Beginners Lefthand flinter

[hockeyref]

Looking for suggestions for a LEFT HANDED beginning rock lock for my 12 year old daughter. Want it to be .54 for ball commonality and to reduce the weight a bit. Thinking about a Lyman Deer Stalker with it's 24" barrel and a wood stock that I can cut the LOP down on.... What effect will the 1x48 twist barrel have on shooting PRB vs conicals, etc..?

Any suggestions appreciated. BTW, for comparison she says that my GPR is a bit too heavy in general, and specifically too muzzle heavy...

 

[BrownBear]

I can heartily endorse your thoughts about the Deerstalker in 54 cal. I've waxed long and often about my wife's love affair with hers, though it's a right handed capper. She selected the 54 for better balance and a little lighter weight than a 50, and the prospect of cropping the stock only emphasizes that choice for your daughter.

Here's a little stunt I learned in years of gun shops for cropping stocks. Before you make the cut, remove the butt pad and put the stock end-wise in a drill press. Drill two 1/4" holes parallel and extending well past the place you intend to cut.

Then go on about your cropping and all. Later on, when your daughter grows you'll already have perfectly placed holes for alignment with 1/4" dowels in regluing the chunk back into place. It won't be pretty with the cut, but it will sure be prettier than if your glue job doesn't line up. :thumbsup:

 

[BrownBear]

Woops. Just saw your question about twist rate and RBs. No sweat. Ragged holes at 25 yards, nearly so at 50, and 2-3" groups at 75.

Best of all with the Deerslayer, when sighted in with 90 grains of 3f Goex dead on at 75 yards, it hits virtually the same POI at 25 (right on) and 50 yards (about an inch high) using 35 grains for a small game load and 60 grains for plinking and targets. No more messing with the sights once your initial sighting is over, and it's ready for just about anything with the suitable powder charge.

 

[papellet]

I use 70 gr of 3f and rb in my left handed deerstalker, works great. Have been using hornady great plains for hunting for the past few years, with no patch, simplifies things with one less thing to carry and use.

 

[Toomuch_36]

You've done your homework well. The Lyman "Deerstalker" (or "Trade Rifle") would make excelent choices, also the Investarm Hawken.
Great advice on altering the buttstock also.
The 1:48 twist works very well for both round ball or connicle. However my choice would be the patched round ball, as this is required for competition and is also a more effective hunting round.

Toomuch
..........
Shoot Flint

 

[BrownBear]

If I can elaborate a little on the question of conicals versus RBs for your daughter, I sure wouldn't put a conical in it for many years. Try one yourself when the gun arrives. No quicker way to sour her on shooting. Those things make light rifles including the Deerstalker come backwards with some real authority. I tried a couple of different ones in my wife's Deerstalker, but she's never going to pop a cap on one unless she does it all by her lonesome. I don't want my name on the decision, or the results.

Either 50 or 54 cal RBs on the other hand are dandy for deer, and the 54 is well suited for elk or moose if those hunting ops loom. Even a 60 grain charge under a 54 cal RB will do fine for deer at usual hunting ranges, and she can shoot it all day long without discomfort.

 

[hockeyref]

We just did a NWTF Jakes Day event today. One of the stations was Muzzle Loaders. The PAGC WCO said that they've have VERY GOOD performance over the past several years with The Traditions flinters... I forget the figure, but something like 24 weekends a year with between 50 and 100 kids shooting them per weekend. Mainly had to replace the frizzens due to wear (I noticed some gouging on the rifle that I shot). FWIW, they were .50 cal PRB (looked like precut patches and bore butter), 40gr Goex 2f and Goex 4f prime, Cut\machined TC style flints - leather wrap. Temps today were 90+ and it was very humid.... There were some flashes in the pan but mostly very good ignitions. They goaded me into shooting so I center punched a clay bird hanging at 25 yards standing on my hind legs. Got some mocking oohs and ahhhs from the interns working the event that had yanked my chain - all good fun. There was NO recoil with that load. Daughter was nailing clays, swingers, and balloons from the bench at 25 yards and she STRONGLY EMPHASIZED that she WANTED me to buy her a muzzle loader when she finished shooting them.:thumbsup:

Looking up the Traditions, they don't seem to offer a .54 flinter on their website... Looks like it may very well be a Lyman.... We'll see.

Oh, and I may just go over to the range tomorrow and see if I can mine some lead in the impact berm... :hmm:

 

[HOGGHEAD]

Lyman Deer Stalker is a fantastic rifle to start and finish her FL career with. Tom.

 

[MSW]

if you can get the T/C in .54, go for it, but don't use the cut agate flints- go with one of Rich Pierce's gnarly but effectives, or Tom Fuller's Black English Flints.

i like the idea of drilling the holes in the stock; that's very clever and unless you use a chainsaw or somesuch to make the cut, if you clean up the edges before you make the stock longer later on, it shouldn't look too terribly dreadful. (by then, of course, the rifle will be well and truly hers, with all the emotive stuff that implies, and so a small line in the newly lengthened stock won't be a big deal... more a conversation piece at the range.)

as far as flint wraps, give the lead a try (i flattened out a musket ball in a vise and trimmed the edges to fit). when i took the rifle into a darkened room, i was amazed at how much more spark i was getting. if it doesn't work for you, then no harm done and go back to leather.

(there, that should get me yelled at by just about everybody)

you should not only buy her the rifle, but all the goodies and gadgets, and of course, her own copy of Dutch Schoultz' monograph www.blackpowderrifleaccuracy.com

congrats on having a kid who really wants to shoot. mine just do it to be polite to their crabby old father. :wink:

 

[hockeyref]

Well,
Gonna be saving the pennies and watching for the right deal at the right time... I currently use Rich Pierce flints in my GPR so I have a couple spares laying around right now.... I use leather, tried lead wrap and didn't see enough benefit to continue.... no concerns about PC\HC... just fit and shoot-ability... Would prefer wood to synthetic, but would prefer wood furniture..... Might even consider shortening a barrel and re-crowning if needed.