After reading semisane's post in the thread about krb's I thought I'd start a new thread instead of hijacking that one. The subject says it all. Which one and why? I've been thinking about a .58 round ball barrel from g.m. afterreading aboutthe .58 big boar t/c used to make. But I think a .54 would be more practical.
Lets hear pros/cons of each and then I'll tell what I'm leaning towards and why.
I have both calibers in slow twist barrels. I agree the .54 is more practical - better long range trajectory and plenty of killing power, plus cheaper to shoot. But my-oh-my, that .58 sure is fun to shoot. If I were to have only one, it would be the .54.
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The .58 and .62 come into play when you are talking elk, moose, grizzleys, etc...With whitetails, mule deer, black bears, etc a .54 gives you flatter trajectory and plenty of power...With a .54 and 80grs of FFF Goex you have a good flat shooting and hard hitting load...With a .58-.62 you have to add more powder to have a flatter trajectory and recoil builds pretty quickly...
When I decided to build my .54 back in the 80s, I did a ton of research, I bought a copy of the NMLRA record book the first year it was out...The largest grizzley taken at that time was with a .54 Hawken style rifle, 120grs of powder and a .530 patched ball...The shot was taken at 100 yards and the ball penetrated both lungs and was found under the hide on the off side, the bear ran about 50-60 yards and piled up...
I've killed around 30 deer with my .54 flinter I finished in 1990, it's all you need for whitetails...
IHAVEUSED EVERY THING FROM A 40 TO A 62CAL ANDI ENDED UP USING A 54 FOR EVERYTHING BUT TARGET AT SHORT RANGE WHICH I USE A 45 FOR. I have take boar deerelk and a bear that weighed in at 680 field dressed with one shot and round ball with a 54cal, my best one is a copy[ I bought the plans from a musiem in St Louis ,MO]I made my self with a 35.5 inch barrel, it shoots best with 535 PRB and 130 gr of RS; I have shoot 19 inch strings at Friendship with it and taken deer and bear at 175 yds. It has a 1-80 twist.
Due to the fact they do not make a barrel that has the right twist to shoot a heavy load a 58 will never be any good for long range and even if they did the recoil that would be developed if you pushed a 360 gr ball to 2000 fps would be noticable. Lee
A .54 caliber for the most part will handle all your hunting needs, they are accurate, and ball is cheaper. The .58 caliber though has a real charm. When you shoot it, its a whole new experience. Without doubt you are not over gunned hunting with it. It will take out about anything you want from a squirrel to a moose... If I only had one rifle, it would be a .54 caliber. I like the .58 caliber though. It is accurate, and with 110 grains of 2f powder and that 284 grain ball in there, you better know that anything you shoot is in for a real bad day...
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From the posts here and what I've read elsewhere, it looks like a .54 is plenty. I'm leaning toward the .58 though for no particular reason. It will be strictly a prb shooter and it can't hurt to throw a bigger ball.
Thanks for your thoughts and opinions on the matter.
After reading how much pwoder some of you guys are shooting I have come to the conclusion I am overloading my 54. I been shooting 90 T7 and 100 gr of Pyro. It groups well but it doesnt sound like I need that much juice...lol.
.54 vs .58 roundball barrel
