A Sad Picture...

[Mistered]

These are my last four Hornady Great Plains .54 Cal muzzleloader bullets and when they are gone there are no more available!

These were the absolute best muzzleloading bullets (for rifles with a twist rate to shoot them)

These were going to go away today but wet sloppy snow & a rain forecast kept me from going shooting but soon they will be gone!

I have three boxes of .58s left but they will be gone soon as well (15 per box).

Lee has a mold for a similar bullet that is flat pointed but hollow base which is the important part.

I 'might' start casting again!

IMG_1799.JPG (92.7 KiB) Viewed 2753 times

[fortyshooter]

You should hang on to one of them for reference later on. Sad to hear they are out of production.

Maybe you could modify the casting mold for a hollow base?

[runnin n gunnin]

These are my last four Hornady Great Plains .54 Cal muzzleloader bullets and when they are gone there are no more available!

These were the absolute best muzzleloading bullets (for rifles with a twist rate to shoot them)

These were going to go away today but wet sloppy snow & a rain forecast kept me from going shooting but soon they will be gone!

I have three boxes of .58s left but they will be gone soon as well (15 per box).

Lee has a mold for a similar bullet that is flat pointed but hollow base which is the important part.

I 'might' start casting again!

IMG_1799.JPG

Hey Mr Ed, don't muzzle load, but check out the Sportsmans Warehouse in Rocklin Ca, it looks like they have 2 boxes left you can order for 11.99 each.

May not be the same bullet, but it looks the same. Web: https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting-gea ... et/p/p2223

[Mistered]

They are the SAME bullet unfortunately they are .50 cal and Hornady is continuing to offer this size only for the foreseeable future.

Maybe you could modify the casting mold for a hollow base?

The mold from Lee IS a hollow base style just not hollow point and that is not a big deal - the hollow base IS the important part.

If I feel the need for hollow points I have a device I can modify very easily to quickly bore a hole in the point of the bullet.

[Mistered]

If you have a .50 cal. BP gun with round ball twist, try the hornady conicals.

I do NOT have a .50 cal rifle - only a .54 & .58 and these are the sizes of Great Plains bullets Hornady dropped.

They are keeping the .50s for now but who knows what the future will bring.

Unfortunately muzzleloading ain't gaining in popularity.

[CT_Shooter]

I have almost no knowledge of muzzleloaders, but I bought 58 cal minie balls for my antique 1861 Springfield Rifle from Brett Gibbons at this site. They were perfect for trying out this old gun. He also makes a 54 cal Lorenz bullet that may interest you.

https://www.papercartridges.com/home.html

[Mistered]

Yea I have considered looking into other cast bullet mfgs. but since I still have my lead pot, ladles etc. and the cost of a Lee mold is maybe that of one bag of bullets (+/-) casting is not a bad alternative.

I'll just have to make a 'cake cutter' to facilitate the lubing process but that is a simple thing.

[PT7]

Mostly what I've gotten from this thread is the realization that my Hornady .50cal RBs may someday disappear. You've pointed out, MrEd, the spot-on observation of the interest level of muzzleloading. Even if there are quality products, stuff disappears pretty darn fast if there is only a small demand for it.

PT7

Hornady... is keeping the .50s for now but who knows what the future will bring.

Unfortunately muzzleloading ain't gaining in popularity.

[Mistered]

that my Hornady .50cal RBs may someday disappear.

I would suffice to say round balls will probably be around for a LONG time and in .50 cal which is probably the most popular ML caliber being used.

.54 and .58 are not as popular as they once were - especially .54 as "inlines' in .50 cal have replaced 'traditional' muzzleloading rifles for hunting (where legal). Quite frankly the states that have allowed 'inline' muzzleloaders (and all that comes with them) for use during 'Black Powder' or 'muzzleloading only' seasons have essentially ruined the sport of hunting with Traditional Muzzleloading Rifles which was once very popular.

Even for just range/sport shooting most ML shooters use round balls more than conical bullets so they will most likely be around for a while.

While not exactly dying a 'slow' death muzzleloading is still holding fast and DOES attract a few new enthusiasts but it is (and has been for a long time) a 'niche' market.

[runnin n gunnin]

Not to beat a dead horse, but take a close look at the picture on the website, it says 54 Cal.on the left side of he package.There are two images, one 50 cal, one 54 cal.

Like I said, I don't shoot Muzzle loaders, but if you like the bullets that much, there are two packages left.

Hornady 54 cal.jpg (50.38 KiB) Viewed 1132 times

[Mistered]

Well, maybe I looked at the pic too quickly but two boxes are only 30 rounds and with the reality of no more in the future I have to look at alternatives which for me would be getting back into casting.

I've done it before so it's not like I have to learn anything new and already having a lead pot & accessories all I need is a mold and a few other minor things so this will probably be my next step!