>50 cal & Why

[longcruise]

At this time I have 45, 50, 54 and 58 (40 in progress). If I could have only one it would be the 50 tc Hawken that I've had for 49 years. It's not magic but it can handle everything up to and including elk and satisfy the legal requirements of Colorado. But that said, my elk hunting for many years has been with 54 balls.

I think the tc Hawken may have been the major driver of 50 caliber popularity.

 

[Winter Hawk]

This seems to be a common topic on the various M/L sites. If you are looking for protection from the big bears, .54 is almost adequate (see the Lewis & Clark journals, their 1803 rifles were in .54 and they had plenty of troubles with grizzlies not being stopped with the first shot).

Having said that, I have had a love affair with the .45 since I got my first one in 1968, a H&A underhammer with round ball twist. I currently have a Deer Creek flintlock rifle (basically a CVA Mountain Rifle) with a Colerain barrel in that caliber which sees the most use of any of my guns. But, I have a T-C PA Hunter, a CVA Bobcat (restocked in wood) and a Traditions Shenandoah in .50 simply because that is all they were available in. I'm thinking about sending the T-C to Bobby Hoit to be bored out to .54, or maybe .58 smoothbore.

The .45 round ball will do reliably on deer, even without huge powder charges if the hunter does his part. It has the advantage of not being overkill on small game, plus you get more projectiles from a pound of lead.which equates to less weight in your shooting bag for a given number of balls. If you limit your loads to a sane 70 grains FFFg your powder will last a lot longer also.

 

[rangerod]

I have all 50's and am sure of staying there. For no other reason than that's what I started out with. If really serves all of my needs. That being said from what I've seen and heard I certainly can see why the 45's are gaining in popularity.

 

[smokepolehall]

Well now i am a small caliber man when i get my ducks in a row. The 1st ML i shot in 58 was my G'pa's .45 from 1840-1855 era. I spect it was in the family. He was born 1882, my Pa had it for a long time n gave it to his oldest brother. My 1st ML i owned was a .45 H&R Huntsman, it had a threaded BP n nipple. It was a break action, bbl. may have been 26" or so, it loved 50-60 gr prb loads. Killed many a tick toter with it before i sold it.

 

[Hanshi]

I started out in the 60s with a percussion and a flintlock, both .45. I have bigger calibers to use but my go-to for deer has been my .45 flintlock longrifle. It has never let me down and with all the deer it has killed it did it every time with one shot. So, do I like .45s? I have 4 so whatcha think?

 

[smokepolehall]

I started out in the 60s with a percussion and a flintlock, both .45. I have bigger calibers to use but my go-to for deer has been my .45 flintlock longrifle. It has never let me down and with all the deer it has killed it did it every time with one shot. So, do I like .45s? I have 4 so whatcha think?

You know i will ride in the truck with ya. Yup i have a few bigger calibers, but its always nice to make those nice clean kill shots with medium bores.

 

[eekjellander]

50 cal is a convenience cause every one has one and the shops all stock the stuff to make them work . I think after the ease of finding stuff wore off I started going down to 45 , and casting I went up 54/56/58/60/ and settled on all . I know I still have some left but just got 2 50 inlines so I'm back where I started a lot heavier in the gun dept and a lot poorer in the wallet but own a lot of molds and quite the bullet/ball selection .Wonder what the great great grand kids will do when I'm gone with all that poisonous material? /Ed

I now have exactly ( 1 ) 50 cal Renegade ,all my side locks/flinters are sold off ! Downsizing to pay for a SML bolt inline 45 (Shilen 19 twist) and less molds in (ODD calibers) 54/50/45 in RB and greaser bullets . Still have a Sharps 45 /50 CVA V2 Optima so I have less incentive to cast the above but I now can concentrate on molds conducive to faster twist bullets . Now if it would only stop raining !!! /Ed

 

[son of rooster]

I like my .58s....go big.....
I like them because less metal....less weight.

 

[bronko220002]

I’m shopping right now and would love a 45 but 50 is min in some states for hunting so have to go that way I suppose.

I hate the regs by some states. They were made up by either traditional shooters or people without any knowledge or "just enough to be scary" and then pass laws that are inane at best. A .45 cal inline shooting even a .40 caliber bullet at 1800+ fps will kill any elk. I guess they require a .50 min because of someone using a PRB. They should differenciate between the two and say 50 cal min for a round ball and 45 cal for any other projectile

 

[CVA Fanboy]

I got 3 .50s as far as paper punching PRB 490/495 30-50 grains of powder is easy on shoulder and wallet. As far as 90 pound white tail and boots knocking over? I am reminded Dice Man Jack be nimble Jack be Quick, Jack meets Mugger, Jack Throws Kick, Jack Shows Quickness and Jack Shows Skill Jack learns bullet quicker Still. So learn from Jack

 

[BuffaloSoldier]

I only have two, not sure if I qualify for the discussion. Have a Baker .62 and a Zouave .58. Enjoy them both.

 

[smokepolehall]

I only have two, not sure if I qualify for the discussion. Have a Baker .62 and a Zouave .58. Enjoy them both.

Fantastic