ATrain

I purchased a Great Plains rifle as advertised at Cabela's, percussion cap. I load with 90 grains, and a round ball.

Now I have just read that a round ball does not impart enough kinetic energy to kill a whitetail at much more than 30 yards! Is this true?

I had a shot at about 60 yards a few years ago that I assumed I had missed. Now I am wondering if I hit it but did not penetrate the animal for the kill.

Anyone have an estimate of what distance I can ethically shoot a whitetail with this gun?

frontier gander

my ass! 125 yards with .50 and your load will do great. Put it through the shoulder and its going down.

30 yards! HAAHAHAHA! Thats funny.

isatarak

The real question is accuracy. If you can shoot a good group, 100 yards is a piece of cake.

cayugad

80 or 90 grains of Pyrodex RS (I forget which charge anymore) and a patched roundball penetrated two deer at 80 yards. Well 80 yards and 15 additional feet. I know this for a fact. A roundball has excellent penetration. On a different forum a person told of a friend who shot a moose with 90 grains of Pyrodex RS and a .530 patched roundball, killing it with the one shot. The amazing thing ... the moose was 160 yards away.

During the Civil war it was not uncommon for the defending side to shoot a volley of ball at the other side. Some of these shot were over 300 yards. While the ball might not kill on the spot, there was a high chance that they would cause a mortal wound.

Who ever told you that 30 yard thing was talking numbers. They are talking numbers on paper, not actual hunting experiences. They want X amount of down range energy from the projectileto kill X pounds of animal. Granted a roundball does not look all that well on paper, but in the field they work beautiful. They do not take into consideration that you put a 1/2 inch hole through the heart of a animal, it will be dead sooner or later.

Practice with your rifle and load. If you can place that ball at 100 yards, and get a good broadside shot, let the deer have it. You might have to track it 100 yards, but it will die if you put that ball in the right place. Most people fail in this when they do not track them far enough.

A little story.. I had the opportunity to help a person that shot a deer. He used a roundball. He had tracked it about 50 yards and said.. well I was sure I hit it, since the deer spun out when I shot,then got back up on its feet, and ran off. But I must have missed the vitals. He was about to walk off, when I asked him to hang with me a little longer. About 70 yards further we found his deer. Shot right through the lungs. I was surprised the deer ran as far as it did, but this person was ready to give up... He did not get complete pass through, and we did not find blood for over 70 yards. In his case the deer's lungs had to fill with blood before some would spill out I guess.

HuntAway

Why would you want to try and put a 490-495 ball through a shoulder at 125 yards? That seems to me to be a wounding shot. At that range , behind the shoulder would be the better shot and for that matter at 30 yards, behind the shoulder would be the better shot. PRB's don't carry their energy that well, but, if used within their capabilities, they are very effective. That is not at 125 yd but rather, muzzle to 75 for the 50's and maybe 110 for the 54's. Can they kill further, yes they can. With certainty......?

You are your own PRB Control Board.

Buckhunter46755

30 yards???? Hell you can get a passthrough with a bow @ 30yrds if you have a good shot!! (although I prefer 25yrds or less with a bow) I killed a 7 pointer 2 years ago with a 490 patchedroundball and 70 or 80gr pyro. at about 70 yrds +/-. That was a with a carbine and open iron sights! I'd say you are good for whatever you can get an accurate reasonable shot. Say 75-100 yrds. At least I know my TC White Mountain Carbine will do it. Dropped him right in his tracks! KAABAAAMM!!!! DEAD....Period.

chris

nchawkeye

ATrain...There is a lot of BS on the internet about using round balls...I have hunted with flintlocks since 1977...Started with a .45 and 75grs FFF, killed about 20 or so deer with...The first doe I killed was about 50-60 yards away, the ball passed through the shoulder blade, spine, off shoulder blade and ended up under the hide on the off side...She dropped...

About 1986 I had an encounter with a big black bear, I decided I wanted a .54...I did some research and found that the record grizzly that was registered with the Long Hunter Society (NMLRA) was killed with a .54 and 120grs FF...The shot was at 100 yards and the ball passed through the ribs, lungs and was recovered under the hide on the off side...

I finished my .54 in 1990 and have killed 30 or so whitetails with, it is a plenty, I use 80grs FFF Goex...My furtherest shot was 125 yards, ball through the shoulder and the deer dropped...

Remember...hunting is BIG business...The big money is not only in the guns, but in powder, bullets, sabots, etc...I only use Goex real black powder, cast my own balls, buy patching in bulk from WalMart, make my own lube for the patches and clean with water and rubbing alcohol....No money in this for corporate America...

Another point...Daniel Boone made his living through hunting...All he ever had was a flintlock rifle and roundballs....It worked for him, still works today...

lonewolf5348

I think a round ball stopping power is were you place the shot I myself feel a double lung shot is the best shot placement >I shoot a 50 flinter and a 54 flinter both use RB and heavy charges of 3f goex ( 90 @ 95) grains of powder:
I would say more then enough to stop any whitetail out to 100 yard if you can place the shot.

HEAD0001

125 no problem. Tom.

Doe Dumper

I am gonna be using Shockwaves and XTP's in my 50's but nothing but prb's for my 54. Too many good reviews of prb's and their hostory is too good to listen to drivel like that. It was mentioned that if an arrow will blow thru a deer at 30 yards that somebody would have to have rocks in their head to think a prb wouldnt do the same. Its all about the sales....the game are not getting any tougher...the same things that worked back then will work now. Lots of people woulda starved without them roundballs.