New Lyman Deerstalker (range report)

[HardBall]

Guys,

I bought a Lyman Deerstalker .50cal to use primarily for deer hunting since my GPR and Zouave are a bit cumbersome. I took it to the range Friday for the first time and found it to exceed my best hopes.

It's a 1-48" twist and all I shoot is a patched ball. My rifle came with different sights than previous Deerstalkers. Lyman now fits their "fiber optic", 3-dot sights to the Deerstalkers. I didn't realize this when I ordered the rifle but after seeing them I thought - well, they'll probably be fine for hunting but not target shooting. I'm now thinking of mounting similar sights to my Marlin leveraction and rimfire rifles.

Here's my best 3-shot groups, off the bags at 50yds. I used a hand cast .490" ball, .018" ticking and Lehigh patch lube.

 

[BrownBear]

Your timing couldn't be better!

I just ordered one in 54 caliber for my wife. She's a fine shooter, but has always complained about the weight and balance of my GPRs, prefering a little 36 cal CVA with a short barrel, and therefore not deer hunting. She really likes the balance of my 26" barreled 58 cal, but complains that it's way too heavy. My whole train of thought for the Deerslayer for her is based on the short barrel and resulting shift of its balance point back away from the muzzle.

The FO sights are actually good news for her. She prefers a FO front and peep, so I ordered a TC peep at the same time.

Your accuracy is obviously outstanding. Now the questions.....

Have you weighed it? Lyman sezz it weighs 9 pounds, but that's hard to believe when the GPR with its 32" barrel weighs the same.

How's the balance? Is it shifted way back so it doesn't feel barrel heavy?

How's that single trigger? Crisp or creepy? She's used to shooting lever actions, so she doesn't need a light one so much as a crisp one.

Thanks for posting this. My questions will be answered when her rifle arrives in a few days, but I'm anxious to know ahead of time if I made the right choice for her.

 

[HardBall]

Have you weighed it? Lyman sezz it weighs 9 pounds, but that's hard to believe when the GPR with its 32" barrel weighs the same.

What you read must have been a misprint. The Deerstalker is not 9lbs like the GPR. It's supposed to weigh about 7lbs, the same as my Marlin 336 (w/o scope), and it feels the same. I have not weighed it on a scale though. A Deerstalker in .54 should be a fuzz lighter than my .50

How's the balance? Is it shifted way back so it doesn't feel barrel heavy?

The balance is beautiful, just like a fine leveraction carbine. Not barrel heavy at all.

How's that single trigger? Crisp or creepy? She's used to shooting lever actions, so she doesn't need a light one so much as a crisp one.

The trigger on mine is great. I prefer single triggers over double triggers, especially on hunting rifles. I noticed no creep but, honestly, didn't pay much attention to the trigger, which tells me it was un-obtrusive (as a trigger should be). For me, it's a perfect hunting trigger and a fair target trigger.

 

[BrownBear]

Good news all the way round!

Thanks for the feedback, and congrats on what sounds like a great hunting rifle. Just what I'm looking for to put in my wife's hands, so your post is especially welcome.

 

[paulvallandigham]

For both you and Brownbear, I would suggest you use those FO sights in all kinds of lighting conditions before you begin buying stock in the companies! I found in very bright light that they tend to be a bit fuzzy to use. I low light( overcast, dawn, dusk,etc.), they can be a Godsend.

There is ONE company making a Tube fiber optic sight where a half inch long piece of fiber is encased in a tube front sight, with only a section in the middle open to take in sunlight. When the tube is correctly aligned with the rear sight, you get this round Glow front sight " light ", which disappears as soon as you torque or cant the barrel and sights, or lift your head. Because the FO is not totally in the open, but inside the tube, you don't get the fuzz, even in strong sunlight.

Weaver made a similar sight tube, with a blaze orange insert 30 years ago to help people learn to follow through, and align their heads on the stock consistently each time they mount the gun to their shoulder and face. I used such a device to learn to shoot a shotgun.

In the latest Cabela's Catalog, I see a couple of sights from both TruGlo, and HiViz that would work as I describe. I suspect the fiber optics could be shortened so that the mounts on other sights could be used to shade the rear of the optic, to give that crisp clean edge for shooting in bright light, also. :hmm:

 

[BrownBear]

Been using them since the first year appeared Paul!!!!!!!! Know them well.

 

[tg]

"I bought a Lyman Deerstalker .50cal to use primarily for deer hunting since my GPR and Zouave are a bit cumbersome."
What is it about the GPR that you found cumbersome?
I have never heard that mentioned before about this gun, I hunted with one for a couple of seasons and it handled/shot very well, I found little difference in handling/balance from my 44" swamped barreled Lancaster.

 

[HardBall]

What is it about the GPR that you found cumbersome?
I have never heard that mentioned before about this gun, I hunted with one for a couple of seasons and it handled/shot very well, I found little difference in handling/balance from my 44" swamped barreled Lancaster.

The hunting lease where I now hunt requires that you hunt from a stand. My GPR and Zouave are a little unwieldy for getting into my stands. Once seated, I'd be hopelessly banging them into the guard rails. I thought the Deerstalker, since it's about the size of my lever action, would be handier for stand hunting.

We've trimmed down to fewer members this year so still hunting may be an option again.

 

[HardBall]

I found in very bright light that they tend to be a bit fuzzy to use. I low light( overcast, dawn, dusk,etc.), they can be a Godsend.

Thanks for the tip, Paul.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Always use a lift rope to pull your gun up into your stand, and lower it down to the ground before you climb back down. Always wear a safety harness tied to the tree when you are climbing in and out of it, and sitting in the stand. The single largest category of hunter related accidents involves hunters falling asleep in their stands, and falling out of them. The next category is hunters climbing up to or down from their tree stands, and falling, without a safety harness to catch them. I no longer hunt out of tree stands. I use a ground blind instead.

I arrange for some kind of tree limb stub, or a large nail, or some kind of hook screwed into a limb to support my MLer when I am in a stand. This works whether you are shooting a MLer, or a modern gun.

You don't have to empty the barrel to make the gun safe for hauling up and down out of the stand, but you do need to take the percussion cap off, or take the priming powder out of the pan of a flintlock to make it safe. Lower the hammers down on both types of actions. to keep them from hooking on branches or your ladder rungs.

I tie my hauline so that the muzzle is pointed down, away from me, when I am lifting or lowering the gun. A good friend tied his gun wrong, muzzle up, and then " forgot " to take the cap off the nipple. The gun slipped out of the rope, hit the ground buttfirst, and fired a ball that came through the floor of his stand between his feet, and missed his face by inches.

He realized the danger he was in,and plastered himself against the tree trunk with his head back as far as he could get it. He still has the stand, with a .54 caliber hole in the floor, to remind of him of his own carelessness. He is a fanatic about gun safety now.

Be safe. :thumbsup:

 

[spaethjm]

I have a like new Deer stalker coming on wednesday %4 cal precussion with peep sight. I have a deerstalker flint in 54 now. I hope to get a good load with App or goex pinnicle. So if it is moist I dont have to depend on my flints.

 

[paulvallandigham]

If you are already shooting a flint .54, you can get a similar velocity using about 10 grains less powder in the "Precussion " style gun. If you have BP for your flintlock, I don't understand spending twice as much money to buy the substitutes. Just what is your thinking about that????

 

[HardBall]

I have a like new Deer stalker coming on wednesday %4 cal precussion with peep sight. I have a deerstalker flint in 54 now. I hope to get a good load with App or goex pinnicle. So if it is moist I dont have to depend on my flints.

I'm not sure what "App" is but Paul is right- there's not much point in getting a substitute of anything if it offers no advantage over the original (unless you have no other choice).

Where I live, the only place selling real Goex black powder, that I'm aware of, is Bass Pro. It's a little bit of a hassle since most of the staff think "Goex" or "Black Powder" is "the stuff out on the shelf" (which are actually substitutes). I have to tell them that "they" have a powder vault somewhere in the "back" and that's where the "real" Goex Black Powder is. Generally, the person won't know what I'm talking and they'll have to ask a fellow employee. Eventually I get my Goex but it takes some patience.

The last time I bought black powder, I ordered 5lbs from Grafs because I didn't have the time, during my lunch break, to go through the whole ordeal with the Bass Pro staff- so I just ordered 5lbs from Grafs and got it delivered to my door for less money than buying it locally from Bass Pro.

There's nothing like real black powder. ...If someone tells you how great "tripple" this or "Pyro" that is because it cleans up with plain water you'll know they don't know anything about real black powder because real black powder cleans up with plain water too.

 

[Stockman]

Hi All,
I have owned the .54 calibre in the trade rifle for some months now and the accuracy you have their is replicated in my .54cal.
Starting at the local range there was a fair bit of ribbing about a percussion rifles ability to make good groups out to 100 metres but since taking the Lyman out regualrly we have shown that these replicas give very good accuracy once teething problems re patch and lube are sorted.
For other members interest I fire a Hornady .530 ball with a fine ctton patch. Lube is soluble oil diluted 1:4 with water
Powder is Wano FFF and for 100 metres I use 70grains.

All in all I am very pleased with this percussion rifle[/color]

 

[spaethjm]

I have to order Black powder. The price is about the same for Black as is the substitutes. I have had good luck with Goex Pinnicle 3 f and Shockley gold. I find T 7 a little harder to set off but it is good also. My last Black was 16.00 a LB plus hasmat. I found some about 90 miles away on a trip and that ws 21.00 a LB. I live in western wisconsin. Last I bought was from Graf's.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Buy in quantity to get a lower price. Graf&Sons is probably the closest supplier that will sell in small lots. ( 5 lbs and above.) Depending on the quantity purchased they will pay the shipping costs to your home, often. Inquire about their rates, when you place your order. You can always split a case(25 lbs.) with a couple of friends, and really save money.

Most of the retailers around here are charging more than $20.00 a can of those subs you have mentioned. Some are closer to $30.00 per pound. So, I don't quite understand how you can claim that the cost of black powder is about the same as these others. Worse, all the subs deteriorate once air gets into the cans. You need to burn up the powder rather quickly to keep the same level or energy from shot to shot. If you let several months go by between shootings, you may have to re-zero your gun.

These powders are designed for those modern zip guns we don't discuss here, but they will shoot reasonably well in a percussion gun. Some find they have to use magnum percussion caps to get consistent ignition of these powders. The flash point on these subs is certainly higher than that of BP.

 

[spaethjm]

I have not had to much trouble with the Subs. I usually use them up with in a year. I also use them in the guns we don't discuss. I have even tried duplex loads in my flinter's with good results while paper punching. That is my usual use for my guns. I have lost most of my good hunting area's and disablity and no hunting partner limits my ability to hunt. But I still enjoy shooting all types of front stuffers.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Hey, any time any of us can find a way to still get out an hunt after age, and disease wear us down, the rest of us have to smile. :wink: If we are lucky, we will all live long enough to have the same problems. :surrender:

You really do need to know what the actual flash point of any of he specific powders is, because they are not all the same. That can help you decide which of them you buy and use in your traditional guns. :thumbsup:

Because it seems to take a couple of years before NEW Powders seem to become available around here, I normally hear from friends about their experiences with such substitutes long before I see them on the shelf here. When I buy Black Powder, I buy several cans, so I always have a good year's supply on hand, and often more than I can reasonably expect to shoot in a year these days.

I know you can use Black Powder in those unmentionables, and would only suggest that you save money, order your BP from suppliers, rather than buy powder off a retail shelf, and then not have to worry about using a sub powder up in one year. :thumbsup:

 

[spaethjm]

My Lyman 54 Deer Stalker I purchased from BV arrived today. It was like a brand new gun The deal went flawless and everyting was as stated. I can't wait to shoot it. BV is a quality gentleman and a pleasure to deal with. Tahnks again BV.
Paul I guess we all have to do what we can do I have about 6 lb of goex and Graff on hand for my flinters so I use both. Thanks for your input.

 

[tjohnson56]

Odin, I also live in Wisconsin and I called down to Cabela's in Prarrrie Due Chine (sp?) and was told by the gun dept that they handle Goex. Now I have been in Gander Mountain and asked for black powder, was told yep we've got it right over here then was lead over to a rack of subs.

It's to far for me to drive at $4.00 a gallon to make out on the deal but if I get down that way I'll check it out.