BuckBall: welcome to the fire,there are quite a few folks from your neck-of-the-woods on this forum.I've never owned the Lyman or the Cabalas Hawkens.I have handled the Lyman and it is a good looking rifle,also there have been very few complaints by the many on the Forum that own them,or have owned them in the past.There have been several disatified owners of the Cabalas.Most complaints were of a minor nature and easily corrected,some however, were of a more serious nature and Cabalas refused to fully honnor the warranty.The Thompson Center Hawkens may be worth looking into! The TC products are as good or better than any on the market,and TC stands behind their products 100%.I have the TC Renegade in .54cal.and it has given great service.You also need to decide on the twist of rifleing,if Your going to be hunting brown bear, moose and other very large game, conicals will give You the option of a heavy projectile with good knockdown punch.The 1:48 twist will do well with most conicals, and still throw round ball well with light loads.Enough rambling for now.Others here can give You much valuble information.Come set by the fire and relax. :relax: :: :thumbsup: