Sharp Shooter

How do you all like the 58. caliber? Would it be good for elk? How doese it compare to a 54. caliber?

cayugad

If your shooting roundball the .58 caliber roundball is a much better choice for larger animals. The ball is 25% bigger which means a larger surface area, bigger hole and probably better long range power. Don't under estimate the .54 caliber though, that is a tuff caliber to beat. Many claim that is the most accurate caliber there is for roundball. Whether one agrees or disagrees with that, it is a real game taker.

Triple Se7en

Both Cayugad& I can vogue for it's accuracy with roundball. It's now my favorite ML rifle.

roundball

Got one last year...terrific...2 bucks last year, 2 bucks this year;
It would be outstanding for Elk;
It is more powerful than the .54cal;

cayugad

My .58 caliber Green Mountain Barrel on the Renegade stock with 110 grains of Goex 2f and a patched roundball is the most accurate open sighted rifle I own. The best I did was at 100 yards one afternoon off a bench rest I shot under a 2" group. I only have done that once, but that just shows the rifle has the ability .. now only if I did.[&o]

Roundball can attest to the killing power of them. He's wiped out half the bucks in the woods where he lives and caused the other half to pack their bags and leave the area for fear of him and that rifle...

eldeguello

I really like 58's! There is a reason why both the British and US governments settled on the .58 (.577) for their rifle-musket caliber - it is excellently balanced for a ML rifle.

I only own one, a flintlock Hawken with a 36" Green River Rifle Works .58 barrel with a 1/60" twist. Despite this slow twist, it is very accurate both with round balls, and the Lyman .57730 Minie bullet which weighs 570 grains. I size my Minie balls to .575", and use the same powder charge with both PRB and Minie-120 grains of FFg. The MV with PRB is 1600 FPS, and 1200 with the Minie.

If I ever had an elephant or rhino rooting upmy back yard, I'd use the 570-grain Minie!

The .54 is a good caliber, but the .58 is much better suited for game like elk, moose, & big ol', mean ol' Grizzeley Bears!!

.58 Flintlock Hawken Weight 9 pounds even.

cayugad

That Sir... is a beautiful rifle. I am impressed with the lines and style of that rifle. It is true beauty for the eye. If is shoots as well as it looks that must be a fantastic shooting rifle as well.

People wonder why I own as many rifles as I do, and believe this or not, I get a great deal of satisfaction from just looking at my gun rack and inspecting all the rifles there. I enjoy them all. From the inlines down to the simple CVA Mountain Stalker. They all have an appeal to them.

That rifle you have might even need to have a special place to hang on a wall, like a work of art. Very pretty!!

eldeguello

Thank you! Since I built the thing, I consider that a real compliment, coming from a person as knowledgeable as you.

Yes, it does shoot quite well, due no doubt to the GRRW barrel. I started building this rifle around 1977, and finished it in 1979! I kept running into "builders' block", which I understand is a lot like "writers' block" that plagues authors from time to time!

Strange thing about this rifle-it shoots both PRB and the Minie ball to almost exactly the same POI at 100 yards with that 120-grain powder charge. Good thing, too, since it has fixed sights!

Other side. All furniture is German Silver, and the stock is cherry wood.
This .58 is the LAST RIFLE I've actually completed.

I am now working on a .73-cal. Jaeger with a 28" barrel. Everything is completed on it except the sliding wooded patchbox and stock finishing. It has gone pretty well up 'til now. Will post a picture when it's done.....

Sharp Shooter

Do round balls do alot of damage? I think a 54. on antelope would drop em. But for elk it would be nice to have a 58. If I had both barrels what would you say I would want to take hunting for large mule deer? Also, the GMB has a 1-70" twist I think. Is that twist fine or would it be better to find one with a 1-60" twist? If you suggest anything other than the GMB please give me a link.
Thanks

cayugad

http://www.gmriflebarrel.com/catalog.aspx?catid=HawkenRenegadeStyleRifles

there is a link to your replacement barrels. The .58 caliber will work excellent on elk, deer, large mule deer, antelope, anything you want to shoot. The .54 caliber will also work on those animals. It is just that the .58 caliber might put a little more hydrostatic shock into the animal because of the larger size ball and the weight of the projectile. Both are going to get the job done if you put that ball in the right place.

Roundballs in .54 caliber, even .50 caliber have been killing deer, elk, bear and most any other animal they encountered for many years... Shot placement is most important. If you can not hit what you aim at there is no use shooting anything out there.

Try hunting a year with the Renegade you have in .54 caliber. If you doubt the knock down of the roundball, then switch to a large conical and shoot that. It will have the same effect or even more, then a .58 caliber roundball.