.50 Vs .54 Cal

[SimonT]

Hi All,

Im about to purchase my first muzzleloader!!

Im looking at a Lyman Deerstalker in percussion cap. seems like an affordable option for my first one, and percussion cap might be easier to get the hang of over flintlock.

Anyway, assuming the above is the right direction, what should i get..... .50 or .54 cal?

I cant imagine i will do a lot of hunting with it.... if i do, it will be pigs or kangaroos, so nothing as big as deer. Its more for the fun of shooting.
I get the feeling that .50 is probably the most versatile, available and cost effective... is this the case, and will i be disappointed if i dont get the .54?

Thanks guys...

[mooman76]

The 50 will take anything deer size or smaller and some people even hunt as big as elk with them. A bit(slightly) more on the economy size compared to the 54 and a more popular size so there are more options but you won't go wrong and I can't see you being disappointed with either one.

[rfd]

with deer primarily in mind, i agree that the .50 would be my choice ... unless hogs were also hunted.

[LAGS]

I vote for starting with the .50.
It will give you something else to buy, once you are addicted to Muzzle Loading.
Trust Me, your first ML will rarely be your last ML.

[JWFilips]

I'm going to tell you a little about Muzzleloaders ...Take it with a grain of salt (because what do I know) A .40 Caliber and .54 Caliber round ball long gun are inherently the most accurate calibers.

[Edward]

The 50 works great but the 54 does every thing the 50 will do and then goes further with more and heavier loaded up or down and with a patched round ball that does matter ,being over gunned ain"t bad !!!!

[OverMax]

50 for land animals. 54 for crocks and great white's up close enough where one can see plack build up on either's big tooth.
Patch/ Round ball in either caliber feels about the same in recoil. When one changes to heavy weight bullet type projectiles and powder charges upwards of 90 grs. & plus. Than there is a significant change in recoil felt between the two. Enough to where one may step back and say "ouch!! that 54 sure does kick"

[waksupi]

I'm going to tell you a little about Muzzleloaders ...Take it with a grain of salt (because what do I know) A .40 Caliber and .54 Caliber round ball long gun are inherently the most accurate calibers.

They do tend to run that direction.

[SimonT]

Thanks for the advice so far guys... Keep it coming
What are your thoughts on the lyman?

[725]

Lyman sidelocks are well made and a good buy for an off the rack gun. I wouldn't be shy to have either .50 or .54. Both will serve well. If punching paper is your primary ambition, I would lean toward the .50. If hunting is in the mix, I'd go .54. Really both will do it all, and do it all very well. My preference for the .54 is just me. I've used both and neither have let me down. Jump in and enjoy yourself!!

[Good Cheer]

The GPR? Mine are real good.
By the way, for the .54 the Lyman load data gives 110 grains of FFg for the 450 grain maxi. In the round ball slow twist barrel that's plenty to stabilize the old Ideal / Lyman extra thick skirted hunting load minie as well as expand the skirt to fill the deep grooves. So, if you ever feel the urge to shoot long boolits instead of short round boolits the capability is there.

[swathdiver]

If you're planning to shoot the gun in the traditional manner, with a PRB, go with the .54 caliber.

If you're planning to shoot the gun in the contemporary manner, with boolits, sabots, fake powder, etc., go with the .50 caliber.

As for the rifle itself, it is well made and will serve one well who takes care of it. I'm partial to the Trade Rifle, it comes right up on the sights.

[Gofaaast]

I have 2 54's and have never regreted going with the 54. If you are on this site, most likely you are not worried about the limited availability of projectiles for the 54 compared to the 50. That is the only negative of owning 54's IMO.

[True.grit]

Go with the 50 first then when you get hooked you will need a 54, 45 36, 32, 40, 58..........

[rodwha]

I have a .50 cal percussion Deerstalker (blued with PRB grooves) and love it. It's a good rifle.

Lyman sells additional barrels fairly cheap.

I chose the .50 cal as there are many more options and availability, and felt if I was given the opportunity to hunt something large like elk I could use a conical. Mine shoots the 320 grn REAL very well too.

The .50 cal has a little flatter trajectory and the .54 bucks the wind a little better.

Were I to do over again I'd likely get a .54 instead. I'd prefer to use the larger ball and I cast my projectiles anyway.

[leeggen]

either will do your hunting well. I have both a 50 and a 54.TC Hawkens love to shoot both. I never seem to notice much difference in the recoil, although the 54 does use more powder than tha 50 and heavier bullits. Of corse I love the smell of black powder, it is like the arroma of a fresh baked apple pie to me. That big cloud of smoke you have to wait to clear so you can see your game is just wonderful to see.
CD

[SimonT]

The GPR? Mine are real good.
By the way, for the .54 the Lyman load data gives 110 grains of FFg for the 450 grain maxi. In the round ball slow twist barrel that's plenty to stabilize the old Ideal / Lyman extra thick skirted hunting load minie as well as expand the skirt to fill the deep grooves. So, if you ever feel the urge to shoot long boolits instead of short round boolits the capability is there.

was thinking the deer stalker.

[rbuck351]

I have a CVA with both 50 and 54 barrels.I don't use the 50 barrel at all as the 54 will shoot patched ball or if you want to shoot .490 balls real easy, get a bag of 28ga shotgun wads, drop in a 490 ball and grease up the outside of the wad. It slides down real easy first shot or 50th. If you had boolits of the right size .490 or a 45cal paper patched to .490, you could drop them in a 28ga wad and shoot boolits as long as your twist will allow. A 54 is 2in1 thing using 28ga wads.

[Rustyleee]

My first muzzleloader was a Lyman Great Plains Rifle about 35 years ago. Mine was a .50 that I shot at club matches. After a few months I wanted to see just how well I could do so on the advice of a nationally ranked shooter in our club I built a .45 cal barrel and fitted it with a Lyman Globe front site and a rear peep. That barrel sot better than most of the modern rifles I had at the time. If you want to be an accurate target shooter, heavier recoil will not help you. A .50 cal round ball is a very good killer for up to deer sized game including hogs. Because of the twist in your rifle I'd say it will shoot conical slugs just fine for anything bigger.

[triggerhappy243]

What is fake powder?