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Having got a bit of chronograph data and some encouraging results if field accurascy tests,"Waht have I really got...?"

I have not hunted with Paradox guns other than a few grouse taken with earlier smaller ga. R&D.
I HAVE shot and hunted with .45-70 from age 14 on, and recently have taken to .50-70.

Old journals show that hunters of Amer.bison counted on the .50-70-450 to kill with one shot almost all the time, and that the smaller diameter .45-70-500, despite the sma powder charge and slightly heavier bullet was not as reliable a one-shot killer. (100's of rds. of .50-70 were recently dug up at the site of the Adobe Walls siege.)
Only difference I can figure is DIAMETER....

If the difference between a nominally .46 cal. and a .51 cal. ,weight of shot and powder charge being equal is due ot .05" diameter or not, I think some "fair" comparisons between 16 ga. Paradox loaded w/ 440 gr. RB and .50-70-450 might give an ideer what kidn of a "under-100yd." performance we might expect.
A .50-70-450 has a pointy bullet and a vel. of 1,100 to 1,150 fps.
The 16ga. Paradox throws a blunt/roundball of the same weight 150 to 200 fps FASTER, and by the time the .66 cal. RB makes it thru the rifled choke at the end of my NEF's barrel, it is .63 caliber.
If there actually IS a perceptible difference between .46 & .51 cal.s on large game, might there not be a noticeable betterment of a jump from .51 to .63?

Anyways, I am expecting my 16ga. PMP(poorman's paradox)to approximate the .50-70, if not better it, at short ranges, on larger animals.

Range with birdshot is 30 to 35 yds. for killing patterns, with fiber wad-only handloads inclining to 30 yds.max.

I think I will be able to keep my shots on a paperplate out to 125 or mebbe 135 yds. merely by holding on the 12:00 edge of the plate.

It would appear to ME that this has the potential of being a pretty versatile gun, and since it doesn't kick hard for the power it delivers, and shoots shot at smaller critters, suits someone whose vision is getting worse as well.

Dave3220, aka "Paradox Pete" ;-)

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