H & R Springfield Stalker

[Muskeg Stomper]

Anyone out there have a H & R Springfield Stalker that you can tell us about? I understand that they were made back in the 70s in both .58 and .45 caliber. How does it shoot? What are your overall impressions of the gun? I've heard that not many were made, are they fairly rare? Reason I'm asking is because I'd never seen one before and a guy offered to sell me his that's been hanging over his mantle for 30-some years.

 

[Jim Blair]

I have been asking the same questions since I picked one up earlier in the year here and on a couple of other forums.Not much input.It looks to me like they would be a good utility ML hunting rifle.I've been trying to find an original owners manual,no luck.I don't know about rare but you don't see many come up for sale.There is a way to year date them by the letters in front of the serial number.Mine's a .45.

 

[Jim Blair]

H&R Letter year codes used in combination with serial numbers-

af 1969
ag 1970
ah 1971
aj 1972
ak 1973
al 1974
am 1975
an 1976
ap 1977
aq 1978
ar 1979
as 1980

 

[Trot]

Looks like mine was made in 1975. I don't know about them being rare. They have kind of funny rifling for a muzzleloader, I haven't found anything that shoots very well in mine. It does OK with round ball, and I had some hollow base minies that worked reasonably well. I think they were sort of an afterthought for H&R, most of the parts are from there trapdoor replica with a muzzleloading barrel.

 

[torn moc]

I owned one a few years back...was a tack driver with 70 gr 3 FF and a REAL bullet. I wish I still had it ! The stocks are prone to crack where the ramrod enters so be gentle.
Mine would clover leaf at 80 yards,,,,,
I really liked the sights on it too ! I havent seen any on auction for at least 4-5 years.
I would definetly pick that one up if I were you...its toooo nice a gun to be HANGING and not used.

 

[sagestrat]

I have a 45 that was recently given to me. .440 balls and .018 patches were so tight I was afraid to start 'em. I used some unmeasured, but thinner pocket drill with moose juice and 50 gr of 3f. I was shooting a left over police target and made repeated head shots until I ran out of light. I have .433 balls on the way. Also the ramrod I have isn't long enough to use??? It's my first smoke maker but so far I'm happy with it. Mine had been hanging too and had been loaded for who knows how many years.

 

[Trot]

I think these originally came with some sort of collapsable brass ramrod, maybe yours still has the original? Mine just has a wooden one somebody made.

 

[sagestrat]

Collapsible would make sense since the channel isn't nearly as long as the barrel. Never saw the original rod. I made one out of oak dowel with a steel T.O.W. tip just for looks and bought an alum. range rod from BH tool in Oregon. It's pretty nice 8-32 at one end and 10-32 on the other. It was cheap and shipped fast.

 

[BrownBear]

Buddy has one in 58, and it's so dandy he has all of us watching for one. If I recall correctly (and I think I'm close), he's shooting 100 grains of 3f under a .570 ball with ticking and Mink Oil Grease from TOW. Only hesitation I have on that load is whether it really is .575 or .570.

His accuracy was only so-so until he put a folded patch between the powder and patched ball. Since it's pretty easy loading, that might mean he's using a .570 and going to a .575 could get rid of the firewall patch while keeping everything else the same. Speculation.

Oh, and he didn't particularly like the trigger, so had someone do a trigger job on it. Dunno the details.

 

[sagestrat]

Did yours have a patent breech(I think that's the right term)? The last inch and a quarter of mine seems to be distinctly smaller. I felt around with a .22 cleaning rod and it will go down farther than the .45 jag does. It feels like there is a definite ledge before it drops off. For a while I thought it was caked on powder, now I don't think so. Coulda saved a lot of scrubbing. haha

 

[Trot]

I just got it out to check, it sure enough does have some sort of patent breech! Thanks for the info, been so long since I have had it out, I guess I ought to get reaquainted with it!

 

[user 65408]

I just picked one up in an estate. What are there going for. I’m on michigan

 

[westrayer]

A ML that tries to look like a Springfield carbine.

 

[Trot]

A ML that tries to look like a Springfield carbine.

H&R was making trapdoor carbines and used some of the same parts to make muzzleloaders.