.45 vs. .50

[histed]

I have the itch to build another rifle. I'm retiring soon and I'll have the time. Keep thinking .45 because A) I like hunting groundhogs with a flinter and B) it's still legal for whitetails in PA. Is there any reason I should go .50 instead? I will be shooting patched round balls and I already have a .54 percussion for early season.

[wgr]

the 50 will do anything the 45 will only better jmo.

[rfd]

i think a 45 is fine for the little critters, and even a .40 would do fine for thin skinned medium game like deer with good shot placement and if ya really know yer gun. however, i think a 50 is just better insurance ... particularly as we get wiser, er, i mean long in the tooth, er, i mean older, dag nabbit. i think. where am i? what day is it? is it time for my meds? gosh i love "retirement". ;)

[histed]

I'm readin' ya, rfd. Where am I at, what am I doin', why am I here? Seems to be more "stuff" for the 50, but the 45 uses less lead and powder. Still, big holes bleed faster...I don't know. Whishy one day, washy the next.

[rfd]

personally, i like a 54 with a tad smaller 526 patched ball as a good all 'round trad ml. don't take more than 50 grains of 3f to take care of business upwards of deer at reasonable distances - add a touch more powder if going longer anyhoo, to compliment the 54 i bought a very nice 36 and bobby hoyt reamed it to a 40 and that caliber is tack driver with 35 grains of 3f, and along with a 20ga smoothbore i believe i have all bases covered with that trifecta. life sure is good. :)

[Jedman]

histed, Go with your gut feeling. obviously you have built a rifle before and have probably shot all of the big bores and have a feeling what they will do.
If you like the 45, I say go with it ! I have killed at least 6 deer with a 45 round ball and used with discretion it does a good job. No round ball gun gives you a lot more range or advantage, it's all in getting close and aiming close.

Jedman

[40-82 hiker]

I really like .45 RB in BP. JMHO, but as you already have a .54, I think the difference down to a .50 is not really all that much. Never done it, but I really like the idea of hunting those whistle pigs with a .45 flinter. Wish I had thought of that all those years I lived in VA (have a .45 Hawken). Shot plenty of them (ate them too), but never used BP. Argh!

[mooman76]

45 is better than a 40, 50 is better than a 45, 54 is better than a 50...………. You do your job and there is no reason a 45 will let you down for what you want.

[indian joe]

Given that you already have a 54 for if ya need to get serious - I would go 45 - more fun for less hassle - but make it a proper ball gun with a slow twist so ya can make that ball really sizzle.

[stubshaft]

I like my.45 flinter! and my .50, and and my .32, and my .58, and my .69 etc. If you feel like it build it!

[rancher1913]

your retiring you said, why not build one of each.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
You can always thick patch a caliber .50 with a .45 ball. Hard to seat a .50 in a caliber .45 barrel. When all we had was a rifled .58 it was used for everything. Thick patches make muzzleloaders very adaptable. Today factories churn out those plastic Thangs when everyone could be rolling their own with canvas and leather scraps. 3 layers of old flannel changes ball diameter real fast.
We live in east central ILLinois when up north. Huge corn crunchers. We could easily hunt them and everything else with our Caliber .54 just by thick patching a smaller ball. A .45 ball thick patched may not win any matches but have not yet met a ground hog or racoon that knew the difference. We hunt river bottoms and edges where most shots are under 40 yards. most 25 yds and less.
Use our .36 also for those 4 legged pests, wabbits and thick patch a caliber.32 or .30 for tree rats.
Our exception is the smoothbores for shot hunting (crows are fun) and maybe a pig or corn cruncher. But I am still playing with a Brown Bess (old Navy Arms) seeing how small of a diameter it will get down to and still hit smaller cans at 30 yards. Below caliber .50 it is near counter productive but still fun.
Always figured if our M60A1 tank mounted 105mm main gun could fire a 37mm sabot projectile why not a muzzleloader.
Mike in Peru... Short !

[sharps4590]

I'd go 45. First because I always liked that caliber. Second, I have 54's and I really like that caliber for deer and up. I've had several 50's and never thought there was a thing wrong with them. Just a matter of taste...and I understand wishy/washy....all too well!

[Hanshi]

Okay, .45 is my favorite caliber in a flintlock. I have available .45, .50, .54 and .a .62 smoothbore and have killed untold numbers of deer with with the four. Most fell to various .45s and .50s. On paper the .50 looks better than a .45. But in the real world it's not so cut & dried. The last deer I killed with a .45 left a gruesome, red trail that Ray Charles could follow. And the deer killed with a .45 never ran any farther than the kills with .50s. Only one shot was ever needed for all four and the .45 deer either dropped DRT or fell within sight or hearing. I did take a couple of deer at around 100 yards but also took one at 75yds with a .45. I like my .50 a lot but normally bypass it and go to the .62 smoothbore more and more often. I've taken deer, bobcats and squirrels with .45s. You already have a .54; so the logical step would be to a .45 and NOT a .50.

[bob208]

a larger ball will not make up for sloppy shooting. .45 uses less lead and powder which means more shooting for less cost.

[charlie b]

I did 2nd would go for a .45

The only reason I have a .50 right now is it was the only faster twist gun I could find for under $500

One of these days will have a fast twist .45 barrel made for it. Might even go for a .40

Yes, I hunted mule deer with a .45 ky. Round ball. Had to get closer but it was more fun that way.

Sent from my SM-P580 using Tapatalk

[histed]

Thanks one and all. I have started gathering up parts and pieces and am pretty sure it'll be .45. The plan is to go with either Durs Egg or Siler locks (I'm a southpaw) and make the rifle interchangeable percussion/flint with a 42" barrel. Next question will be Poor Boy or Lancaster style. Brown iron reflects less light, but he Golden Age is real eye candy.

[Beerd]

Have you given any thought to a swamped barrel?
..

[Drm50]

I'm not a big ML nut. I have 2 TC Hawkin Rifles, 45 & 50. Both these rifles are early production and
at the time round balls were the thing. I only use these rifles for Ohio ML deer season. I like the 45
better than the 50. I only shoot Balls, both rifles are good shooters and I have killed deer with both. If you are into history you will find that the big game in the east was shot out almost to
Extinction with MLs of small caliber. 50s didn't come into style until they were needed for Buffalo
& Grizz. I do dabble in original MLs that are signed by the old smiths of this area. A 40 is the biggest I've ever come across and most were smaller.

[509thsfs]

I like my .45 and have a 2nd on the bench now waiting to be done. Used a .50 and .54 for yrs and taken a lot of deer with them. Never had a .45 so built one with the intent of using it for the PA early muzzleloading season, figuring shots would be closer with all the leaves on the trees as opposed to the late flintlock season in Jan. Took a deer at 60yds. Blew up a rib going in, blew up the heart, and took a rib out on exit. Actually surprised me how easy it blew right thru. Liked it so much decided to build another. Still use my .50 and .54 for late season, but don't feel under gunned with that .45 for deer at 50-60 yds. And the Bedford is a delight to carry as opposed to my .54 early Lanc

[pietro]

.

IME, the only advantages of a .50 over a .45 are that commercial .50cal ML boolits are more widely available than .45's; and most commercial frontstuffers made today are .50's (which means that a .45 my not be available in a particular gun desired).

While I'd use a .54 on much larger game than I have available locally (New England), I long ago found that a .45 can take game here just as handily as the various .50's I've used in past years.


.

[histed]

Have you given any thought to a swamped barrel?
..

I have, actually. Inletting would be more challenging and I'm not sure how to start, but it is on the table. There will be no need to hurry.

[NSB]

I've hunted with muzzle loaders for around fifty years now. I can tell you for a certainty that the 45cal with a round ball is very much on the light side for whitetails. A round ball in 45cal if about 127 grains. A round ball in 50cal is 175 grains. I've killed deer with the 45cal and after shooting quite a few with the 45cal and then using the 50cal there is no comparison in penetration and stopping power. I hate to say it, but I lost a couple with the 45cal and that's why I went to the 50cal. Yes, you can kill a deer with a 40g .22lr, but that doesn't make the 45cal a suitable caliber for deer. It just doesn't have enough power for reliable penetration on a deer.

[charlie b]

That is why you have to get close enough for a heart shot. :)

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[Edward]

I've hunted with muzzle loaders for around fifty years now. I can tell you for a certainty that the 45cal with a round ball is very much on the light side for whitetails. A round ball in 45cal if about 127 grains. A round ball in 50cal is 175 grains. I've killed deer with the 45cal and after shooting quite a few with the 45cal and then using the 50cal there is no comparison in penetration and stopping power. I hate to say it, but I lost a couple with the 45cal and that's why I went to the 50cal. Yes, you can kill a deer with a 40g .22lr, but that doesn't make the 45cal a suitable caliber for deer. It just doesn't have enough power for reliable penetration on a deer. It is a 45cal hole and blows thru lungs /ribs ect , you just shoot for the far shoulder ! If it works for my stik bow ,a 45 is overkill :bigsmyl2:

[Beerd]

Have you given any thought to a swamped barrel?
..


I have, actually. Inletting would be more challenging and I'm not sure how to start, but it is on the table. There will be no need to hurry.

Waksupi may be able to give you a few helpful tips if you contact him with a pm.
..

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

either is fine I favor 50s because I have a .490 6 cavity lee mold from track of the wolf what ever you get the track of the wolf 6 cavity mold is mighty nice for feeding them.

[NSB]

It is a 45cal hole and blows thru lungs /ribs ect , you just shoot for the far shoulder ! If it works for my stik bow ,a 45 is overkill :bigsmyl2:

I'm not impressed with your bow kill comparing it to a gun kill. I got my 81st deer with the bow last year and I have a pretty fair idea how an arrow kills and how a gun kills.

[kens]

More recently, I am getting hooked on conicals for .45. I been loading 45acp pistol boolits in my 45 ML. Right now I got them to stabilize in 1:66 twist, but just barely.
My next rifle will be a 45 with a fast twist aka 45-70 barrel blank.
That will accept 45 pistol boolits all day long, shoot them well, and launches 230gr @ 1400fps.
That equate to 44magnum power, and it is still in a rifle.
80gr of FFg with a 45acp boolit,,,,,yeah buddy !!!!!

[Kuato]

I say get BOTH. that's what I did. Love Shooting all of my MLs