deerstalker vs. great plains hunter

[sawandhammer]

hello to anyone who may read this. as it will soon be clear to you. i have never posted anything before or ever shot a muzzleloader. i have only hunted with a bow. i need opinions/help on making a decision from a few guns.
1)lyman deerstalker .50 cal
2)lyman great plains hunter .54 cal
3)Traditions Springfield Hawken .50 cal
these are Percussion not flintlock.
i live in south florida and our deer are not very big here. anyway thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Little Wattsy]

May I suggest the Lyman great plains RIFLE vs the Hunter...? The round ball it shoots is plenty (would recomend the .54) for your deer and accurate to 80 -100 yards easy enough...?

Otherwise of the three I would suggest Lyman GPH.

 

[Zonie]

Welcome to the Forum.

I know it doesn't help you but any of the guns you listed are more than adequate for the deer in your area.

It's good that you are a bow hunter because you will understand that all of these rifles should be limited to about 100 yards range when you hunt.

If I were limited to selecting from your list, I would choose the Lyman Deerstalker .50.

My reason for this is the Lyman .50 is an Italian gun and generally speaking, they are better made than the Traditions guns which are made in Spain.

My reason for not selecting the Lyman Great Plains Hunter is because the Hunter has a fast twist barrel that is made for shooting modern bullets with plastic sleeves and such. The Hunter will shoot very poorly with a patched roundball.

Had you said the "Lyman Great Plains Rifle" (which is made for shooting patched roundballs) I would have selected it over the Deerstalker but, that's just because it looks more like one of the original Plains Rifles.

The Great Plains Rifle and the Great Plains Hunter are both a bit heavier than the Deerstalker so if you don't like carrying and shooting a heavy rifle, the Deerstalker would be a better choice.

 

[Snakebite]

Great Plains Rifle, .54cal.

 

[sawandhammer]

thanks wattsey,
i was planning on shooting balls for fun and then before hunting sighting in a modern bullet. there again i don't know. but, from what i have read the modern bullets are better for longer effective shots.

 

[sawandhammer]

thanks zonie,
this following message is going to seem redundant, because i was not sure how the forum works. my apologies...
i was planning on shooting balls for fun and then before hunting sighting in a modern bullet. there again i don't know. but, from what i have read the modern bullets are better for longer effective shots. with this plan would you still choose the deerstalker? that seems to be the gun that i am leaning towards.

 

[Roguedog]

Sawandhammer,
First let me say welcome. You are about to begin a wonderful and tremendously enjoyable journey. Any of the guns you chose will work well on deer sized game. I can speak from experience that the Traditions Springfield Hawken is a fine gun. Of course, I can also say the same for the Lyman rifles. If you're looking at shooting bullets and balls, perhaps a rifle with a 1:48 twist would be ideal. However, roundballs are more than adequate for deer and once you start shooting them and realize how accurate they can be, economical to shoot while also minimizing recoil, you may just decide to stick with them. As has been mentioned, many newcomers to traditonal blackpowder seem to think these guns can be made into long range shooters. While long range is relative to the individual, most of these guns are best kept at 100 yards or less. I wish you the best of luck in your decision and never be afraid to ask for assistance or guidance. I can say with no pretense that the guys on this board are some of the most knowledgeable and helpful around.

Jeff

 

[sawandhammer]

thanks rouguedog,
for your kind words of encouragement. i am a bowhunter so i am already prepared to get as close to the deer as possible. but, i would also like to reach out and get those that are out of my arrow's range. centerfire rifle's don't interest me, i don't need to shoot the deer in the next county.... what is a realistic range? it seems everyone says 100yds. do you get a little more with adding a peep sight?

 

[cowpoke1955]

Another vote for the .54 Lyman Great Plains Rifle. I have two of them in .54, ome percussion and one flint, and just love them. The GPR has 1 in 60" twist barrels that are deadly accurate out to 100 yards. As mentioned, round balls are easier on recoil AND easier on your pocket book! With a .54 caliber ball, who needs a conical. If you later deside you want to shoot conical, you can ger a .50 or .54 Great plains Hunter barrel with the 1 in 32" twist for conicals. Can't do that with the other rifles. A .54 calber ball will take care of any deer or skunk ape you run across :thumbsup:

 

[nkbj]

Welcome to the Forum.

I know it doesn't help you but any of the guns you listed are more than adequate for the deer in your area.

It's good that you are a bow hunter because you will understand that all of these rifles should be limited to about 100 yards range when you hunt.

If I were limited to selecting from your list, I would choose the Lyman Deerstalker .50.

My reason for this is the Lyman .50 is an Italian gun and generally speaking, they are better made than the Traditions guns which are made in Spain.

My reason for not selecting the Lyman Great Plains Hunter is because the Hunter has a fast twist barrel that is made for shooting modern bullets with plastic sleeves and such. The Hunter will shoot very poorly with a patched roundball.

Had you said the "Lyman Great Plains Rifle" (which is made for shooting patched roundballs) I would have selected it over the Deerstalker but, that's just because it looks more like one of the original Plains Rifles.

The Great Plains Rifle and the Great Plains Hunter are both a bit heavier than the Deerstalker so if you don't like carrying and shooting a heavy rifle, the Deerstalker would be a better choice.

What he said and...
OK, you didn't say what part of Florida. If it's the part I'm familiar (like around Plant City, the thickets, palmettos and swamps) then you don't need the length of the Great Plains Rifle (GPR). The shorter Deerstalker would be a better choice. And in .54 it'll whack anything you want to put down. That 1:48" twist means it will handle bullets (heavies) where you might want them. The density of wildlife in the southeast (omnivores and carnivores) sometimes suggests one adopt conservatism rather than romance, a concept occasionally unappreciated by those living in more hospitable climes. But, that's just my opinion and worth the price.

 

[Roguedog]

Sawandhammer,
I have read where some folks using peep sights and heavy conicals can stretch their effective ranges well past 100 yards. However, most people shooting traditional, especially when using roundballs, try to keep their ranges at 100 yards or less. That's not to say that the roundball will not killing something at a range further than that, it's just that when using iron sights, that is a pretty long shot. Plus, a roundball starts shedding energy pretty quick out past 100 yards. As others have said, a roundball is not to be considered taking a back seat. Those things will punch big, major holes in game and will bring deer down like nobody's business. Roundballs are serious killers.

Jeff

 

[sawandhammer]

thanks cowpoke,
you brought up a good point about changing the barrels if desired... i guess i would really like to know if conicals will extend the range a little. if there is no advantage, then why pay more for them. thanks for the help.
p.s. i guess they have skunk apes in alabama as well....

 

[sawandhammer]

thanks goodcheer,
i am in southwest florida but, have hunted up in polk county as well. most of the time i am in the everglades (the big cypress) plenty of thickets, palmettos and such. that is why the deerstalker seems to appeal to me. but, if conicals, sabots ect.. offers more accuracy and impact i was thinking the tighter twist of the great plains hunter might be the way to go. it seems like 1-48 twist is not ideal for either balls or conicals. this is tough as i have not shot either. but, thanks for the advice. my wife says i get one chance so i need to make it count.....

 

[sawandhammer]

thanks again roguedog,
you pure traditionalist are making me think that round balls are the way to go. it's just that i had to pass on too many deer with my bow. i would like to be able to reach out as far as i can ethically to shoot with my soon to be new toy.

 

[nkbj]

thanks goodcheer,
i am in southwest florida but, have hunted up in polk county as well. most of the time i am in the everglades (the big cypress) plenty of thickets, palmettos and such. that is why the deerstalker seems to appeal to me. but, if conicals, sabots ect.. offers more accuracy and impact i was thinking the tighter twist of the great plains hunter might be the way to go. it seems like 1-48 twist is not ideal for either balls or conicals. this is tough as i have not shot either. but, thanks for the advice. my wife says i get one chance so i need to make it count.....

1:48" typically works with round ball and the middle weight conicals. Were you thinking on going with .50 or .54? I'm thinking about close-middling range. If you have a .54 loaded strong with round ball there aint much at close range that's going to have anything to say.

 

[Roguedog]

Whatever your decision, it's always good to have another man join the ranks of the darkside. As they say, once you go black, you don't go back.

Jeff

 

[sawandhammer]

well, only going off what i have read it seems that .50 cal is more accurate.

 

[sawandhammer]

Whatever your decision, it's always good to have another man join the ranks of the darkside. As they say, once you go black, you don't go back.

Jeff

i am going to have to remember that...

 

[Roguedog]

well, only going off what i have read it seems that .50 cal is more accurate.

I imagine there are going to be several who may disagree with you on that one. Based on my experience, accuracy has more to do with the gun, load and shooter than it does with caliber.

Jeff

 

[jdkerstetter]

well, only going off what i have read it seems that .50 cal is more accurate.

Nope! All else being equall a .54 is every bit as accurate as a .50....maybe more so. Enjoy, J.D.