54 caliber for deer

[rodwha]

Any projectile from a .54 cal will do the job on a deer. A round ball is all you need. Let me tell you a story I saw with my own eyes on a Manitoba moose hunt. My uncle was hunting with a .54 cal T/C Renegade. He was shooting a .530 round ball over 100gr of 3Fg Goex. The moose was ranged at 170 yards with a Bushnell laser rangefinder. He shot the moose broadside. It made a mad dash for about 40 yards and piled up dead as a hammer. When we quartered the moose this is what we found. The ball entered the near side splitting a rib, passed through the near side lung, then clipped the top off the heart. It passed through the off side lung, broke an offside rib, and stopped just under the hide of the offside. All together that round ball penetrated about 3 feet of bull moose at 170 yards. A deer won't even be a light snack for your .54

Was there any expansion of that ball?

[jjarrell]

Was there any expansion of that ball?

There was some deformation of the ball. It didn't completely pancake but it was flattened on the leading surface that struck the rib. This in all likelihood occurred upon splitting the rib on entrance. It looked like a half moon, flat on the front and round on the back.

[Huntsman]

Round ball all the way!!
Within its limitations obviously. I used a patched round ball .54 cal last fall to drop a nice whitetail buck.

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http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-Canadian-Buck!

[jjarrell]

Congratulations Huntsman! Nice buck

[Huntsman]

Why thank you Sir!
He was some tasty too

[jjarrell]

I still say a .54 caliber round ball will take anything on this continent. For deer or hogs anything in the 60-90gr charge range will put them on the wrong side of the dirt. For Mulies, elk, moose, bison, and black or brown bear 100 to 125gr charges will put meat in the freezer. I personally would use a 125gr charge for moose, bison, and bear. Understand though that this all relies on the hunter doing their part and putting a humane killing shot in the boiler room. This is my personal opinion. Some will tell me I'm nuts, irresponsible, and disagree with stories to the opposition, which is fine. And some will agree and also give stories to back up their convictions. I welcome all and again this is just my opinion.

[RBak]

.......... Some will tell me I'm nuts, irresponsible, and disagree with stories to the opposition, which is fine. And some will agree and also give stories to back up their convictions. I welcome all and again this is just my opinion.

You can put me in the category that agrees.
The "killing power" of the lowly round-ball must be witnessed to be truly believed.

Russ

[jjarrell]

There was never a debate as to whether or not a round ball was suitable for taking game until manufacturers started touting the abilities of sabot projectiles. They told the public you can't kill game without spending $25 for 20 of their "superior" bullets, and we believed them. Ill say this, I've seen more animals dropped in their tracks with a round ball than anything else. Including high powered rifles.

[Hanshi]

Huntsman, you are certainly to be congratulated on taking that impressive buck. From my experience with the .54 (only on deer) I think the .54 may be the best caliber for most American game with the possible exception of the BIG BEARS; for them I suggest a 12 pounder.

[rfd]

love the .54 patched ball. i shudda never sold off my last one.

[FrontierMuzzleloading]

Great caliber! My first elk with a muzzy was at 140 yards and a .54cal CVA Mountain Rifle pushing 80gr Pyrodex RS.

[rodwha]

When I first became interested in a muzzleloading rifle I took a lot into my consideration, with one of them being components. But at that time I also felt a PRB was about useless beyond about 50 yds.

The .50 cal seemed right in the middle for medium game with a conical for anything large.

Knowing what I know now I think I would have chosen a .54, especially as I see a PRB is indeed quite useful well beyond that and that I cast my projectiles.

[scattershot]

.54 = drt

[Good Cheer]

Sometimes they just don't know they're as dead as you think they are.
That's why big and not so fast can be a better mouse trap than real fast. Doesn't agree with the ft-lb calculators but it just is.

[RBak]

Sometimes they just don't know they're as dead as you think they are.
That's why big and not so fast can be a better mouse trap than real fast. Doesn't agree with the ft-lb calculators but it just is.

My thoughts exactly!
Paper ballistics, which is often used to base such thoughts as killing power and DRT, is nothing short of being a flat-out ugly picture when it's compared to the lowly .54 round-ball while using that same perspective, and it all happens while being pushed by a propellant that fell from favor by the masses too many winters back to count, how can that be???
Still yet, our own lying eyes tell us a much different story.

Russ

[Old Iron]

I bought my first muzzleloader in 1968, a Lyman Great Plains .54, and started using it on Wyoming muleys and antelope. Before long, I found myself gradually selling off most of my centerfires, keeping only Remington Rolling Blocks in 45-70 and 50-70, and a Remington 788 in 22-250 that will shoot a 3-shot group at 200 yds. that can be covered with a nickle.

Saying I've taken a "ton" of WY deer, antelope, and elk with the .54 round ball would be a simple under-statement.
Over the years I've also built and experimented with .58's and .62's on big game, and always come back to the .54 for hunting plains animals out to 150+ yards.

After nearly 50 years of hunting with traditional muzzleloaders I've yet to find a "need" to use a conical bullet to put any of those critters down.
The Alaskan moose I've taken, were with .62 round ball, simply because the bigger ball gave me more confidence when hunting in grizzly country where a gun-shot has a very good chance of gettng Ol' Ephraim's attention (and a friend of mine did exactly that, after getting a griz-tag,... he shot his grizzly by first "calling" in the bear with a shot in the air).

[rodwha]

(and a friend of mine did exactly that, after getting a griz-tag,... he shot his grizzly by first "calling" in the bear with a shot in the air).

Nice!

I must say that I appreciate not being in grizzly country...

[reivertom]

My .54 Lancaster leaves a large hole on the far side of most deer. Use sense and take good shots and the deer will not go far. The folks that say roundballs are no good are trying to sell inlines and/or their expensive projectiles. Yeah, you do need to get closer, but isn't that what hunting is about anyway?

[Texas by God]

My .54 is a Lyman Plains Pistol. Using a .535 patched ball over 55 grs 3F I sat a great 8 pt down in his tracks. When the smoke cleared my wife exclaimed that was the fastest deer kill she's river seen- and she's seen a bunch. Range was 44 feet. On paper this load probably wouldn't even show...... Best, Thomas.

[rfd]

I bought my first muzzleloader in 1968, a Lyman Great Plains .54, and started using it on Wyoming muleys and antelope. Before long, I found myself gradually selling off most of my centerfires, keeping only Remington Rolling Blocks in 45-70 and 50-70, and a Remington 788 in 22-250 that will shoot a 3-shot group at 200 yds. that can be covered with a nickle.

Saying I've taken a "ton" of WY deer, antelope, and elk with the .54 round ball would be a simple under-statement.
Over the years I've also built and experimented with .58's and .62's on big game, and always come back to the .54 for hunting plains animals out to 150+ yards.

After nearly 50 years of hunting with traditional muzzleloaders I've yet to find a "need" to use a conical bullet to put any of those critters down.
The Alaskan moose I've taken, were with .62 round ball, simply because the bigger ball gave me more confidence when hunting in grizzly country where a gun-shot has a very good chance of gettng Ol' Ephraim's attention (and a friend of mine did exactly that, after getting a griz-tag,... he shot his grizzly by first "calling" in the bear with a shot in the air).

+1 on everything you've posted, sir!