General discussion > Black Powder Shooting
Most Prevalent Larger Calibers?
GameStalker:
Greetings To All,
1- Can you all tell me the flintlock rifle caliber that's MOST prevalent,
among the folks who hunt white-tailed deer through black bear?
2- Can you all tell me, regarding the participants with flintlock rifles at
the big gatherings, [ https://sepr.nrlhf.org/ ] which of the big
calibers, [ .45 and up ] do you see the most?
I'm going to buy a flintlock rifle for the reasons above. I want to be
able to obtain the supplies to shoot it as easily as possible!
DavidC:
Jaeger rifle or long? I'd say .62 specifically for a Jaeger and .54 for both.
Seems like a great middle ground but I've heard the balance of Kibler kits or any straight profile barrel is better in .58 because of the weight of the remaining steel.
I would say .54 to my observation as common at gatherings. The cost per ball if you're buying them is basically the same. Flints are the same, powder charge is similar. I'm not sure it matters if you get any such caliber so long as it isn't some odd antique in .56 or something.
rich pierce:
Agree, .54 in rifles.
smylee grouch:
F or target work 40 - 54 is popular but for hunting what you want I think 50 might be the minimum cal allowed in most jurisdictions if bear is on the tab. A 54 would be better than a 50 IMHO for bear but I use a 58, 62 and am working on a 66. A larger heavy ball has a better chance to make two holes for a bleed out on long hair fatty bears.
Daryl:
Depending on where you hail from, average black bears can run from 200 pounds on up to 5-600 pounds, some, even more.
These heavy weighs oft times outweigh inland grizzlies, so I suggest .54 as a good starting calibre for both. Now, a .45 will
kill both species quite handily, however an outsized critter will "carry" considerable fat and muscle - going larger is a good idea
I think.
.54's make nice rendezvous calibres as well. The "components" for about any standard calibre are easy to come by, and moulds
of .530" to .535" are also commonly used for .54's.
www.trackofthewolf.com has everything needed. There are also other outlets.
Welcome to the forum, Jack.
To answer your second question about 'gatherings', I would suggest perhaps .50 is the most common calibre, but that might depend
location. Up here in Canada, .54's are REALLY popular, but I suspect in and around Tennessee, .40 might be very popular.
My own personal hunting rifle is a caplock in .69. It is also my "target" rifle for rendezvous.
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