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Continuing my quest for enough information to make a rational choice on a late season PA legal flintlock deer rifle, caliber, bullet choice, and twist are next on my list - the bullet may impact twist rate. The requirements, from page 43 in the "Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest" are:
"Flintlock ignition, single-barrel muzzleloader long gun, 44 caliber or larger, or 50 caliber or larger handgun, using single projectile ammunition. It is unlawful to use telescopic sights. Peep sights are permitted."
What I'm trying to do is zero in on requirements, then look for rifles that meet them.
Required useful range is probablly implied by the hunting situation. Where I hunt now I can get within 120 yards of most expected deer locations. I may be able to get closer when I start thinking like a flintlock hunter instead of a .30-06 centerfire hunter. There are a couple of places where I've ranged it at 208 yards but that is about the longest shot, and there is lots of hunting where the ranges are shorter. The deer I shot during Senior Season this year was at 45 yards. I may never use it, but I'd like some range cushion built into the shooting system if that is possible so I'm not always pushing the boundry.
So to the extent possible, I'd like to choose bullet type and twist rate to maximize useful range in a PA legal flintlock deer rifle.
Finally, there is no pressure. I have till next year's muzzle loader season to get this sorted out and get lots of range time so I can "make friends" with the new rifle and clearly understand my and my rifles combined limitations before heading to the field to hunt. I belong to a range where I can shoot at 25, 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, or 800 yard backstops. I won't need longest 4 for my flintlock (I've never shot at the 800 yard one with anything) but I will shoot at 200, and/or 150 out back on the farm here, possibly at wet newspaper or phone books to clearly understand what it does out there.
Enough background already.
I was thinking 50 CAL, but it was suggested in another thread by a knowledgable person that I get the rifle in 54 CAL. I don't know enough to make a reasonable decision on even that small specification at the moment. I'm thinking the choice of caliber might be driven to some extent by choice of bullet which may be driven by useful range issues.
Before that suggestion caused me to question my thinking, my thought was to get a rifle in 50 caliber with a 1:32" or 1:48" twist and shoot conicals or minnieballs that I cast myself.
The conicals or minnieballs are considerably heavier than round balls so 50 caliber seemed like it would shoot at least a little flatter and might have more useful range than a 54CAL shooting those same bullets. .50CAL also seemed like a better choice, at the time, than .45CAL because the bullet wouldn't be moving all that fast, might not expand much, and the bigger hole would be better. That same size argument could be applied too .54CAL as well.
Heavier bullets will have more recoil than lighter ones, but as long as the recoil doesn't exceed that of my .30-06 (which has a blued steel buttplate) by too much, it won't be an issue.
I haven't attached any indispensible ego to any of those thoughts.
So, to my questions:
What are the Pro's and Con's of round ball vs Conical vs minnieball vs saboted HP as it relates to effectiveness in bringing down deer with a flintlock?
How does bullet choice relate to caliber and useful range given a reasonable powder charge?
Does choosing a 1:32" twist or 1:48" twist rule out shooting round ball ammo?
Is 1:32" fast enough for sabots? Is 1:48" fast enough for sabots?
If the flintlock will shoot sabots, do sabots confer a useful range advantage?
I can think of more questions, but I'll stick to those for the moment.
Thanks for your patience.
Fitch
"Flintlock ignition, single-barrel muzzleloader long gun, 44 caliber or larger, or 50 caliber or larger handgun, using single projectile ammunition. It is unlawful to use telescopic sights. Peep sights are permitted."
What I'm trying to do is zero in on requirements, then look for rifles that meet them.
Required useful range is probablly implied by the hunting situation. Where I hunt now I can get within 120 yards of most expected deer locations. I may be able to get closer when I start thinking like a flintlock hunter instead of a .30-06 centerfire hunter. There are a couple of places where I've ranged it at 208 yards but that is about the longest shot, and there is lots of hunting where the ranges are shorter. The deer I shot during Senior Season this year was at 45 yards. I may never use it, but I'd like some range cushion built into the shooting system if that is possible so I'm not always pushing the boundry.
So to the extent possible, I'd like to choose bullet type and twist rate to maximize useful range in a PA legal flintlock deer rifle.
Finally, there is no pressure. I have till next year's muzzle loader season to get this sorted out and get lots of range time so I can "make friends" with the new rifle and clearly understand my and my rifles combined limitations before heading to the field to hunt. I belong to a range where I can shoot at 25, 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, or 800 yard backstops. I won't need longest 4 for my flintlock (I've never shot at the 800 yard one with anything) but I will shoot at 200, and/or 150 out back on the farm here, possibly at wet newspaper or phone books to clearly understand what it does out there.
Enough background already.
I was thinking 50 CAL, but it was suggested in another thread by a knowledgable person that I get the rifle in 54 CAL. I don't know enough to make a reasonable decision on even that small specification at the moment. I'm thinking the choice of caliber might be driven to some extent by choice of bullet which may be driven by useful range issues.
Before that suggestion caused me to question my thinking, my thought was to get a rifle in 50 caliber with a 1:32" or 1:48" twist and shoot conicals or minnieballs that I cast myself.
The conicals or minnieballs are considerably heavier than round balls so 50 caliber seemed like it would shoot at least a little flatter and might have more useful range than a 54CAL shooting those same bullets. .50CAL also seemed like a better choice, at the time, than .45CAL because the bullet wouldn't be moving all that fast, might not expand much, and the bigger hole would be better. That same size argument could be applied too .54CAL as well.
Heavier bullets will have more recoil than lighter ones, but as long as the recoil doesn't exceed that of my .30-06 (which has a blued steel buttplate) by too much, it won't be an issue.
I haven't attached any indispensible ego to any of those thoughts.
So, to my questions:
What are the Pro's and Con's of round ball vs Conical vs minnieball vs saboted HP as it relates to effectiveness in bringing down deer with a flintlock?
How does bullet choice relate to caliber and useful range given a reasonable powder charge?
Does choosing a 1:32" twist or 1:48" twist rule out shooting round ball ammo?
Is 1:32" fast enough for sabots? Is 1:48" fast enough for sabots?
If the flintlock will shoot sabots, do sabots confer a useful range advantage?
I can think of more questions, but I'll stick to those for the moment.
Thanks for your patience.
Fitch