Originally Posted by
lemoyne
Pete that's not what I said, a 50 is better than a 40 or 45 but its effectiveness drops quickly between 50 and 75 yds. its a decent deer gun for what I consider close range, if loaded right.
I respect you Lee, so I won't talk to you like I do Bob who has zero experience on the topic.
Let me ask you a question. Have you ever shot an elk at less than 75yds with a .50 PRB? I'm sure you know that ballistic charts are useless when you're trying to figure out the effectiveness of a round ball. The charts are made for CF guns, and maybe they help with modern muzzy guns and bullets too, but not a round ball. The round ball performs way better than the uninformed can imagine. I'm not sure why, and i've never heard a good explanation explaining it. It's just something a PRB shooter knows.
Even the bigger .58 PRB look pathetic on paper, but in practice knocks game on their butts, and few will get back up. When I started to use a PRB to hunt I had my doubts too, but when I witnessed them working I changed my mind fast.
Bob preaches as others do that more modern guns are more effective. Yes, they are for longer ranges. Will a .300 mag kill a deer at 100yds better than a 30-06? Not really if they both use the same weight bullet. Will the .300 mag kill better at 600yds than the 30-06? Yes, i'm sure it does. It's main advantage is distance.
A PRB has many advantages, but has one glaring disadvantage. Distance! Take too long of a shot, and odds go way up for failure. A maxiball will be much better at longer ranges. Does it kill any better at short ranges than a PRB? Not sure what better is if the PRB kills the game?
So, the bottom line is will the .54/.58 kill better than the .50 PRB? Yes, they will at longer ranges. Do they work better at shorter ranges? There we go again with what is better if the .50 kills?
It can even be applied to bows. If a 50lb bow puts the arrow through the elk. How would using a 70lb bow be any better? It's better, because it can put the arrow through the elk at a longer distance. Distance is always the difference.
Of course this can go to the extreme the other way too. No matter how close the shot is a .40 PRB is a horrible choice for elk. Common sense goes a long way in chosen what you hunt with.