Is a 50caliber Muzzleloader better then a 45calibe

[grouse]

I alway's remember telling people in the past to go with the 50 when asked. I have really changed my mind in general. Obviously it depends on what you want to do. But for Deer size game you cant go wrong with a 45caiber Muzzleloader at 1/30 twist.

What made me think of this was velocity today at the range. I was shooting 200grn SST'S at 2530fps at 100yds with excellant accuracy. I was also shooting the 200grn Lehigh Hollow point with excellant accuracy. The SST Won today. The Deer wouldnt know the difference. I think the main reason was because it was windy. The little better BC i bet helps in the wind.

Anyway, that bullet is realy moving. The closest i can come with a 50cal with same bullet is like 2300fps. 200fps doesnt sound like much. I bet at 200 and 300yds it's huge. maybe someone on here can tell me. I actually think the 2oogrn SST is better then the 250. Of course that's a matter of opinion. Not that much of a difference to argue one way or the other.

The down side to the 45cal muzzleloaders are, who makes them? I'm not sure that there are to many being made and if they are good. Knight Disc Elite is no longer made, the Whites are no longer made. Is CVA the only factory one left still being made? I do see Knight still makes the extreme in 45caliber. I hear people complain about T/C'S 45caliber Encore, but has someone tried it with Harvester or mmp sabots? Is the Encore tweeked already? Heck, the 50cal needs tweeked. Why wouldnt the 45cal? That's the way i see it.

I guess my inexperience with 45's kept me from reccomending them. With light bullets it makes the 50cal look anemic as far as velocity. The 45 smokes the 50. I'm sure there are alot of people that like the 175 and 195 Barnes. How about PR Bullets 200 and 220grn 40cal bullets? Alot of options for the 45cal ML no doubt.

[larryfox1]

Groue,the way i see it over a 45 Cal verus a 50 Cal.
The ration between the Dia. to weight would be alot more Crital.Since the dia of either one can not be increase or decrease but so much.Adding weight would most likely mean makeing either bullet Cal longer.There by makeing it more crital in the 45 cal,haveing to be made longer,compare to a 50 cal to add same ammount of weight.In other word's to go from a 200 Grain 45 Cal to 245 grain 45 might have to add to the lenght 1/8" where as if you done the same with a 50 Cal maybe it would only need 1/16".This measurement are just a guess.But you should see what i mean.I think my self that the 45 cal's muzzy's ,are trying to stand on both sides of a fence at the same time.I do not think one can have the Best of Both Worlds,(Distance/Accuracy and Knock down Power)and tweek it for one are the other.Because some where one over the other is going to suffer.
Thats my opinion and i am sticking with it,LOL
PS:These are my thoughts on the 45cal.They would be blown out of the water ,if say the 45 cal were made with a Higher Density Metal than the ones being use today

[davewolf]

I own a CVA ProHunter mag, and older one, bolt action. It has taken 4-whitetails for me using Pyrodex pellets and 240-grain PB's--most here would consider it untweaked. But it has done the job, light and an easy carry into the woods, clean-up isn't bad at all. I put a Bushnell Banner 1.5X4 on her, and shot all deer within 60-yards, the bullet expanded and was found on the far side in the skin. None of the deer went more than 20-yards.
Now I know with tweaking this could be one of my better rifles.
Have a great day!
Dave

[wilmsmeyer]

The answer to this question is layered in what a shooter wants. Surely, accuracy can be found with either caliber. Surely, 50 cal has the advantage in different combo's to try. The .45 will do things with less recoil.

For deer? Under 200 yds and the velocity gains of the .45 are not big enough for an accomplished shooter to worry about. Over 200 yds without a sandbag rest, or something VERY good, and the fsatest most accurate rifle will only be as good as your rest.

My Savage will punch 300 gr bullets out at 2500 and 250's at 2700 and it's 50 cal. But I think we are talking about BP guns here with new propellants. Still inside 200 yds, none of these guns or propellants have much of a ballistic/killing edge over each other on deer. They all will do it all.

[Chris Champion]

I think one of the biggest advantages would be recoil. A big recoiling gun such as a 50 cal Savage at the speeds that Wilmsmeyer shoots or a light 50cal BP gun shooting 250 grainers at 2200 fps will thump you and can cause many bad shooting habits. All else being equal, a 200g bullet at 2500 fps will produce apx 35% less recoil then a 300g bullet at 2300 fps in the same gun. The selection of bullets for 45 is not near what is available for the 50, but the ones that are available seem to be pretty good.

From what I've read about BH209 performance in the 45cals, I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see the 45 BP guns make a comeback.

[minst7877]

Knight currently has a 45cal Disc Extreme for sale on its web site with a laminated stock. I purchased my first 45 last year out of necessity for reducing recoil. Due to neck surgery I could not withstand the recoil from my ML II or my MK 85 54cal. That little 45 harvested 4 whitetails last season without a problem.

DC

[screwbolts]

Apr 11, 2009 22:21:56 GMT -5 minst7877 said:

Knight currently has a 45cal Disc Extreme for sale on its web site with a laminated stock. I purchased my first 45 last year out of necessity for reducing recoil. Due to neck surgery I could not withstand the recoil from my ML II or my MK 85 54cal. That little 45 harvested 4 whitetails last season without a problem.

DC

Glad the .45 worked for you, Have you tried reduced loads in the MLII ? I find that ( PM me for loads I use in the MLII, this is the wrong spot or me to list them) it is easy to duplicate a load equivalent to 80 or 100 grV of BH209 with the MLII . clover leafs groups, little or no recoil and DRT results. ;D

Ken