Lyman Deerstalker

[Kentucky45]

I traded for a Lyman Deerstalker 50cal. perc. rifle in 100% like new condition. This rifle has white adjustable sights, a soft rubber kickpad and a cheekpiece. Not as traditional as I would like, but in all fairness, it's not an inline, it has no scope, and it feels good and looks like a pretty good gun to carry into the woods to hunt with. And it is a Lyman, and I like Lyman rifles. Anyone out there hunt with the Deerstalker and if so what's your opinion on them? Thanks, K45

 

[BrownBear]

My wife has the same in 54. With something approaching 20 muzzleloaders in the house, it's still her favorite. Just dandy for handling and extremely accurate.

I keep talking about her because she won't let me touch it!!!! She sezz things like "go buy your own," and that's not real friendly is it? But it's a pretty good measure of the gun. She grew up with a dad who owned sporting goods stores and she shot all the time. She knows what she's talking about even if she is stingy. :rotf:

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

That Deerstalker is the best little carbine that money can buy! Essentially it's a cut-down by 4" Lyman Trade Rifle missing the curved traditional butt plate. Lots of stories in the forum archives about lots of game harvested with those guns! Not front-heavy & easy on the "kick", so women & kids just love to shoot 'em!

Dave

 

[playfarmers]

I had a Deerstalker in .50 cal for a lot of years and loved it. I decided that I needed a new rifle and wanted a .54, but when the store was out of Deerstalkers I came home with the Trade rifle. I like the Trade rifle, but wished I had waited for the Deerstalker. I miss the light weight and fast handling. My old Deerstalker went to a new home soon after I got the Trade rifle. Good luck with your new rifle.

 

[Pete Gaimari]

That Deerstalker is the best little carbine that money can buy! Essentially it's a cut-down by 4" Lyman Trade Rifle missing the curved traditional butt plate. Lots of stories in the forum archives about lots of game harvested with those guns! Not front-heavy & easy on the "kick", so women & kids just love to shoot 'em!

Dave

I'm curious why you say it has an easy kick? It takes the same load as the longer heavier Lymans. It should kick more.

 

[Mattole]

Recoil pad?

 

[Pete Gaimari]

Recoil pad?

Have you seen it? It's just a piece of hard rubber. That would hardly make up for 2 lbs less weight.

 

[BrownBear]

Stock configuration does make is feel like it kicks "less." My wife abhors my GPRs because "they kick too much" with 80 grain hunting loads. The powder measure I made for her says 60 on it, but it actually throws 80 grains of 3f, and she'll shoot that all day long in her Deerstalker 54 without complaint.

 

[Pete Gaimari]

Stock configuration does make is feel like it kicks "less." My wife abhors my GPRs because "they kick too much" with 80 grain hunting loads. The powder measure I made for her says 60 on it, but it actually throws 80 grains of 3f, and she'll shoot that all day long in her Deerstalker 54 without complaint.

Interesting. Do you think it's the curved butt plate on the GPR? The one I had for a short time didn't feel that comfortable, but I never got to shoot it.

Maybe your wife couldn't hold the barrel heavy GPR tight against her shoulder.

I'm just trying to figure out why it kicked harder.

Does the Deerstalker have a cheek piece? I just found out the only LH model they make is a flintlock.

 

[hockeyref]

Any time you have a rubber recoil pad on a nice, flat, normal shaped butt that you can put properly seat into your shoulder pocket it will feel like it kicks less that a metal crescent butt that you shoot off of the bicep.....

 

[Pete Gaimari]

I understand, but 80 gr of 3f should still have a good kick in a 7lb gun.

 

[hockeyref]

Have not compared 80 grain loads, but have shot a deer stalker with 40 & 60 grain loads which sure felt softer (to me) than the same loads from my GPR. Maybe has something to do with the 12" LESS barrel on the Deer Stalker?

I still think that the main reason is being able to hold the rifle "in the modern way" which allows the recoil to distributed over your entire frame and the result is you have less "perceived recoil".

 

[Pete Gaimari]

The only reason i'm asking about this is i've shot inlines. They weigh the same as the Deerstalker, and have a much more effective recoil pad.

With 80 gr of swiss they kicked hard. I'm trying to figure out what the difference is. Before you ask. I was using a PRB in it. With heavier conicals I didn't like it at all.

I have a bum shoulder, and i'm really sensitive to recoil. I can feel 5gr difference in powder by the recoil.

 

[BrownBear]

We're down to "perceptions" here too. My wife is 5'7" and about 130, and fit as they come. She grew up shooting, since her dad owned sporting goods stores. They had a lighted trap range set up literally in their back yard and shot 3 and 4 evenings a week as a family sport.

Her 06 weighs about 7 pounds too and is no slouch for recoil, and she shoots it a bunch. Last summer she put over 100 rounds through it one afternoon when we got into an offhand shooting competition. (She won, BTW.)

So she's no stranger to recoil, but all of it till recently with modern guns. The muzzle-heavy feel of my GPRs along with the crescent butt just feel weird to her, so likely she's paying lots more attention when it boots.

Back to my point about "perception." That 80 grain measure is labeled 60 grains, because in my GPRs she felt 80 was too much. Same in the Deerslayer till I made the measure and she could see the 60 right there in front of her eyes. :rotf:

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Pete,

Others have sort of said it already, but I'll second the motion: It's all about "felt recoil" and how you hold the rifle up to your shoulder. The biggest complaint (as a NRA Certified Instructor) I get from women & kids shooting a rifle is that it's "front heavy". I watch them very carefully and I think that they let it droop and the butt plate comes slightly ajar from their shoulder or pocket in the arm just prior to ignition. You can spot this by watching them and seeing where the holes in the paper are. If they trail in a downward direction with successive shots, that's the big clue, especially if you know that the rifle is sighted-in the for 10-X Ring. The pain causes flinch, and the flinch means that they droop it even more in anticipation of the pain of recoil. So it's a snow-ball effect. Take that "weird" crescent-shaped butt plate out of the equation, and it's much easier for them to handle hunting charges. The shotgun-style butt is easier for them to handle and less "strange". Meanwhile, as an Instructor, I still have to teach them to overcome the desire to stand with their weight on their back foot. Transferring some of the weight to their front foot makes recoil more comfortable, but is hard for them to do if the rifle is too "front-heavy". So it's a combination of things that have to be learned that we all take for granted.

Now IF you're teaching using a curved butt stock, my advise is to use reduced charges and something that's not front-heavy, like a Seneca in .45 cal. As an Instructor, I've noticed that smaller-framed folks tend to group their shots better, and the groups hit the center of the paper, when the rifle doesn't "droop". Upper arm strength and body mass play a part in all of this too. Some folks are just "Naturals" and can pick up a Hawken-style rifle and hit the X-ring.

Hope that this helps.

Dave
NRA Instructor

 

[Pete Gaimari]

I mentioned that in one of my posts Dave. I think that's it too.

 

[Kentucky45]

Recoil pad?

Have you seen it? It's just a piece of hard rubber. That would hardly make up for 2 lbs less weight.

Pete the rubber kick pad on this gun isn't hard. It can easily be pressed in with the finger. It's what I'd consider one of the softer factory recoil pads on the market. It does have a cheek piece that's very comfortable. I won't shoot the gun until the middle of the day because it's deer season and the local hunters here hunt mornings and evenings. I won't shoot during those times because it could mess up their hunt. But I'll let you know later how it feels. I agree with the comments about the longer heavier barrels that "some" people tend to "tilt" the gun. That puts the recoil on the heal of the butt plate. I recently bought a Mowery 54cal.. Beautiful, classy gun, to look at. Because of the deep curve of the butt plate, it was absolutely the most uncomfortable gun I've ever shot. And that includes military weapons. It was very barrel heavy, hard to hold level, had a deep curved pointed heal on the butt plate, and it was extremely painful for me to shoot. I'm sure you already realize from my comments that I no longer own it. I love the look of Mowery's and I know people that shoot and love them, but it's not for me. Honestly, my shoulder and joint area was black from bruising. It "tilted" because the barrel weight was too much for me to handle. This Deerstalker has a slightly curved soft rubber pad and the barrel is short, which will make it easy for me to hold level. If it's level the recoil can be absorbed equally on the shoulder. If it's not level the recoil will be absorbed onto a small area of the butt plate, from that to a small area of the shoulder, and that creates pain. I've liquidated my long guns and moved totally to Hawken and carbine style guns for this reason. I've shot Hawken style rifles for over thirty years with no problems to my shoulders. I'll catch some flack for these comments on long barrel guns but this is just my preference. You have to shoot what's comfortable, or you won't shoot. K45

 

[Pete Gaimari]

Well, the Deerstalker has a cheek piece. I've never seen the gun from the left side and was hoping it didn't have one. That means i'd have to get a flintlock, because that's all they make in LH. I find it hard enough keeping a caplock dry in Colorado weather. I love hunting when it's snowing.

As for the recoil pad. I thought it looked hard in the pictures. I guess not. It isn't very thick though. Certainly not as thick as CF rifle pads.

I'm not sure what's up with ML and recoil with me. I still have a Winchester Model 70 in .338 mag, and the recoil doesn't bother me, and it has a rep of hard recoil. I don't get it.

 

[BrownBear]

Well, the Deerstalker has a cheek piece. I've never seen the gun from the left side and was hoping it didn't have one. That means i'd have to get a flintlock, because that's all they make in LH.

That must be a new development, because they made LH cappers in the past. LH barrels are still available here. Looks like I better track down one soon, new or used, if I want one.

 

[Pete Gaimari]

I had noticed that Midsouth didn't have a LH caplock. I just thought they were out of stock, but last night I was on the Lyman site and they don't list a LH caplock.

Not sure why they'd drop it? Do they sell more flintlocks in that type of gun?