Ugly Sauce
Member
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2020
- Messages
- 6,261
Surprisingly to me, the .54" ball penetrated slightly more than the 240 grain .50" slug, but did considerably more damage to the block it passed through before it embedded it's self in the post. The lower hole in the post is from the .50" the upper hole from the .54". Nice way to treat my shooting bench, aye? As you know, both loaded over 70 grains of 3fg, old-stock Goex I believe.
The strength of the block may have been compromised by the previous .50" 240 grain slug going through it. ? To really know, I would have to repeat the test using a fresh block every time, but to my eye it looks like the ball did more damage. Thumped it harder. Split much of the block in half, as you can see.
Both .50" slug and .54" ball shed very little weight going through old seasoned, dense wood. They were both within 5 grains or less of their original weight.
Enough difference to make a difference? Not really. Ease of loading dictates, to me, that the .54" is the best choice for giving Grizz a headache. On the other hand, one does not have to feel sorry for themselves, like I used to do, for not having a .54" barrel. The 240 grain "PA Conical" is a real thumper out of a pistol. But again, a real pain to load in a fouled barrel, which could be a real handicap in the field. They (the 240 grain PA) are .512", perhaps one could swage them down to .500" or a little less without losing too much accuracy. ? They are accurate.
Anyhow, the Plains Pistol loaded heavy is a serious power house, as far as pistols go. And you know it when you pull the trigger. No kidding. I have much greater faith now in it's effectiveness in the field, if ever it should be called upon. Only one shot one chance, but if I can't keep my cool and make my shot good, then I deserve what I get. !!!!
Okay, the "Baby Beast" says: "thanks for listening".