Hello,

My wife and I just got the good news that we received our Muzzleloader
Elk tags for New Mexico this year (unit 34). We are very excited as there are a
good number of monster bulls in the mountains around Coludcroft and
Ruidoso,NM. Not to mention the fact that this will be my first ever
Elk Hunt, regardless of hunting tool used. My wife got me hooked on
muzzle loaders and I cant wait to hunt with one.

The rifle I will be hunting with is a Thompson Center 50 Hawken (percussion cap & 28 inch barrel) that my wife gave me for my birthday two years ago (it was new then).
Since elk are large animals and I want to put it down quickly I have
decided on using the Power Belt Bullets (Aero-Tip,copper plated)
instead of the traditional 175 grain round ball. They also have Hollow
Points available, but I think Elk would be a bit too thick skinned for
them to penetrate well.

My question is what weight would be best for killing quickly at 100
to 150 yards? The bullets are available in 223gr,245gr, 295 gr, 348gr,
as well as a 405gr. I think 405 is probably a bit too heavy, and am
seriously considering the 295. What do you think?

Also, with this rifle am I limited to regular powder charges, or can I
use pelletized loads? Does anyone know what the MAXIMUM SAFE powder
load is for this rifle? I have been using 100 to 110 grains of Goex
with 175gr  roundballs at the range  with good accuracy, but I want a heavier bullet to put this animal down quickly.

My wife, however, is a purist when it comes to muzzleloaders.
She will be hunting with her TC Pennsylvania Hunter Carbine Flintlock with a 20 inch barrel. She is limiting herself to Goex or Pyrodex RS powder and the 175 grain Patched Round Balls for ammo. Can she expect good results with this combination out to say 125 yards? She has hunted elk once before with this rifle but didnt get within range to shoot.

Thanks all,
John

I've shot a few elk in Colorado with the rifle and muzzleloader. I have always been a firm beliver in accuracy will beat any far flung piece of lead chucked down range any day, or in simpler terms, Why carry a gun that your not confident with. As I said, of those elk that were pitiful enough to fall to the squealing that I called bugleing, several fell to a .270 with a 140 grn. Federal factory loads.Sounds like a story right?. Think about the size of the bullet that is used to take down an elephant, in comparison they would be no different, (or so insignificant that it wouldn't matter).
A well placed shot is a kill shot, no matter what game your after. Have ever seen some of those big high powered magnum loads that alot of the shooting gurus tout as the best rifle on the market today. Do you think that some of those guys are making a living selling advertising for those big magnum loads.
How many guys do you think shot how many deer with a 30-30 Winchester lever action with whatever ammo they could afford at the time.
As for the muzzleloader, I have played around with the powder and cartridge loads for a few years. The best I can tell is that my Knight Wolverine loves Triple 7 in about 95 grains with a 295 grn. Powerbelt bullet....couple of good bulls didn't like the way that round felt.
I guess after this long pontification it comes down to one thing.....try alot of different combinations on paper, if your confident with your weapon and it hits where you aim, you will be successful,even elk are vulnerable to a well placed shot in the boiler maker
 
Just A thought....although a long one!

The Powerbelts are very soft bullets by design. I've never shot an elk with one but had them go to pieces on deer. I'd use Maxi balls or Maxi hunters by Thompson center in the 350 grain range. I believe they are designed to shoot well in your 1-48 twist rifle and are hard enough to penetrate to the vitals.
Mark

I never had any luck shooting the Maxi-Hunter in my smokepole.  I hit a real nice 5x5 a couple of years ago in the front shoulder and he looked at me like I insulted him.  Just my experience.  I know lots of guys in the west swear by them.  I am by no means any kind of expert with the muzzleloader.  I still have several loads I would like to try here in New York this year...since we can do alot more with the muzzleloader than you can in Colorado.  Using a scope on your gun is allowed here...not out there, pelletized powder here...not there, let's see what this gun can do!!
Bearz

I grew up in Upstate New York and Vermont. Went to Paul Smith's College of Forestry and lived in Saranac Lake awhile. Shot alot of deer there. You're at the mercy of the winters there. A bad one can decimate the deer and turkeys. I like it here in the southwest now.
Mark

Your from Mesa?  My sister-in-law lives in Buckeye, we go down there and see her once in a while...Too Hot for me.
I'm having trouble dealing with the weather in Upstate New York right now...lots of humidity.  Some stuff falling out of the sky too...not used to rain anymore ..didn't get it too often in Colorado.
At least it should keep the horn growth going all summer.
Bearz

I lived and worked in Grand Junction Colorado for 8 years and have just moved to Mesa. Buckeye is an interesting place. Just a few miles west are some very large mule deer in the Sonoran desert. I'll hunt a bit there this year during bow season. P.M. me if you come out.
Mark

I will have a hard time this year getting down there...just got the stuff moved to the house and will probably need a quart of Ben-*** to ease the muscles.  Hopefully I will be back from Colorado in time to get to Saskatchewan by Thanksgiving week.  I have a couple of smaller trips starting in October.  I'm still looking for a bow hunt in Iowa too>
Bearz

John,
First let me say congratulations on your drawing I have not been so lucky yet. But if and when I get drawn for a Montana elk hunt, I'll be shooting a .40-65 430 grn PP BPCR. Now to your question.
 
The first thing to consider is the rate-of-twist of the barrel. This determines the length of bullet it can stabilize.
 
Bullet Stabilization An elongated bullet flying through the air without spinning will be unstable and inaccurate. The longer the bullet is in relation to its diameter, the more spin is required to stabilize it. How much spin is required? This relationship is expressed in the Greenhill formula, a simplified verson of which is:
 
 
150 x diameter squared divided by bullet length = required spin
Example for a .45 caliber bullet .60 inches long:
150 x .45 x .45 divided by .60 = 50.6 inches
So, for the example bullet, a spin rate of 1:50.6 or faster is required
 
The formula can also provide us with the maximum bullet length which can be stabilized by a given barrel twist. The formula becomes:
 
150 x diameter squared divided by twist rate
Example for a .50 caliber barrel of 1:48 twist:
150 x .50 x .50 divided by 48 = .78 inches The barrel will stabilize a bullet .78 inches long, or shorter.
 
Next to consider is down range energy.
 
Energy The energy still retained by the projectile at target range is very important to the hunter. Retained energy is simply the bullet's Weight in pounds x Velocity squared divided by 64.32 (the acceleration of gravity x 2).
 
Weight in pounds = Wt. in grains divided by 7000, so the formula is:
 
Energy = (Wt. grs. divided by 7000) x Velocity squared divided by 64.32.
 
Rumor has it that it requires about 1300 - 1500 lbs of energy to cleanly harvest an elk sized animal.
 
 
This will provide a reference point for the type of bullet. Next is the material or composition of the bullet. Most definitely a soft bullet is desired. One which will expand to its maximum size before it exits the elk.
 
Possible selections for .50 cal:
Hornady Great plains 385 - 410 grs. http://www.possibleshop.com/ball-bullet.htm
Black Widow conical : http://www.blackwidowbullets.com/
Buffalo Bullets: http://www.possibleshop.com/ball-bullet.htm
Buffalo Ball-et : http://www.possibleshop.com/ball-bullet.htm
 
If I were using my .50 cal GPR flintlock, I would shoot the heaviest ball-et that I could pattern. Next I would spend lots of hours at the range, shooting from sitting with/without shooting sticks, prown, off-hand, and off-hand supported (tree, stick or what-ever). Do a few pushups or run to get the heart rate up and shoot some more.
 
Whatever you decide, practice, and take the most comfortable shot you are capable.
Good luck!!