.54 Lyman or...

[leon8711]

Gents,

I have hunted with a rifle for the past 19 years and I am ready to move on. To make a long story short, I want to shoot black powder (no subs) PRBs at elk. Right now I am leaning towards the Lyman Deerstalker flinter in .54, but to be honest I would really rather have .58 or larger. I have a hard $500 budget.
So, if I am unhappy with .54, can I cut my Lyman out to .58? (I haven't seen any green mountain in .58)
Are there any "value priced" .58 or larger I am overlooking?

Thanks for the input
Jake

 

[Drago]

If it's a one inch barrel you probably can and maybe with a 15/16 but I doubt it, that would be up to the person doing the work after checking all the holes and dove tails in it. I think you'll be happy with a .54. Check out the Great Plains rifles too.

 

[galamb]

In a new side hammer, in greater than 50 cal and at your price point you are pretty much limited to either the Lyman Deerstalker or the Trade Rifle.

I don't believe Traditions markets anything above 50 cal now and the couple other "off the shelf" offerings are more expensive (like 800 bucks at the lower end of 58 cal offerings).

I would suggest that either of the Lyman rifles shooting a conical would be more than sufficient for even the largest Elk - assuming you can get close enough :grin:

 

[rusty]

The .54 will do the job just fine,has for me...d

 

[BrownBear]

To get specific, the Deerstalker barrel is only 15/16", and no one I know will open that up to 58 caliber these days.

But that's really not a loss. In fact the Deerstalker 54 is my wife's favorite hunting gun, and for good reason.

I shoot a lot of 58 caliber, but if she hadn't glommed onto that sweet little rifle, I might not spend so much time with 54.

In truth, the 54 shoots a lot flatter than a 58 unless you get up into some really large charges in the 58. With that you get a whole lot more recoil too.

In your shoes I'd have no qualms about a Deerstalker 54. Accurate as a snakebite, flat shooting without excessive recoil, and plenty powerful for elk. Hard to beat that combo.

 

[leon8711]

Well thank you all for the help. Lyman .54 it is.

 

[eaglesnester]

Make sure that U get the right twist. Great Plains rifle has a twist of 1 in 60, good for patched round balls only not good for bullets as the twist is too slow. The Great Plains Hunter rifle has a twist for 1 in 32 which is good for bullets only as the twist is too fast for patched round ball. The 460grain Great Plains bullet in 54 caliber will take game anywhere in the world

 

[AZbpBurner]

Well thank you all for the help. Lyman .54 it is.

Excellent choice! I got my lefthanded .54 flint Deerstalker last year. Accuracy is beyond what I expected with both BRP and Minie's.

 

[Billnpatti]

You'll be very happy with that .54 GPR. A well placed shot with a .54 patched round ball is plenty good medicine for elk. Just don't shoot any farther than about 100 yards. That is about max for any muzzleloader, especially one with open sights. Surely you wouldn't think of putting a scope on your GPR.....would you? Oooooo.....nasty thought! :shake:

 

[kingsax26]

if your going to get a deer stalker you might be better served looking for a used GPR. Im pretty sure the gpr has a better resale than the deerstalker.... also I feel the GPR is a better looking rifle.

 

[AZbpBurner]

if your going to get a deer stalker you might be better served looking for a used GPR. Im pretty sure the gpr has a better resale than the deerstalker.... also I feel the GPR is a better looking rifle.

I agree that the GPR is a better looking rifle. With a longer barrel it will give the ball a little more velocity at longer distance than the Deerstalker. It is also the closest in appearance to the original Hawken design.

I got my Deerstalker primarily because they no longer list the lefthand model in the Lyman Catalog anymore, and an on-line retailer just happened to have one. I've found it easier to develop an accurate load with the 1:48" Deerstalker than the 1:60" GPR.

In the past I always regarded the Deerstalker as just a cheapo rifle with short barrel, but was impressed after actually firing one. Accuracy out to 100 yards is close to my GPR, plus the shorter barrel and light weight is easier to carry and to shoot.

I shoot my Deerstalker much more often than I had originally intended - even more than the GPR or any of my cap rifles, it's just that much fun.


Better resale? GPR hands down. But the Deerstalker is a great place to start, and to be able to use as a basis of comparison with future "better" rifles.

 

[leon8711]

No scopes in CO, or pellets or sabots for that matter. Thank god. I'll be on the lookout for a used trade rifle (I don't like double set triggers) or deerstalker. If I run into something bigger than .54 I'm still going to grab it!

 

[Lonegun1894]

Investarms, same company that makes the Lyman rifles, used to make a "hawken" that was sold by Cabela's, and probably others, that was basically a Lyman Trade Rifle except with double-set triggers and available in .58 caliber. I haven't seen one in person in 2-3 years, but they are out there and you might find one. I used to have one in a cap-lock, but sold it to fund a flinter. It shot very well while I had it though.

 

[AZbpBurner]

I've got 2 Investarms Cabelas rifles. One is called a Cabelas 'Sporterized Hawken' since it has a checkered stock and rubber buttpad. it.s .54 cal caplock and is a tack driver.

The other is a .50 Cal typical Lyman-type 'Hawken' with brass furnishings + patchbox.

Both are about 30 years old, and well made.