicals, the sweet spot being a 325 grain round nose, over 66 grains of 2F, with nearly the same velocities and range! Where things get really fun is the .the .50 cal rifles, the performance leaves no doubts what so ever, and for hunting (With State issued Variance) Killing power is a non issue, and the only real challenge is getting close enough to take an ethical shot, and then putting a bullet through the boiler room! So, my experience is that the .50's Ballistically tend to preform "Better" but it's really only practical in hunting applications, both the .44 and .45 are quite capable of exceptional performance! SO, my final answer is, it all depends, HAHA! Of note, I think you'll find the rifles Twist is going to have a greater effect on how well it's likely to preform, I have both slow twist and fast twist, as issued by Colt, with the rates being changed around 1858 or 59 (MK-III), the slow twist bores do well with ball, and yet handle the lighter end of the weights for the conicals, the fast twist do not do well with ball at all, and while they do perfectly well with the lighter weight conicals, they absolutely LOVE the heavies, and they love being pushed HARD, as in a full charge of 3F crunched down under the bullet! The One rifle I feel confident to take to the edge runs a 405 grain "Planes" type hollow base, flat point conical over top a 140 grain charge of 3F, and clocks a stunning 2500+FPS, THATS flat smokin ( and Boy, do you feel it) for an old smoke poll that was supposed to be outdated when the war broke out!
Beyond all that, I have ran a few .54s and recently helped build a pair for the kiddos, with my rifles, I have never found them wanting in anything, they shoot flat and accurate and hit like a freight train, making a clean and ethical kill isn't an issue, the kiddies are just starting out, so we shoot patched round ball, or Sabot using paper machet shot cups to allow for .45 caliber projectiles so we can keep the recoil reasonable for them, and yet accuracy is quite acceptable! When they are old enough, we will start working up the hunting loads for them so they can take part in this legacy they will inherit, both are super excited to reach the age when they can join the hunt and make their first kill! A YUGE shout out to @Andy54Hawken for his sage advice in choosing a suitable build for the kiddies, .54 is THE correct bore size for Younguns to learn and to grow with!
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Game species determines what caliber is best.
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You mentioned in-lines there, Sir. A few years back one of our fellow members arrove with one. Thankishly, he had the instructions with him to help us out, since although I had seen them on sale in USA, I'd never seen one actually being used. It was, I recall, in .54cal, and he was shooting saboted HP bullets in front of THREE 50gr Pyrodex pellets and getting kicked into a week next Sunday with every shot.
I suggested, mainly because I don't care to see a grown many crying, that he reduce the load to two pellets, given that even that was going to a teeth-rattler, but he'd been told by the vendor that he really needed to get used to it because it was the only way he was going to meet the velocity/muzzle energy requirement hereabouts to take deer.
After ten or so shots, with great lack of success on the 100m point, I gently dropped the hint that he might have more luck on the 50m range, as that is somewhere around where most deer were dropped in the mainly wooded areas in the local counties. He horrificated me by responding that he'd been advised that he had no intention of shooting eyeball to eyeball shots with deer here in England, but was planning to go to Scotland to shoot 'deer on the hill' - usually the preserve of rifles of more than 1750 ft lbs AND 2500 fps. Note, however, that neither figure is a recommendation, per se, rather they are legal requirements. A quick flarp around with a set of ballistic tables advose him that although the muzzle energy was possibly attainable [albeit at the cost of a busted shoulder], the velocity was not.
He left soon afterwards in a somewhat agitated state, telling anybody who would listen that he'd been conned into buying the rifle in the first place, and wondering how he was going to get his money back from the vendor, who must have laffin' like a drain to have off-loaded such a rara avis to such a klutz.
We never saw it again, although he is still a member.
Never seen one since, either on sale or in action. There is simply nothing you can use it on, 'cept paper.
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A shame that rifle will probably go into a closet and never be fired again.
As for the, "Dealer" I would think the word would be out on him.
As for the, "Dealer" I would think the word would be out on him.
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