Which caliber

[J.B.]

If you've got a 'Big 50' itch...or a longing for the 'long 45' ..then its likely you wont be satisfied till you've given one... or more likely both... a chance. We've just held our annual shoot and once again were well and truly outclassed by a fellow wielding a 45/70. I've owned a 45 x 2 7/8 ..and currently move between a 44/77 ( love it ) and a 50 x 2 1/2. I'm with Randy.E. on the ease of getting the .50 to shoot. It is very forgiving of loading..or was for me at any rate. Perhaps not so forgiving on the recoil. The 45 loaded with 550 grain bullets and 105 grains of powder is really little different to the 50 loaded with a 470 gn but one can certainly squeeze more powder into the 50 if they so desire. When the .50 bullet weight climbs up closer to to 700 gns...then they certainly change their demeanour. The larger the case..then generally the more difficult it is to load down. Paper patching a 45/90..or even a 45/70 for that matter allows quite a jump in powder volume if you so desire. This can also be achieved by custom gg bullets that seat further out. I rarely hunt with my rifles so this mostly relates to target work. My 50 is a Saddle rifle and runs a 1/22 twist. I had a recoil tube added as much for weight as anything else. It weighs about 12 1/2 lbs and when I touch off a 695 gn bullet with 114 gns of Swiss 1.5....I'm very glad its no lighter . I also later had a pistol grip fitted as it allowed far better control and consistency for any follow up shots. The 44/77 is a great cartridge but the question mark over reliable cartridge case supply has to be considered. hth.