Thoughts on the Knight .52 Cal. Muzzleloaders...

[MuleDeerCrazy]

Anybody have any hands on experience with their .52 cal. muzzleloaders?  Seems like it would be a good option between the .50 and .54 for elk.  I have a .50 cal. Austin & Halleck, but seems a little light for elk... maybe I just don't have the right load?

Any thoughts from you muzzleloader buffs?

Thanks!

[snowpack]

Really very little difference between .50 cals and .54 cals, the bullets really don't vary that much in weight and the guns usually use the same charges.

[MountainDevil54]

How is a 50 light for elk, unless you are using a 177 grain round ball? 

 A lot of bullets to choose from for the 50cal inline. Caliber size won't make up for poor shooting.

[MtnMuley]

I'd get to work on finding a load with your 50.  That 50 will pack every bit of the punch the 52 will.

[Sabotloader]

Anybody have any hands on experience with their .52 cal. muzzleloaders?  Seems like it would be a good option between the .50 and .54 for elk.  I have a .50 cal. Austin & Halleck, but seems a little light for elk... maybe I just don't have the right load?

Any thoughts from you muzzleloader buffs?

Thanks!

I have a 52 and one of the main reasons I bought it was because it comes with a 1-26 twist.  This will allow you to shoot longer heavier bullets and achieve stabilization.

I use .458 (45-70) rifle bullets in my 52 versus the normal pistol bullets.  Barnes and Knight both offer some very good premium bullets.  Sierra - Hornady - Speer offer very good less expensive 458's also.

With all that said the 50 can be used the same way with the same bullets.  The 52 can achieve a bit better velocity but not enough to make a huge difference.

An additional thought about the 52 - it can shoot the even larger .475 bullets.

So it really is a toss up...  but the 50 is certainly the more widely accepted ML and it is easily acceptable for elk hunting...

This is a 52 with a Western Kit installed...

[MuleDeerCrazy]

Maybe I was just trying to talk myself into a new gun

Yea, I should probably stick with the .50 cal., it's a nice long-barreled gun too.

Thanks.

[HntnFsh]

.52s can be nice. But the supplies are harder to come by. .50 is everywhere.If a guy bought enough .52 ammo to last awhile he would be good to go.

[washelkhunter]

Always thought the .52  was more of a  gimmick to just try and get more product out. It never took off.

[Sabotloader]

Anybody that might be interested in a 52 I have one for sale...





http://www.modernmuzzleloader.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=24040

I can put a Western Kit in - right now it is setup with a Lehigh 209 Breech Plug

[fly-by]

I use .458 (45-70) rifle bullets in my 52 versus the normal pistol bullets.  Barnes and Knight both offer some very good premium bullets.  Sierra - Hornady - Speer offer very good less expensive 458's also.



Have you had much experience shooting .458s out of a .50?  I have a .50 Knight Disc Extreme and a bunch of different .458 bullets for my 450 Marlin ranging from 300 to 500 grains.  Picked up some .50/.458 sabots but have yet to shoot any as other projects have taken precedence.  Any idea how heavy a projectile can be stabilized at reasonable velocity? 

[Sabotloader]

I use .458 (45-70) rifle bullets in my 52 versus the normal pistol bullets.  Barnes and Knight both offer some very good premium bullets.  Sierra - Hornady - Speer offer very good less expensive 458's also.



Have you had much experience shooting .458s out of a .50?  I have a .50 Knight Disc Extreme and a bunch of different .458 bullets for my 450 Marlin ranging from 300 to 500 grains.  Picked up some .50/.458 sabots but have yet to shoot any as other projects have taken precedence.  Any idea how heavy a projectile can be stabilized at reasonable velocity?

Fly-by, not sure if you were asking me or not but 90% of the bullets I shoot from my 50's are .458 bullets - like you said regular rifle bullets.

Stabilization really depends on length and diameter of the bullet.  I know from a 1-28 stabilizing a 500 grain lead bullet is not a problem, yet stabilizing a long 305 grain brass bullet with a 1-28 can be marginal.

I know Doc White shoots a 600 grain lead conical from a 1-24 White - no problem

mike