[hellraisenfarmer_69]

I am looking at buying my first muzzleloader and am wondering if i should get a 45 cal. or a 50 cal. Is there any major benifits to ether?

[mykeal]

Depends on what you are going to do with it.

.45 cal will be heavier for the same length barrel, would be suitable for small game but not a good bush gun.

.50 cal is for bigger game (up to whitetails but that's about it), is generally better suited to carrying in brush as it would probably be lighter.

However, there are many, many variables to consider that will alter the above.

Start this way: if you are going to hunt deer, go for a .50 cal. Then look at twist rate, barrel length, bullet size and weight. If you do not want to hunt deer, the .45 may be a candidate With the heavier barrel it could be more accurate, better for target shooting and small game. That doesn't rule out the .50 cal, but gives you something to use to evaluate the offerings.

[dwave]

I use my .45 for deer here in Ohio with no problems. I use Lee R.E.A.L bullets at 200 grs. I prefer the .45 to the .50 myself. The weight isn't an issue at all for me, there is not much of a difference to matter. Its not like its a few pounds heavier. The .45 will use less powder and Round Balls are cheaper too.

However the .50 cal probably has more variety to it bullet wise, but I am not 100% sure on that one, I have just seen more for the .50 than the .45 and would be good for animals larger than deer.

[AntiqueCollector]

If it's bigger game you could try a .54 too.

[arcticap]

The .45 caliber ball weighs 133 grains.
The .50 caliber ball weighs 177 grains.
The .54 caliber ball weighs 225 grains.

For most people, their muzzle loader will be the largest caliber gun that they'll ever own. And because they are able to tailor the powder charge to suit their personal preference for each shot, the .50 caliber has become the most popular all around muzzle loading caliber.
The .50 caliber ball bucks the wind better. It's more effective for large game. Recoil can be made to be as light as you'd care to make it, or as heavy as you can handle, especially since black powder does not create as much pressure or felt recoil and is more managable to shoot anyway.
So if you want to buy a gun that will pack more punch and is potentially more fun to shoot, go for a .50. The larger bore is easier to clean and the balls are easier to handle.
The .45 is a very accurate round ball, but at 133 grains, it just doesn't make the larger holes in the target. And because muzzle loading involves a slower method of loading, it's a little more satisfying to be able to shoot a heavier load to make up for the lesser number of shots.
The .45 is probably better for pistols and revolvers, and for consuming a little less powder.
You won't go wrong with either caliber, but if you buy a .45, before long you'll wish that you had a .50 to shoot. Many people do. ;)

[mykeal]

articap - well said.

[Loyalist Dave]

Sorry but seems to be alot of misconceptions. First, the .45 caliber rifle is only heavier IF the barrel dimension between the calibers are the same. SO a 1" diameter barrel is lighter in the .54 and heavier in the .45 (a smaller hole in the metal leaves more metal). BUT..., get a 13/16ths barrel in .45, and swamped, it will be considerably lighter than a straight walled 1" barrel in .54.

A .45 longrifle will "feel" heavier than a half-stocked plains rifle sometimes, due to the length of the barrel, even if the rifles are of equal weight.

Accuracy is a function of the quality of the barrel and the components loaded into that barrel. There is no data that shows the .45 to be any less or more accurate as a caliber, than the .50 or .54. Heavy barrels are easier to hold offhand (imho) so the shooter may be more accurate, and when firing many shots in quick succession at the range, a heavy barrel heats up slower, but neither are a factor when determining hunting accuracy. One shot, the first shot, is what counts.

While the .45 round ball is very light, it has harvested many many deer east of the Mississippi for centuries. Be that as it may..., you are not limited to the round ball (and your question did not specify) so a moderate twist rate barrel, say the common 1:48, will accurately throw a conical bullet. Conical bullets in .45 are often heavier than a .54 round ball (195 grain up to 275 grain). You can bust brush with those without a problem.

Spend your money on the best quality barrel and lock and trigger that you can find, and only worry about the caliber to the extent that it's legal to hunt what you want where you want. (Some states limit whitetail caliber to .45 or larger, in Maryland you can go as small as .40) The biggest joy for me and ML shooting is putting that shot where it counts when it counts. At that point, the caliber doesn't really matter, from .40 through .75 the deer will go down.

LD

[countertop]

Here's a dumb question (maybe not)

does the fact that its an "inline" make a difference or not? I was looking at a .50 Caliber in line muzzle loader, but they said that if I used bullets to get the saboted .45s

Can a modern in line handle more powder? Is it more accurate?

[AntiqueCollector]

You'd just be wasting powder when you load as much as some people do into the inlines. Supposedly, a lot of them can take 150 grain+ charges (if you trust the barrel enough go ahead if the gun's maker says you can), but it's really a waste of powder. I generally don't even go over 100 in my 54 sidelock, did give it more (120) when a shot a big 600 grain conical but that was it. Diminishing returns and all...

Most of the inlines have faster twists than round balls want, so conicals or the dreaded sabots are best. A lead conical should be just fine in most of them. I hate sabots but some like them...

[K.A.T.]

Hellraisenfarmer, what style rifle do you have in mind?

[Whitman31]

Speaking in terms of sabots, the 45 has a better BC that a 50 of the same weight.

As far as game is concerned, IMHO a 50 will kill anything in the lower 48. A 45 will easily dispatch whitetail and I'm guessing larger game as well.

[DrLaw]

Bigger hole, faster kill, hopefully. Bigger hole = bigger blood trail, bigger damage that stops animal faster, dispatches quicker. .54 is also available out there in a load of varieties of guns. Ask some more questions here before you buy when you learn what your new questions are. The people here are fantastic resources for almost everything in guns.

The Doc is out now. :cool:

[Loyalist Dave]

Yes the fellows are right. It'd be better if you let us know what rifle you are considering then we can tell you the merits of the various projectiles and powder loads.

LD

[314/23CES]

Look through all of the hunting catalogs. .50 is the caliber. Oh sure, you can argue all day long about this. The main factor that I look at is availability of ammo and accessories. I will not go into ballistics or any other of the millions of items. I keep a nice cache of ammo for all of my guns. Every time I go to a sporting goods store I pick up a box of ammo. Never know...... The .50 is just ripe for the picking as far as accessories. In my opinion, you won't regret it...Just my opinion

[jacobhh]

It boils down to what you'll be doing with it. I don't hunt.
I target shoot and use round ball exclusively, which I cast.
Started out with a TC .50 and now use a custom percussion
and a flint I stocked. Both in 13/16 .45, the .50 collects dust.
This works for me and my pursuits but guys have outshot
me with their .50's on occassion. There is not a difinitive
answer. I will argue that in general a .45 is more accurate.
I don't believe weight is an issue, That has more to do with
barrel selection than caliber.