Hunting rifle

[Mad Professor]

Lyman used to offer a Plains Rifle, sort of the same as Investarms/Cabelas Hawken in 58.

I have one and it is a joy in the woods as is very light with a 58 cal in 15/16 barrel. Will shoot a PRB or a monster 525 gr Honaday plains bullet well.

Not a prb barrel like a slow twist , nor a conical barrel as good as a fast twist. But good on both out to 100 yds (deer chest).

I also have a 62 SB barrel that lyman offered with that same gun, that is really light. A fowler or big PRB option that seems to be a rare barrel.

 

[Shifty]

That sounds like a good handling gun I would like to see a pic of one,I have a 58 cal Hawken I built it is easy to handle I like it a lot.

 

[OvertheHill]

If you haven't purchased one yet...try these folks...

Clear Creek Trading Company http://www.electrol.net/

click on Product List, scroll down...best prices I've seen....call 'em up to order...seen several good recommendations for them over the last couple months...
FYI: Not associated with them in any way...good luck in your "quest"...

 

[Dphar]

I kinda new to all this but I'm looking for a 45 or 50 cal Hawken style rifel left hand. I don't want to buy junk but I'm not covered up with money eather. Please point me in the right direction.

Tom

If you must buy a factory made by an Italian gun. They have better barrels than the American made stuff unless you get information that the American made rifle has a gun barrel quality steel barrel.
For a hunting rifle the 50 is the best minimum. 54 is better. But many rifles are too light in weight for heavy charges in a 54 to be fun to shoot. Over 54 is generally too much recoil with a flat shooting hunting load unless the rifle is carefully stocked and weighs about 10 pounds.

Dan

 

[Dphar]

One must also ask how, if a decent barrel retails for 150 without the breech and a usable lock for 95 to 130, triggers for 50-80, various other parts 100+ how do they sell guns, in the white or otherwise, for under 400?

Dan

 

[Many Klatch]

Dan, it's easy, they make it up in volume :rotf:

Many Klatch

 

[BrownBear]

If you haven't purchased one yet...try these folks...

Clear Creek Trading Company http://www.electrol.net/

click on Product List, scroll down...best prices I've seen....call 'em up to order...seen several good recommendations for them over the last couple months...
FYI: Not associated with them in any way...good luck in your "quest"...

Unless I'm wrong, that site (and their prices) hasn't been updated in about a bazillion years.

 

[ryoung14]

Tom, If you haven't purchased yet, take a look at the Lyman Deerstalker. It's not as true to traditional appearances as the GPR or GPH, but with its 24" barrel, wider shotgun style butt, recoil pad, unbreakable ramrod and fiber optic sights, I feel it's more practical for the hunter. They've got a good reputation for accuracy with both ball and conical and Lyman offers a left-hand version.

I have both a GPR and a GPH, and to be honest, I'm getting a bit tired of the long barrel plains rifle style. It doesn't work well in the heavy brush I hunt and it's awkward in blinds and tree stands. OTOH, a sidelock rifle with a 24" barrel is about ideal for my hunting conditions as well as being easier to load and significantly lighter to carry.

I hunted with a TC Greyhawk (no longer available new) with 24" barrel last fall and much prefer it to the to the 'long-stemmed beauties' when in the field.

The latest Lyman Black Powder Loading Handbook shows very little in the way of muzzle velocity is lost by going with the shorter barrel.

I totally agree with the .54 choice; a 54PRB is devastating to deer at muzzleloader ranges.

 

[rodwha]

"...take a look at the Lyman Deerstalker. It's not as true to traditional appearances as the GPR or GPH, but with its 24" barrel, wider shotgun style butt, recoil pad, unbreakable ramrod and fiber optic sights, I feel it's more practical for the hunter."

Which is precisely why I chose it, though I opted for a .50 cal with the thinking that were I to hunt something that needed a bigger projectile I could always use a conical.


"I have both a GPR and a GPH, and to be honest, I'm getting a bit tired of the long barrel plains rifle style. It doesn't work well in the heavy brush I hunt and it's awkward in blinds and tree stands. OTOH, a sidelock rifle with a 24" barrel is about ideal for my hunting conditions as well as being easier to load and significantly lighter to carry."

And that's another reason I chose it. It's light enough to carry all weekend yet not so light that with a heavy load it'll get to be too much at the range. Much more opportunity with it too as most shots are under 100 yds anyway. But I do plan on eventually buying a Trade Rifle barrel for it or a Great Plains Hunter to attach a PC scope to for the longer range hunting opportunities.

If you want something that isn't so untraditional you may want to look at a Pedersoli Country Hunter.

 

Here's my GPR, that I built from a kit back in 1982. Cost me $125 back then.
The stock has been reshaped somewhat. No stain was used, I got lucky with the wood

 

[GaCop]

Beautiful rifle! Ya did good.

Tom

 

[lewinskics]

Wow! Claypipe, that has to be the prettiest GPR I've seen. I'd love to do similar customizations to my own.... what can you tell me about the brass studs? Where did you get them? How long are they, and how did you install? Is there any particular significance to the number or placement of them? I'd love to add these to my own GPR..

 

The brass "studs" as you call them are Cone Head Brass Tacks I purchased from Dixie Gun Works.

Using a fine drill bit, I predrilled where I planned to place the tacks. That way it releaves stress on the wood so that it doesn't split or crack. The grease hole was done with old fashion brace and bit.

For the most part, the tack placement was happy accident. Unlike the rest of the work. I spent about 6 months studying Hawkens rifles. Then 3 months bringing it to life,

"The Plains Rifle", by Hanson, is great reference book. As well as the inspiration for most of the modifications I did to reshape my GPR.

 

[MSW]

A Lyman kit is easy and my last one took me about a week and a half worth of sanding, staining, and metal finishing for an hour or two a day after work. That one I bought about a year ago and cost me right at $400 plus sandpaper and stain. You can't go wrong with these and they're great shooters. A TC is just as good, but the feel is different, mosre like a modern rifle with less drop in the stock than the GPR has. These tend to go for anywhere between $250-$400, depending on your timing, luck, and probably region. While I have a CVA also (made by the same people that make Traditions), and it is a good shooter, with your budget, I would pay the extra few dollars and get the much better gun that the Lyman or TC is over the Traditions. I also second the recommendation of getting a .54 over a .50. Forst off, you have a little extra steam should you ever need it, and second, and probably more beneficial to most of us, you get a lighter weight rifle since most manufacturers use the same outside profile barrel for both .50 and .54, but just drill a bigger hole down the front to make a .54. If you had said this was a target rifle, I might have said go with the .50 due to them usually being a little heavier and especially more muzzle-heavy than a .54, but you said hunting, so lighter weight overall while at the same time providing slightly better performance on game makes the .54 about perfect for the vast majority of North American hunting.

Just to stir the pot a little here, have you considered a rock lock yet? You know you want one, all the cool kids have em... :stir:

what he said ... i'm pretty sure that Lyman makes a left handed flinter ... don't know if it comes in a .54

 

[BrownBear]

... i'm pretty sure that Lyman makes a left handed flinter ... don't know if it comes in a .54

Yup on both counts.