I need as much advice as I can get!
 

I have been reading this forum and decided to join to seek advice. I have been into muzzleloading for about 7 years. I had a Traditions BuckHunter Pro, .50 cal, with a 1:32 twist barrel. I always used conicals, with a sabot in a speedloader as a follow up shot. I had to sell the gun and i am wanting to get back into muzzleloading. I am wanting to take a more traditional approach. Here is my dilema. I am looking seriously at the Cabela's Sporterized Hawken rifles. I like the looks and the compact size of the carbine, but like the longer sight radius and sling swivel option with the full size. I want a .54 cal that will shoot conicals well as I will be hunting everything from wild boar to moose and a possible trip to africa. The full size rifle has a 1:48 twist barrel, and the carbine has a 1:24 in twist barrel. What are your opinions on which one will best suit my needs. Sorry for such a long post. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

1:48 will do the trick with the right conical, plus give you a good boost in velocity with that slow burning powder. A sling is a man's friend. If I were to get one, I'd go full-size. But maybe you're in situations where a shorter, handier rifle is the better choice.

Welcome to the forum WildBillJr.

If you decide to go with the longer barrel 1:48 twist (a good choice in my view) you should consider the Lyman Trade Rifle from Midsouth.

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.co...u=000156032126

If you decide on a carbine there's always the Deerstalker to consider if you want the 1:48.

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.co...u=000156033141


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Thank you Semisane and big Z, I appreciate the advice. I didnt notice the Lyman Deerstalker. Looks like it could be right down my alley. It is shorter than a full size (which is perfect because I tend to hunt tight woods where no one else want to). And it also has sling attachments. What kind of quality and reliability does the Deerstalker posses? Will it accurately shoot conicals?

Lyman makes a great product, I wouldn't hesitate to consider!

If your shots are close... say 75 yards and under, that little carbine might be a better choice as it would shoot conicals. I would get it in .50 caliber if I wanted to shoot conicals. Seeing you might go after moose. But a .54 caliber will do the trick as well. Its just that conicals are more common in .50 caliber over .54 caliber.

I hunt in thick stuff also and shoot a Lyman Trade Rifle in .54 caliber and never had a problem getting it to my shoulder. I have no idea if the deerstalker will shoot conicals. All of them are made by Investarms of Italy.

I have shot powerbelts out of my Trade Rifle but the few conicals I tried, I was not impressed. Because it is a .54 caliber I normally hunt with 100 grains of 2f and a patched roundball. That is all I need.

Do you guys know if the Deerstalker will shoot conicals well? WOW Midsouth has a good price. Are the Lyman rifles worth the price? Thanks again!

Yep, worth the price.

I agree with Cayugad regarding caliber. If you want to shoot conicals I would recommend a .50 because the bullet selection is much, much better than a .54. A .54 patched round ball is cheap shooting and mighty fine for the "tight woods" you hunt.

Thanks for the advice Cayugad. I liked my .50 cal, but just thought a .54 would give me a little more confidence on big game. I am fortunate enough to have family in Alaska, and family who owns land in Ghana Africa. My .50 with a 1:32 barrel shot conicals nicely, but I am worried the 1:48 .54 might not like them. Is it true that the bigger the caliber the slower twist rate you can get away with with conicals? I am not that worried about local availability of bullets, there is always the internet. ;)

Semisane, what about terminal K.E. with the .54 round ball? Even if its accurate, I want stopping power for a humane kill. BTW, please forgive my ignorance as I have no experience with RB.

What do you guys think of the TC Maxi Hunters in .54?

Nothing wrong with the old lead round ball at short distances. I rarely shoot over 30-40 yds but have taken deer at 90. Powerbelts are designed to not shoot over 80 gr's and is where most get bad results in going over. No need. Heavy conical would be a good choice if you find the right one and load. Too much is put into long distance shots. Part of the hunt is getting close. Primitive is what they call it not modern high power. Remember the fun factor.

A .530/.535 ball weighs around 230 grains and has a muzzle velocity of around 1800 fps with 85/90 grains of black powder from a 32" barrel. At 100 yards it's still traveling at a little over 1300 fps and is moving about 400 fps faster than the muzzle velocity of a standard military .45 ACP 230 grain bullet. Most folks would consider the .45 ACP to have adequate stopping power for a point blank shot on a whitetail. At anything considered "woods range" (75 yards or less?) a broadside shot into a whitetail will make a big hole going in and a big hole exiting.

Wild Bill Jr
You need to understand a few things about twist rates. The length of the bullet used is what controls twist rates but the caliber also enters into it. To get the right spin on a bullet for it to stabilize brings the load to to play also. for instance the 54 cal you mention is one of my calibers a 1-48 twist works good with a 110gr load but if you use a 1-66 you may be able to get 130 gr load of RS to group tight with a PRB the PRB in a 54 is very effective for North American game. The guys are right about conicals there are some available for a 54 but the range of choices is not near as good as for a 50. I will include some info on twist so you can get a feel for it.
Twist = 150 X D2/L
Where:
D = bullet diameter in inches
L= bullet length in inches
150 = a constant
Twist = C * D2 / L
The original value if C was 150, which yields a twist rate in turns per inch, when given the diameter D and the length L of the bullet in inches. This works to velocities of about 1800 f/s; above those velocities, a C of 180 should be used.

Great information guys! Very intelligent answers. Thank you. what about FPE? Am I wrong in thinking that the .54 will give me more stopping power on bigger game? I keep all my shots under 100 yds, and my primary game in the lower 48 is boar, deer and bear. But I would love to take moose and some african game with my smokepole. With that being said, what would be better, .50 or .54? I know I am asking alot from one gun, but I want it to be as versatile as possible.

I have taken several bear with a 54 PRB no problem with decent shot placement it will take elk and moose to as well as the antelopes of the world. I would not try croc. Cape buffalo hippo or elephant with a PRB of less than 4 gauge.

Thanks for the help Lee, I will order the Deerstalker .54 tonight. I am looking forward to trying it out.