Lyman Stainless Deerstalker questions

[tonykarter]

I sometimes hunt in the saltgrass marshes of coastal SE Texas, a salty environment that can play hell with a gun's metal finish. I am considering trying to find a used Deerstalker in stainless to help deal with this. Before I invest the time to track one down, is the stainless used in Lyman's Deerstalker an alloy that would help me in this regard? How about the inside of the barrel: care and cleaning-wise, any advantages to it being stainless? Finally, as far as traditional muzzleloaders, do I have any other options for a stainless gun other than the Deerstalker? Thanks!

 

[BrownBear]

Dunno Texas and my wife's Deerstalker is blued, but I have over 50 years experience with guns on saltwater, both stainless and not.

Stainless is NOT rustproof. Period. It slows the rusting process and gives you a little leeway, but if you let salt sit on a stainless gun overnight, odds are you'll start to see a faint red stain by morning, and it will grow worse each day. Facts of life. Stainless helps, but it doesn't give you a license to mistreat a gun.

 

[Khufu]

I grew up in Utah, and learnrd muzzleloading there. the best small game hunting was on the back side of the Great Salt Lake. near morton salt where the salt dust was thick in the air there were several patches of sagebrush full of cottontail and dove.
the swamps right by the lake were full of geese and ducks, on the hills and rock outcrops were grouse, less than a half mile from the lake.
when it sprinkled, the water on your gun was almost brine. I am no stranger to salty environments. my browned mild steel guns, if anything, did better as it seems the browning got deeper and darker after cleaning. it did tend to leave spots on the blued double barreled 12 ga percussion, and made the "white" muskets a little grey and they had to be polished with 0000 steel wool and an occational trip to the buffing wheel. As long as the guns were well cleaned and oiled they were none the worse for it. since I have never owned a stainless muzzleloader, I am not sure how they would fare. I am sure a salty environment is no problem with good cleaning habbits.

 

[tonykarter]

It slows the rusting process and gives you a little leeway

Essentially, that is all I am trying to accomplish, affording myself whatever additional margin I can to make it through the day until I can clean it that night. Does anyone make a traditional stainless other than Lyman?

 

Does anyone make a traditional stainless other than Lyman?

Nothing "stainless" is traditional.

 

[BrownBear]

There were some TC's at one time, and you run across them used. I think Traditions made them too, but don't recall if they're still doing so.

In my lengthy experience, a good rust preventative like Eezox on blued or browned steel works just as well as stainless.

 

[tonykarter]

Nothing "stainless" is traditional.

Agreed. Still, want traditional rifle, made with stainless steel.

 

[browndog]

I have a lyman stainless 54cal deerstalker. Maintenance is easy clean it normally and you will have no trouble. It was my first muzzleloader and I like it very much. It shoots well. TC made a firestorm stainless traditional but it is now out of production. I would not worry about the traditional muzzleloader people who have low opinions of anything that was not made prior to 1850 as anything made today is not the same as those made 200 years ago.
Regards browndog

 

[rodwha]

In case you aren't aware their stainless barrel has shallow grooves meant for a conical or somesuch. Not to say a patched ball won't work, but I'd guess it would be rather hard to find an undersized ball or extremely thin patches that won't give upon loading. But maybe this is your intent.

Another thought would be to have a protective coating applied.

 

[tonykarter]

I appreciate the info. In my search I have read about the shallow grooving. In addition, there is conflicting info about just what twist rate was used. Apparently a couple were used over the years. I have also been researching coatings as a backup plan, but I would prefer to leave my Hawken as it came from the factory if I can find one of these. One will turn up eventually.

 

[OSR]

Thompson Center as stated previously made the Firestorm in stainless steel. They also made the New Englander in stainless, calling it the Greyhawk. The Cougar was also made in stainless, but it's hard to come by, and expensive.