PRB ballistics?
 

how does PRB compare ballistically to a conical bullet in a 1 in 48 twist kentucky rifle. i have heard stories about a lack of blood trail when my uncle was deer hunting with round ball. is this true? i imagine that the ball would flatten out upon impact, but i don't know if that would be more or less lethal,( not disregarding proper shot placement) i would always want to hunt using the most effective projectile. i'm sure that this question has been asked many times before, but i couln't find a sticky on this one.

RE: PRB ballistics?
 

they'll do the job if you dont screw up the shot. Get a good lung hit and you're going to have a blood trail. I shoot 110 grains fffg goex with a .490 speer round ball and it does a great job. People have been hunting with round balls for more years than the conical bullet. What do u think davy crocket used to kill those 300 black bears? Get a good clean shot and you wont have to search far.

RE: PRB ballistics?
 

amw_yo: Here is a comparison I just pulled off the internet from one source - you can easily find many others if you do a search for "black powder loads" or something similar.
* .50 cal180 gr roundball with 100 gr Pyrodex RS = 1863 fps at muzzle and 1380 ft lbs. energy. At 100 yds, this will be retainingabout 600 ft. lbs of energy.
* .50 cal 350 gr. maxi-ball with 100 gr Pyrodex RS = 1525 fps at muzzle and 1808 ft. lbs. energy. Att 100 yds, this will be retaining around 1200 ft.lbs. of energy.
From this simple comparison, you can see that with everything else equal, the roundball will leave the muzzle faster, but with less energy than a heavier projectile. It's trajectory will also be flatter, which will extend the "point blank" range (distance at which you can hit the vitals of an animal without raising your point of aim) over the maxi-ball, but it will also loose its energy faster than the maxi. So, in many ways, it's a trade off; the roundball goes faster, but looses its energy faster. The bigger bullet goes slower, but retains its energy longer.
As frontier gander said, as long as you limit your range (oh, he didn't say that, did he?), and get a good lung hit, you'll probably have no trouble killing a deer-sized animal out to 75-100 yards.
Personally, because of the distances I normally am able to see deer in the woods of Michigan, I prefer a heavier bullet (350-500 grain) that will carry more energy to the animal and therefore increase the chances of a cleaner kill.

RE: PRB ballistics?
 

Did i need to? i figured that was just plain common sense.. Round ball hits with some where around 400ft lbs knock down power @ 100 yards in 50 caliber with .490 RB.. I forget how much the .54 is. Im comfortable shooting a deer at 100 yards with PRB.

RE: PRB ballistics?
 

I personally think the roundball is one of the most under rated projectiles out there. When a roundball is fired with a reasonable powder charge at a reasonable distance (for me 100 yards or less and I prefer less :D) the devistation caused by them is most impressive. Remember, you are shooting a 1/2 inch projectile capable of making a 1/2 inch hole with little to no expansion,through vital organs. Put a 1/2 hole through vital organs and the roundball will prove deadly.

As for the ballistics of the roundball you will see that while they start out of the barrel with some impressive speeds and energy, they do tend to loose that quickly. This is simply because of the design of the projecitle. A larger heavier conical on the same circumstance, will start out much slower but retain a lot more energy at longer distances. This makes the conical a better long range projectile then the roundball but again, don't under estimate the roundball.

If you're able to shoot accurate a roundball out to 100 yards, I have yet to have a problem killing a whitetail. Not all of them dropped in their tracks mind you, but most of the tracking was not all that long a job.

.570 .066
.535 .062
.530 .061
.495 .057
.490 .056
.457 .053
.454 .052
.451 .052
.445 .051
.440 .051
.433 .050
.375 .043
.350 .040

for those that want to run some ballistic programs, these roundball BC's might be of some help.....

RE: PRB ballistics?
 

frontier: sorry if I ofended you. I knew that you would agree that the range should be limited, I just felt I should mention it since our thread starter might be new to ML and not be aware of this.

RE: PRB ballistics?
 

No appology needed. I just figured that the other guy knew that you'd have to get into closer range with the round ball to get the most effective shot. I feel comfortable with my load and a max range of 100 yards, no more. Im extremely confident with shots under 70 yards. Where i hunt i need atleast 100 yards. Its hard working into range when its just short sage brush and some juniper trees spread out. But i believe if you work up a great load and can shoot it well off hand or resting off a tree limb, rock or whatever is available in a hunt, I think the roundball will do the job cleanly. I got a nice 4x4 mule deer this september with my flintlock. Nothing beats taking meat witha flinter! lol.. Thats one of the best hunts ive had.