Greetings all. I am thinking of buying a Lyman Great Plains Hunter in a 54 cal flintlock for the fall '07 hunting season. Cayugad has me convinced that my 50 cal won't due for Elk. So, darn it, I'll just have to get another rifle and spend a few months mastering it....
I likethe Lyman because of the double-set triggers and the lack of shiny brass. Otherwise, does anybody here have any comments on why this would or would not be a good rifle for Elk? (I am set on the flintlock, no percussion suggestions please).
Thank you all for your feedback.
~Robert
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The .50 caliber will kill elk all day long if you do your part. If I lead you to believe that the .50 caliber would not work on elk, I apologize. Loaded properly, the .50 caliber is lethal for about anything you care to hunt. But if I were going to purchase a flintlock I would get a .54 caliber or bigger, especially for elk. The .54 caliber even in roundball is very deadly. I personally feel in a traditional caliber, the .54 caliber is one of the best ones out there.
If I were going to hunt elk with my .50 caliber I would try and see if the rifle would shoot perhaps a conical. And as with any rifle, get as close as possible to insure deep penetration and expansion. Again, your .50 caliber would be fine, even with a roundball. Just make sure you get close as the roundball looses energy very quickly.
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My 50 cal is a Traditions "Shenandoah" flinter. Other than a big ol'ding on the stock it is in perfect condition.
It has a faster twist rate 1:48, so roundball only. I am confident of connecting outto 100 yards.
Cayugad if you say a 50 will work on Elk then that is good enough for me-so long as "I do my part!" I guess I was under the impression that for a larger animal such as an Elk, a 54 would be preferable over a 50 . But if a 50 will provide just as humane a kill as the 54, then maybe (I don't believe I am saying this), I don't need the Lyman after all!
Thanks,
~Robert
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With a 1:48 twist that rifle should have no trouble chucking a big conical down range with plenty of power for elk. I would see how the Great Plains bullet at 385g or a 370g Maxiball shoots in your Traditions.
I thought all Shenandoahs (old & new) were 1-66" twist.
Do you know how old this rifle is?
If it is indeed a 1-48" there's a nice elk Powerbelt bullet out there that'll work in your twist. It's the 338gr. Platinum Powerbelt.
Or... you can fiddle with the 300 gr. T/C Bonded Shockwave sabot/bullet. Now that would be cool to see! A new age sabot/bullet flying out of a brassy, patchboxed, double-set triggered, full stock, long rifle flinter!
Ihope no traditionalists are reading this!
I may never hear the end of the bashings if they are.[:@]
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You can try the 270gr Platinum Powerbelt in that Shenandoah.... which is minimal in grains - butmay be fine for elk if properly placed. You will need a little extra horsepower to stabilize it.... like 100grains FFF or 90 gr. 777. I've shot the 245gr Powerbelt out of my Shenandoah with success. That ML was only shot 25-30 times - I bought it to hang on a wall with a powder horn dangling below it.
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The only reason I would always suggest a .54 caliber or bigger, especially for the larger species of critters, is some of the stories I have read of elk soaking up shot after shot and walking off still amaze me. I've (as stated before) never had the pleasure of hunting elk with a muzzleloader. With a center fire, it was not all that big a deal. A 7mm mag is bad medicine in the right hands. If I ever hunt elk, which I hope will be real soon, I am going to use a White .504 caliber shooting a 560 grain conical, and intend to push that conical as hard as I can to get it through as much elk as possible.
Now ifI were hunting elk with a .50 caliber and roundball I would seriously limit my distance to the elk at 70 yardsand shot placement would be so very critical, that I would only settle for a broad side shot where I could tuck that roundball through the heart. While it might not drop that elk in its tracks, poke a 1/2 inch hole through a vital organ and there is a high probability that organ will cease to function. With a .54 caliber, you are going to still be limited to critical shot placement (as with any projectile as far as that goes) but the .54 calibers in my experience will penetrate deeper, they carry more energy down range in the form of a roundball, they are 33% bigger in weight, and even then I would still rather shoot a .54 caliber conical at an elk then a .54 caliber roundball.
Roundball are deadly projectiles. Too many creatures big and small have died proving this. Just get close, pick your spot and punch as deep a hole through it as you can. Now here is the kicker, if I ever hunt elk with roundball, I will be using a .58 caliber loaded on top of 110 grains of powder. This will be the back up rifle for my White Ultra Mag.
Quote:
I don't need the Lyman after all!
Of course you need another rifle. We all need another rifle. That's what makes people suspect that we have lost our minds. Just a month or two ago when I announced I was going to order a custom made .62 caliber flintlock with a very slow roundball twist, the first words out of her mouth were, "Have you lost your *-&^* mind!!!"
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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, a total wreck, screaming Yahoo, with a big smile on your face."
Lyman Great Plains Hunter
