okay I am way behind times and am curious with a fast twist like 1 in 20 or 24, 28" twist is there any real benefit of one or the other in normal hunting situations and ranges for those of us who still have to use open sightsI know nothing about .45 cal muzzys except for round ball what are your thoughts between the 45 and 50
.45 vs .50 cal
- Thread starter Leadball
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Appears no one responded to your Thread of which i don't know why not. I have only been here a week. Depends on what your seeking, to ask me is there a benefit i say you bet your bibby there is. A .45 has everything going for it, be it newer inline or the older traditional. The only thing a .50 has is Companies rather make them as its easier n may have a couple of more choices on bullets. Ok were doing inline here, bore riders n or sabots, the door is wide open on bullets n powders. I can get better accuracy from my .45 than i can the .50 Open sights is your thorn if your eyes are not good n you hunt in deep timber. I can shoot bullet weights of 155 gr up to 500 gr, some using sabots others as bore riders.
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With today's modern components of sabots and projectiles I've settled on the .45. I like shooting lighter bullets like the .40 and a .45 bore shoots them better in a sabot than a .50. At least that's what I found. Only big disadvantage is some States do not allow .45 Mlers for hunting Big Game.
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My 46 cal Whites with the 1-20” twist handles my 345gr to 465 gr conicals with great accuracy for my needs here in PA. Is it a 200 yd plus ML no but anything under 150yds is in trouble. I know it can shoo full bore copper bullets and sabot bullets just as well, but I like the simplicity of my pure lead cast conicals.
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Lots of long shots for the hunter in PA with all that farmland that borders State Forest & Game Lands.
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I am curious does Pa. have another ML season than the Flintlock season ? If so what all do they allow during it ?
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Easy to buy stuff for 50 cal, not so much for 45 but that is getting a bit better. 45 ballistics are good for hunting deer sized critters.
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What was the outcome with your two choices? Too me, it's a no-brainer choosing a 50-cal, where one shot with open sights seeks a bigger bore and bigger bullets.
Even if scopes were allowed where you hunt, supply chain stores stock 5-10 times as much 50-cal supplies, versus-that of 45-cal. The ballistics comparing both are minimal at-best also.
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PA has an early season for doe only , usually the 3rd full week in October. Must be .44 caliber and up. Almost any type of ML can be used in this season including scopes. Late season is traditional only with iron sights.
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This is true for the late ML season unless you have access to land in Area 5C Bucks county where you can use inlines, percussion, shotguns and I think rifles.
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That October MLer season in PA is awesome. I've hunted it many times with very high success rate.
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A week of ML season, is it before or after the Gun season ? We have a 2 day weekend in middle of Oct. for ML's. Once 2nd weekend of Nov. hits Ky deer start going nocturnal as the Firearms get after them
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Before.
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Y'all be in like Flint up there then
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Well I have five .50s and four .45s. All the 50s are 1:28 and two of my 45s are 1:20 and two others 1:48. All shoot well with their respective bullet. Its just a matter of choice what you're hunting and what you want to shoot out of them.
Like a couple have said, the .45 has no advantage over the .50. The .50 can shoot any bullet the .45 can with the correct sabot in addition to bigger dia 45 bullets (.458" with correct sabot) plus it can shoot big heavy conicals that can knock the snot out of just about anything that walks.
My recommendation to someone who can only have one muzzleloader is to get a .50. Not only is it versatile but you can get various projectiles for it just about anywhere.
Like a couple have said, the .45 has no advantage over the .50. The .50 can shoot any bullet the .45 can with the correct sabot in addition to bigger dia 45 bullets (.458" with correct sabot) plus it can shoot big heavy conicals that can knock the snot out of just about anything that walks.
My recommendation to someone who can only have one muzzleloader is to get a .50. Not only is it versatile but you can get various projectiles for it just about anywhere.
