Is the .54 going the way of the DoDo Bird?

[rugerbh103]

Yeah probably so. 99% of the hunters in America hunt deer and not much else.

That has always been true. Muzzleloader marketing in modern times has always been driven towards deer hunters.

 

[Okie Hog]

My deer and hog hunting with conventional muzzleloaders is at ranges <75 yards. Tried the .54 conicals. The only thing they accomplished that patched round couldn't do was badly lead the bore of my rifle.

 

[GM54-120]

I like lead conical but not so much in a 54cal. Its just way more PUNCH than i need for deer. 54cal PRB though is a great deer option if your rifle will shoot them. My 54cal is a 1-28 so not so great. 54x50 sabots and a 300-325gr 50cal bullet just flatten deer without as much punishment on my end.

 

[eekjellander]

I picked up a Lyman plains mold in .54 cal. I just haven't gotten to test it out. I know that Idaholewis likes it a lot. I bought it on his recommendation.

Do not forget the NASA modified lube Idaho Lewis uses and the felt wad under the bullet you cast for maximum accuracy , skip either and results will be average (at least in all my rifles) /Ed

 

[eekjellander]

My deer and hog hunting with conventional muzzleloaders is at ranges <75 yards. Tried the .54 conicals. The only thing they accomplished that patched round couldn't do was badly lead the bore of my rifle.

You should not get any leading (NONE) I dont and I shoot in 3 calibers and never/ever get leading /1-66 /1-48 and eve a 1-28 CVA 50 cal Pocket (Rocket) (PISTOL) ha .Mine are Lyman Plains and Lewis is shooting Hornady Great Plains both similar accurate/and predictable when slapping deer silly ! Mine get Lewis modified NASA lube and a felt wad protecting the base and stopping gas cutting . I hope you are not sizing as like the Lee R.E.A.L they engrave upon loading and that is the only thing I can think of (under sizing) or improper lube . or skipping the felt wad . My TC 54
1-48 Renegade is going to lessen the deer population when our season starts (rifle) on the 16th and will deliver exactly what I cast every time all the lead , if needed I will send you some to try . Pay the $9.00 flat rate and you get a sample shipped priority , I believe 10 will prove the problem is not the bullet /Let me know Ed

 

[Matthew323]

A short barreled (21"), laminate stocked, .66 caliber (Rice barrel), bolt-action, inline rifle with an ASG style breech plug

 

[muzzlestuffer]

Only had one 54 sold it I'm a 58 guy !

 

[kpknifemaker]

I've been shooting .54s for 40 years. Currently have 4 of them. Latest is a Pedersoli Hawken Hunter with a 1:24 twist. It throws big conicals very nicely. I hunt with these 54s. Taken western muleys. Have an elk hunt in a couple of weeks and hope to bring down a nice bull with my 594 grain conicals the Pedersoli shoots very well.

Bottomline, had no idea the .54 was disappearing because I've been casting my own for at least 30 years. I did recently get an Accurate mold with three different conicals. I expect to hunt elk, antelope, and blacktails for as long as I can continue to hunt. So different size conicals for different needs.

I am making a .45 for my wife. The .54 was not an option for her. So I think there is plenty of room for various calibers, depending on your need.

If you have a favorite .54 and don't see those conicals anymore, look into an Accurate mold.

 

[michiganmuzzy]

I've been shooting .54s for 40 years. Currently have 4 of them. Latest is a Pedersoli Hawken Hunter with a 1:24 twist. It throws big conicals very nicely. I hunt with these 54s. Taken western muleys. Have an elk hunt in a couple of weeks and hope to bring down a nice bull with my 594 grain conicals the Pedersoli shoots very well.

Bottomline, had no idea the .54 was disappearing because I've been casting my own for at least 30 years. I did recently get an Accurate mold with three different conicals. I expect to hunt elk, antelope, and blacktails for as long as I can continue to hunt. So different size conicals for different needs.

I am making a .45 for my wife. The .54 was not an option for her. So I think there is plenty of room for various calibers, depending on your need.

If you have a favorite .54 and don't see those conicals anymore, look into an Accurate mold.

Whats the smallest animal you've taken with a .54?

 

[Matthew323]

Brown Bear, now deceased, who lived in rural Alaska, used to post on various forums, including MM, of hunting snowshoe rabbits with his .58 caliber & .62 caliber rifles. Killing them with head shots.

 

[4stringdude]

Whats the smallest animal you've taken with a .54?

I have shot grey squirrels with my .54 cal. I used a round ball with 50 grains of Pyrodex RS. Head shots only.

 

[kpknifemaker]

Smallest animal I've hunted were muleys. I may use one for antelope or use it as an excuse to have Bob Hoyt make a .45 from one of the current guns. Yet to talk to Bob, just saw his contact info on this forum.

 

[Buttonbuck]

Whats the smallest animal you've taken with a .54?

Squirrel head shot at end of the day

 

[hairybird]

I've been shooting .54s for 40 years. Currently have 4 of them. Latest is a Pedersoli Hawken Hunter with a 1:24 twist. It throws big conicals very nicely. I hunt with these 54s. Taken western muleys. Have an elk hunt in a couple of weeks and hope to bring down a nice bull with my 594 grain conicals the Pedersoli shoots very well.

Bottomline, had no idea the .54 was disappearing because I've been casting my own for at least 30 years. I did recently get an Accurate mold with three different conicals. I expect to hunt elk, antelope, and blacktails for as long as I can continue to hunt. So different size conicals for different needs.

I am making a .45 for my wife. The .54 was not an option for her. So I think there is plenty of room for various calibers, depending on your need.

If you have a favorite .54 and don't see those conicals anymore, look into an Accurate mold.

I didn't know the .54 was on it's way out either. It's my favorite deer hunting caliber as it does a great job of rolling them right off their feet. One of my favorites rifles is the TC Scout 1:20 twist. Very accurate for a short barrel but delivers well out of a tree stand. I know Hornady dropped their 54 caliber great plains bullets a couple of years ago but I had not heard the news about the caliber going away until now.

 

[Caniborrowsomeammo]

I picked up a 54 T/C sidelock but have yet to shoot it. Was hoping to get drawn on Oregon elk but that didn't pan out this year. I have plenty of RB and a Minnie ball mold.
NOE molds will make most anything you want if you have a drawing or a sample. I had some molds made for my 25 and 30 cal PCPs

 

[deermanok]

I too recently acquired a vintage CVA Missouri, 54 caliber rifle.
I've only shot it a few times so far. The 1/48 twist barrel seems to shoot pretty good with the round ball.
Until I got it, I never paid much attention to 54's. The 54 round ball is no joke, heck at 230 or so grains, it aught to put the smackdown on any deer, if you keep the shots at reasonable distances.

 

[Buglemintoday]

I don't think .54 is going away anytime soon. I'm still on the hunt to own a few Knight .54's

 

[FredB]

I got an MK85 in .54 years ago. Idaho regs said .50 minimum for elk, and I figured I didn't want the minimum for centerfire, (big game in Idaho can legally be hunted with any centerfire) so I went with the .54 so I could reasonably hunt elk. It was all good when I was stationed in Oklahoma. The MK shot any sabot I fed it just fine, Then Idaho said no sabots. I never did find a conical the gun liked. I will admit I never tried the +500 grainers, as 435 kicked enough. Come to find out a .50 works just fine for elk, and I got a bighorn that works very well. It doesn't handle like the MK, but the accuracy makes up for a lot. I'll always hang on to the old .54, as it holds a lot more good memories than $ it would fetch, but I don't know if I will ever hunt with her again.

 

[vintovka]

On traditional rifles the .54 carries a substantial premium for some reason. This is especially true on the Lyman or pedersoli great plains rifles.

 

[hairybird]

I too recently acquired a vintage CVA Missouri, 54 caliber rifle.
I've only shot it a few times so far. The 1/48 twist barrel seems to shoot pretty good with the round ball.
Until I got it, I never paid much attention to 54's. The 54 round ball is no joke, heck at 230 or so grains, it aught to put the smackdown on any deer, if you keep the shots at reasonable distances.

Great find deermanok! I love the 54 round ball and conical for deer hunting. I found the 1:48 twist to 1:60s handles the round ball very well! Season is drawing near!