What flinter to buy?

Hello everyone! I'd like to get some input. I'm going to buy a new flinter very soon and just want to hear people's opinions. I will mainly be shooting round ball and will use this rifle for deer hunting and target shooting. I have been looking at:

Cabelas Blue Ridge Rifle
Cabelas Kentucky Rifle
Cabelas Traditional Hawken
Lyman Great Plains Rifle
Lyman Trade Rifle
T/C Hawken

For my purposes adjustable sights are a big plus, even though I know some folks don't think they belong on such rifles. I also favor the .54 cal over the .50 cal. Which rifle stands out? Any pro's and con's would be helpful. Thanks!

They all look like good choises but I would put my poney on the T/C. Mine has never let me down and the sights are great for hunting

C.J. They all look like reasonable choices and really comes down to which one strikes your fancy. Having said this, the design of the breach of Cabelas' Blue Ridge was provided in the most recent issue of Muzzleloader and my experience with breaches designed like it has not been particularly good. That may be because I live in the PNW where 70-80% humidity on days with a temperature in the 30's are not uncommon, an environment you may not have to deal with. :hmm:

I recently got a flint Lyman Trade rifle and I am very pleased with it. Ignition is pretty quick and consistent and accuracy is very good. The Cabela's Hawken is almost the same but with double set triggers.

I have a Cabelas Traditional Hawken (.50 perc) and a Lyman Great Plains Rifle (.54 flint). Both are made by Investarms. I am pleased with both of them. The GPR is longer and heavier and I like it for offhand shooting. The Cabelas is a bit nicer to carry. Both are quite accurate. I can't comment on the others except that T/C has a good reputation and quite a devoted group of followers in this forum. :grin:

P.S. Both of mine have an adjustable rear sight (the GPR also comes with a non-adj rear you can install and use if you wish).

I own a Blue Ridge and have been quite satisfied with it. I'm not familiar with any breech issues that were mentioned in this string. I'll have to look in to that.
If adjustable sights are really important to you, then the Blue Ridge, Cabelas Kentucky, and Lyman Great Plains Rifle are out. They all require filing and drifting to sight them in. I believe all the other rifles in your list have adjustable sights.
Let us know what you settle on.

If I was you I would look into the Pedersoli Rocky Mountain 54 cal. But the guns you have listed are all ok. Good luck and let us know what you come up with. :thumbsup:

I think the Pedersoli is WAY overpriced. JMO

I like T/C myself , plus their customer service and warranty is legendary

I have a GPR in .50 flint and I "assisted" my older eyes by replacing the sights with fiber optic ones. Not PC but MUCH easier on older eyes!

My GPR is VERY accurate...I can make 3 shots touch at 50 yards. The only downside would be that is a little heavy if you plan on doing a lot of walking.

I have the GPR .50 flint and am very happy with it.

T/C Hawkens are my choice...good quality, accuracy, reliability, price, and lifetime warranty second to none.

Plus, between TC's barrel offerings and those made by GM as "drop-in" barrels for TC Hawkens, there is a tremendous amount of different calibers, smoothbores, etc, available for the T/Cs.

roundball said:

T/C Hawkens are my choice...good quality, accuracy, reliability, price, and lifetime warranty second to none.

Plus, between TC's barrel offerings and those made by GM as "drop-in" barrels for TC Hawkens, there is a tremendous amount of different calibers, smoothbores, etc, available for the T/Cs.

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Also Amercian made.. For the price of a Predersoli, you can get a semi-custom Amercian made "poor boy".
If you shop around, you

i see that TC is in the hot seat here, but i just bought a traditions hawken woodsman last week. im realy impressed with the quality of this piece,

I own an Investarms Trade Rifle and their Great Plains Rifle(s). They're both good guns but I prefer the GPR.

The Cabelas Hawken is real close to the same thing as the Lyman/Investarms Trade Rifle.

The T/C Hawken is real similar to both of those two also, but probably a slight bit better quality.

I still prefer the GPR. It fits me better. Closer looking to a "real" Hawken too if that matters to you.

Can't say as to the 2 fullstock guns. Never owned or messed with either.

If possible, you should try to go somewhere that you can handle each gun and get a feel for which one fits you the best. Or, just buy one of each... :haha:

I really like the Lymans but the older TC's come in a close 2nd.

When I bought my GPR last summer the way it fit when I shouldered it was a big selling point. Everything lined up nice. I couldn't say that about T/C's, they just didn't fit me. Get your hands on as many as you can.

Thanks for all the great input. I tend to obsess over decisions like this...after all, a new rifle is an important milestone in life! I'm leaning toward the Lyman Great Plains rifle or the T/C Hawken, but I'll probably end up with a few of the rifles on my original list! Thanks again everyone.

C.J. Williams said:

Thanks for all the great input. I tend to obsess over decisions like this...after all, a new rifle is an important milestone in life! I'm leaning toward the Lyman Great Plains rifle or the T/C Hawken, but I'll probably end up with a few of the rifles on my original list! Thanks again everyone.

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If you're like me, you don't know what you really want until after you buy that first rifle. Sometimes you don't know what you don't know. :grin:

I fail to see the problem. With a little management in a few years you should be able to have them all. :grin:

In my books it's hard to go wrong starting with either a TC or a Lyman GPR.