Moose with a PRB
 

Guys I'm applying for a moose permit in ME this year. If I'm successful in the draw and because I can have a subpermitee carry another rifle I think I would like to try and get one with my sidelock.
So the question comes down to which one. Should I use the .54 or the .58? I'm sure either would work fine. I'm leaning toward the .58 myself. Opinions,,

When dealing with moose or other extremely large animals for that matter I firmly believe bigger is better. Especially with round ball. But one consideration is accuracy. I believe both of the calibers will and can get the job done if you place the ball properly from a reasonable distance. But I would look at accuracy and what powder charge the ball from both calibers would accept.

For instance if my .58 shot best with 70 grains of powder but my .54 shot best with 90 grains, I would sure be looking at ballistics of that ball. Both are accurate but in large game you want penetration, so which would penetrate best.

I commend you for attempting this. When I bear hunted my friends wanted to lock me up because I was hunting them one day with a .54 caliber with round ball and 90 grains of powder. I had not purchased my .58 at that time. And I carried a .44 mag revolver as security. I later changed to a REAL conical just to shut them up kind of. But I really had no doubt that the round ball would have got the job done. But never seeing a shooting bear, I never got a chance to prove that.

Bigger balls are better. :D I'd go with the .58.

First off, good luck on that draw, you will need it :D Second, if you are going to use a patched round ball on Moose in a state where you will be one EXTREMELY lucky guy to get drawn, I personally would use the rifle I was most accurate with and could deliver the most lead to target. Either the .54 or the .58 can deliver the weight needed to drop a good bull efficiently so you just need to figure which one you are the absolutely MOST accurate with. It would be a rare thing to get a longer shot than 75 yards in the Main swamps and woods so your range will be fine.

Plugging in the numbers below it looks like even the .58 is inadequate as a big game killer. So much for ballistics huh? At 100 yards I'd have not qu
ite 600 ftlb of energy.
I'm going to play with it later this year and see how much I can increase my load and still maintain good accuracy. The figures below are for 120 grs based on some searching. Right now I'm shooting 100 gr.


http://ctmuzzleloaders.com/ctml_expe...allistics.html

Got to thinking about an energy comparison of the two with my hunting loads.

My round ball load for the .54 is 95 grains of GOEX FFFg.
That load gives me an average muzzle velocity around 1550 fps.
With 682 ft. lbs. of energy at 50 yards, and 565 ft. lbs. at 75 yards.

My round ball load for the .58 is 105 grains of GOEX FFFg.
That load gives me an average muzzle velocity around 1450 fps.
With 801 ft. lbs. of energy at 50 yards, and 681 ft. lbs. at 75 yards.

So, at 75 yards you get 20% more energy delivered on the animal with a .58.

The difference between a .54 and .58 probably wouldn't make a lick of difference on a whitetail. But it seems to me that extra energy would be a mighty good thing on a moose.

Bronko, I belive its Lobo, over on my forum that shot a moose with either a 58 or 62cal. He may be able to give you some pointers.

Since you have a .58 I'd use it!

One thing I didn't mention that I should have. Avoid the shoulder period. Lung shots or a tuck and tickle quartering away shot in the pocket. Getting through the ribs to the lungs doesn't take a whole heck of a lotta juice. Getting through the thick hide, muscle, and bone of a Moose shoulder is by far another story. Be as wary of your shot choices as you were when you were Bear hunting last fall and you will be fine.

I am partial to the .58 and that's why i own 2 a 1:70 and a 1:48 twist. Both are Hawken styled rifles. Honestly I don't put to much thought of ballistics in muzzleloading. It seems to me that a heavy projectile is what gets the job done. Being that drawing a ME moose tag is a once in a lifetime opportunity; I would go with the rifle that is most comfortable and accurate and place your shot. I believe both the .54 and the .58 are adequate enough to tackle the job. Moose are not all that difficult to kill.

I know. I shot a bull back in 2014 with my '06. I will have that along as a back up just in case.