# deer with PRB?...



## Alan in GA (Feb 11, 2014)

From what I've read about it,...seems that if one wants to exclusively use a round ball for deer the best choice would be larger caliber such as 54 or 58 caliber, and correct twist just for PRB use. Right?...


----------



## frankwright (Feb 11, 2014)

I agree that a PRB works best in a 1:66 twist barrel but quite well in a 1:48 also. 
I do not believe you need a. 54 or. 58 to kill a deer but there is no reason not to use them if that is what you like. 
I have killed a fair number of deer with a. 50 and a PRB and with good shot placement I have never had to track a deer which is good as mine have tended not to leave a big blood trail.


----------



## Alan in GA (Feb 11, 2014)

*45 and 50's....*

my CVA Kentucky 50 (48" twist) has nicely killed a doe when a friend used it. I shot a doe with a .45 Kentucky and she died but only after running a hundred yards into a briar thick cutover where coyotes got to her before we could.  Then again thinking back 20 years I did get a quick kill with a heart/lung shot with another .45 Kentucky (all percussion PRB) and in fact was the largest racked 8pt I've killed ever. He was 35 yards and broadside. 
I guess what I'm wondering is if a .45 PRB is a good deer round, or is it lacking in good deer killing ability?


----------



## Whiteeagle (Feb 11, 2014)

I ocassionaly hunt for squirrels during deer season with a .45 cal percussion and prb's. The .45 rb does no more damage than a 22 lr hp to squirrels with a well placed shot, but will take down DEER while still hunting. Try it, you may like it! Been working for ME for over 50 years!


----------



## FrontierGander (Feb 11, 2014)

love larger calibers, bigger holes make for bloodier blood trails and deeper penetration.

For round ball and large caliber, 54 - 58cal a slow 1:66 - 1:72 twist is best suited.


----------



## 7Mag Hunter (Feb 11, 2014)

I have a 54 cal Hawken  (1"-66" twist) and have used maxi ball
conicals for deer....Accuracy is not as good as a PRB but work fine
for 40 yd shots.....
I paper patch them to get tighter fit and better accuracy..


----------



## Bernard goldsmith (Feb 11, 2014)

Some of the old timers I shoot with often talk about using 40 cal for deer!! Course they can out shoot me anyway, you have to put it in the boiler room to put a deer down.
Bernie Goldsmith
Field  Rep NMLRA


----------



## Okie Hog (Feb 13, 2014)

Killed this small deer last season using my TC .54 FireHawk and patched round ball-bang flop.   Distance:  76 long paces.  





This doe was killed last season with my .50 TC New Englander and patched round ball-bang flop.  Distance  about 35 yards.  





Some fast twist barrels shoot patched round balls really well.  My .54 FireHawk  is one turn in 38 inches.  That gun shoots patched round balls like a dream.


----------



## Barry Duggan (Feb 13, 2014)

Bernard goldsmith said:


> Some of the old timers I shoot with often talk about using 40 cal for deer!! Course they can out shoot me anyway, you have to put it in the boiler room to put a deer down.
> Bernie Goldsmith
> Field  Rep NMLRA



It's amazing how calibers that killed game, back in the olden days, just aren't big enough anymore...or so we would be led to believe.


----------



## fish hawk (Feb 14, 2014)

Whats PRB?


----------



## White Horse (Feb 14, 2014)

"PRB" stands for "patched round ball." That's the projectile our ancestors 200 years ago used.

They also hunted deer with .40 caliber flintlocks, and at times even smaller calibers, though even back then it was well known that a bigger ball gave better shocking power, and that a bigger hole let more blood out and more air in.

Shot placement is crucial with any firearm. With your muzzleloader practice at 50 yards with a standard target until you can put each shot in the black. Load from your shooting bag, with your hunting load, exactly the same way every time.

After you have done that for a while, shoot further away if you want, again until you can put each shot in the black, or limit your shots to 50 yards or less. Put your shot into the heart lung area on your deer, and your muzzleloader will do what it needs to do. It's more the hunter than it is the weapon.


----------



## Redleaf (Feb 16, 2014)

> Shot placement is crucial with any firearm



eggzacktimundo!


----------



## stabow (Feb 16, 2014)

fish hawk said:


> Whats PRB?



Patch round ball.....


----------



## LanceColeman (Feb 16, 2014)

I think the reasoning behind it is weight and mass. It's not like you can really get a 50 caliber PRB in three or four different weights. Basically your caliber is going to dictate the size and wieght of your ammo.

That said like Barry said above, way too many deer have been taken with 45-50 cals and PRBs to say they are inferior. But I would suggest just as with any other smaller caliber you pay a bit more attention to your shot placement. Shot placement IS crucial with any firearm... but some leave you less room for error.

I use a 54 cal and PRBs. And yes it has a 1:66 twist. So far everything I have shot with it (knock on wood) has either dropped DRT or not gone more than 50yds. I'm about 50/50 with it. with half the shots behind the shoulder producing good, short blood trails, and the other 50% being high shoulder shots dropping them in their tracks. I only shoot 70grs of FFFG behind my round ball and I still get exit wound on deer out to 100yds (haven't shot one farther than that with it.)

Also something needs to be said about patch thickness and ball size. Some rifles like a real real tight set-up... some like them a bit loose. If your having issues with consistency and accuracy with PRBs, the first thing I would suggest is start adjusting powder charges, if that doesn't work start adjusting patch thickness or ball diameter. Do this before blaming it on the twist ratio.


----------



## flintlocker (Feb 16, 2014)

I have taken deer with .45-.62 PRB's
The .45 kills them just as dead as any other.
As said above, Shot placement is everything.


----------

