TC vs Traditions vs Lyman

[AZbpBurner]

Which would be your choice - A brand new Traditions Hawken Woodsman, used TC Renegade, or new Lyman Trade Rifle?

All are percussion & in .54 cal. Set Trigger on the first 2, but not the Lyman.

My flint is a .50 cal. GPR, I have an old Deerstalker & the shiney brass caught my eye on the Trade rifle & the Traditions.

Is the Lyman trigger smooth & easy enough to be accurate, or would the Traditions or TC triggers have greater advantage?

 

[hanshi]

I never had a Trade Rifle or Renegade but have had a couple Traditions. The Traditions can be quite good but I've also heard good things about the Lyman TR.

 

[necchi]

Those single triggers break pretty hard and there's no way to adjust on the Lyman short of working the tumbler.

The Traditions lock always needs some work, the factory just stamps out the parts and assembles leaving rough edges an burrs, nothing that dis assembly and stone work won't fix. But they have that darn drum breech that so many have trouble keeping clear.
With the set trigger adjustment and the tumbler screw adjustment you can set those Traditions rifles to go off with a feather.

The Renegade has a 1" barrel and will be a tad heavier.

If your willing and capable of going after the lock on the Traditions I'd go there, but it's hard to beat the dependability and reliability of the TC.

 

[BullRunBear]

Never tried a Lyman TR single trigger. My Traditions is a very early one and the trigger is adjustable and decent. I've used a Renegade for about 30 years. You can adjust the trigger pull to be as light as you could want. I did put a GM drop in barrel on it. Six inches longer than the stock barrel and the GM has a slower round ball twist. If you don't care about an authentic look, the Renegade is accurate and utterly reliable.

Jeff

 

[jimbowie1]

HELLO its to bad that CVA quit makeing their excellant [MOUNTAIN RIFLE} i have had mine since the 70,s never let me down double set triggers the 70,s models were made in the USA with gm barrels. I just bought a pedersoli rocky mt hawken with a maple stock beautiful rifle havent had a chance to shoot it yet but if it shoots as good as it looks i will be very happy. LYMAN makes a nice rifle.

 

[jimbowie1]

JEDIDIAH STAR tradeing co has LYMAN rifles on sale you might want to check them out.

 

[nkbj]

If the Renegade bore is ok and it could be had for a used price that would be my choice.

The reasons:
The TC products are American made and in general of higher quality in materials and manufacture than imports.
The Renegade is the modern analog to a jaeger, immensely powerful and of good handling qualities for most hunting situations.
The barrels supplied with the .54 Renegade are of 48" twist and rifling patterns that are correct for round ball as well as heavy bullets, either paper patched or lubed.
TC manufactured tang mounted hunting peep sights are to be had that extend the sight radius for the 26" long barrel.
The triggers are more than adequate and adjustable.
The barrels and the locks are interchangeable with commonly available parts.
The shotgun butt is kind to the shoulder, especially on quick shots.

Looking over comments concerning Renegades on this forum there are some that have made note of the geometry of the stocks not being suitable to their needs. I have found the geometry of the Renegade to usually be suitable for my frame and facial structure but not always. Try the rifle on your shoulder before you buy!

I put up a batch of orange mango marmalade yesterday. I want some hot buttered biscuits to try it out and May Bell wants some eggs. Have a great holiday!

 

[Rat Trapper]

I would much prefer a TC Hawken over any of those listed. If you do some looking you can always find on at the right price. They shoot very good and are well built.

 

[redneck]

i d go for the trade rifle had and 83 model shot 2 in groups at 75 yds. unfortunely i found and old moel dixie trade musket. brown bess carbine indianized. so to the sal barn went the lyman

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

For good, solid built rifle, you couldn't beat the Thompson Center with a drum. :thumbsup:

 

[cynthialee]

Renegade

There is a drop in .56 smoothbore for it so when you got the spare money you could hunt down the smoothbore and have two guns for the one stock.

 

[graybeard]

I've owned and shot a TC flintlock Hawken for many years now and been very satisfied with it. I don't know anything bad about the others, though. graybeard

 

[Lonegun1894]

Purely from a quality standpoint, I would say the TC and the Lyman are equal, and I would say go with whichever fits your build better. I would personally go with the Lyman, but that is just because I have never found the Renegade to be comfortable for me. As to the Traditions, I have a CVA, that I believe to be made by the same people, which shoots just as well as my Lyman GPRs and my TC hawken, but comparing them side by side, you can just tell quite a bit of difference in quality. But like I said, it doesn't show up on the target, so all should serve you well.

 

[Amikee]

Haven't handled Traditions Woodsman, but I had a couple of Pennsylvanias by them and one I was shooting was fine piece of barrel and wood. They also had a decent inlays all over but inletting job was at around C+ level since gaps were filled.
Twist was 1:66.


Lyman is always or almost always or mostly a great gun. Personally I've come across at least 7 of them and all were a nice looking and shooting rifles. I really like theirs flintlocks although you'll probably hear that those need tuning. Fine by me. I'm no competition shooter.


Now TC Renegade- this is a beast to beat. You should do your research on drop in barrels on this forum. Many and I mean MANY people love them for this one reason. You could get a smooth bore, small caliber, and your larger calibe on one platform. Just something to think about. I know Green Mountain barrels made them for replacement.

Good luck

 

[cowpoke1955]

I use to have a .54 T/C Hawkens percussion that I just hated. The 1" across the flats barrel made it feel chunky and heavy. I gave it to my nephew and replaced it with a new .54 Lyman Trade Rifle. On my TR, the single trigger breaks smooth abd clean. It has a 15/16" barrel, like the other .54 Lymans. Yhe Trade Rifle comes with two rear sights, an adjustable and a fixed primitive. I have two .54 GPRs, one percussion and one flint. For the price, you can't beat a Lyman. My son in law has a Tradition Hawkens. It has a walnut stained haedwood stock with plastic front and rear sights. Not worth the money. I would vote for the .54 Lyman Trade Rifle. By the way, excellent caliber :thumbsup:

 

[Amikee]

Yup! Those are some heavy gauge guns these .54r. True Mountain Men stuff right here. Only meat and potatoes. That's raw. Heavy and bloody. Not for us, sissies with slim and graceful 8 pounders LOL

 

[kodiakmarine]

Hi AZ. As usual I am a little late to the conversation. I have owned both the Lyman GPR and the LTR. I like the Lymans best of all the rifles in their price range, at least as far as shooting roundball. The styling is more authentic, at least for the pre 1840 period. I also like the Lyman barrels. They have much deeper rifling than the TC, although the TR and the TC share the same 1 in 48 twist. I must also add that TC definitely has the best wood of all three makers. I am not familiar with the Traditions Hawken Woodsman, although I like some of their other rifles.

If you are wanting to shoot roundball, I would recommend the LTR. It handles nicely and shoots accurately. If you want to shoot conicals, then I would go with TC, but I would also check out the Traditions Hawken Woodsman. I hope this helps. - John

 

[William O.]

My choice would be the new Lyman Trade rifle. They are built like tanks and are very reliable plus the 1:48 rate of twist can be very accurate. Best bang for your buck out there IMHO.

 

[Adui]

Well I own a Traditions Hawken, and I love it! Nary a problem out of the box 15+ years ago. That said, I'd have to examine the Trade Rifle to see if I liked it, since I already own a Hawken. I don't care for TC, personal reasons and not founded in any problems with them..

 

[hanshi]

My Traditions "DeerHunter" .50 was 23 years old when I finally traded it to get a custom. It was always super reliable, accurate and accounted for piles of deer while I owned it. The "Crockett" I've been using for the last 12 years has been phenomenal, both for its one hole accuracy and reliability. Never owned a LTR but they do look nice.