PRB's

[snapbang]

After reading a few threads this morning I an curious.

For you fellows who shoot 45, 50, 54, and 58 PRBs.

Can you say there is a big difference in the killing power of these various weights. It only seems logical the bigger the better. But if a shot is well placed is there a difference???
Of maybe one or the other gives you a little room for error.

For my first 30 years with an MZ I only shot and or killed deer with a 50 Hawken. Always satisfied if I did my part.

 

[smokepolehall]

I have not found a big difference in my 65 years of shooting the prb's from 45-58 cal's. The difference is usually in the shooter n what they feel comfortable hunting with. There is no margin of error, you hit vitals or you don't ! Now there is n will be a difference in the shot yardage, as velocity falls at longer yardages. While i am comfortable at 75-80 yard shots n closer using the .45. I am not comfortable trying to make it a 100 yard killer using 50-65 gr of powder. Too me that is pushing it to the max for no real reason. I don't hunt for antlers but for meat.

 

[Okie Hog]

My shots with conventional muzzleloaders are limited to 60 yards. At that range .50 and .54 caliber muzzleloaders shooting patched round balls are great hog and deer killers.

 

[snapbang]

My first experience with sidelock was a Flinter. I was hunting alongside a man with a gorgeous Kentucky rifle. He took a shot and all the hsss and bang. That ball hit with authority. I was hooked.

 

[bronko220002]

I killed my first muzzleloader deer with a .45 cal PRB and I look at it this way - a hole .45 cal or larger through the lungs is going to kill an animal. I've also shot a few with a .50 PRB and Most of them traveled anywhere from 60 to 150 yards. (I always shoot for behind the shoulder). I haven't gotten any with my .58 yet but I hear from others that it really smacks the crap out of them and they don't go far. I'm hoping to get a crack at a bear this year with the big .58!

 

[Hanshi]

I've mostly killed deer with .45s first and foremost. Second place is taken by various .50s. The .54 did it's job well and my 20 ga flintlock hit like a tree falling on the deer. I haven't had as much with the .54 or the .60 and won't say anything about how they stack up. The most gruesome hit was made with my go-to .45 flintlock. That little prb essentially painted a path with red for about 50 yards. Another one hit with a .50 prb did come close, however.

 

[eekjellander]

I have killed deer with a 54 but blood trail was zip for a 150 yds on 4 inch of new snow and then a bathtub of blood where he piled up on a cedar tree . Feeding (83 yds ranged) quartered in left leg forwards head down ,broke front leg and ended up under the hide behind the opposite shoulder opposed to 54 conicals Lyman Great Plains over 90gn OE 3F Ranged 108 yds (Ray Charles )could follow that blood trail all of 10 yds. Typical of conicals with that Renegade and a 4x Leupold scope/Ed

 

[Bushfire]

I can’t say as I’ve shot all my PRB animals with 54. It does rock them hard though. The red stag I shot this year is the size of an elk cow and went down on the spot.

When my 58 is built and I take an animal with my 62 I can give you more observations.

 

[BCS]

It really depends upon what you are hunting.

I am building a 58 with a slow twist 1-90 it is made for speed. Big game.

The narrow lands and wide grooves let it shoot paper cartridges with harder lead.

It will also shoot a patched hardened ball.

Why hard? So they don't pan cake and not pernitrate. 135-150 grains of FF.

Break bone and keep going.

Now if you really want big leaky holes use a 69 or 73 cal rifle.

 

[deermanok]

I've taken deer with a 50 cal prb. Never recovered a ball.
Granted all my shots were from a treestand at less than 40 yards.
I'm hoping for some luck this season with my Deerhunter 45 cal.
.445 ball over 50 grains v of 3f Triple 7 and 10 grains v of 3f Goex as a kicker.

 

[smokepolehall]

Just more mutterings from the crowd here. Prb's vary as does the caliber. All of mine that were recovered were larger than the ball size. Entrance hole about caliber size, exit hole large, . Most of my kills were less than 60 yards n most balls had exits. I try to hit the lungs with every shot. .45 holes were nickel to little smaller than a quarter. .50's were around a quarter maybe a bit more. .54'sbit bigger in general than a quarter less than a half dollar. .56-.58 half dollar sized holes if i had 80 + gr of powder loads. Most of my kills were deer n few wild hogs. I usually used conicals when hog hunting.