Greetings.

This is my first post on the forum from NZ (New Zealand) so here goes.

I'm just got my hands on a Lyman Deerstalker percussion rifle in .50 cal... should be in the country very soon!

i'm at a cross road as to what projectiles to use as blackpowder isn't so common here in NZ and even more uncommon when it comes to hunting!

I've managed to find a supplier who can supply me the following:

Hornady Round balls
Flex Tip projectiles (jacketed) 300 and 350 grn
Great Plains bullets (Lead) 240grn and 385 grn

Hornady Sabots with projectiles (Per 20 unless stated)
44 cal 240 grn HP/XTP
45cal 240grn XTP
45 cal 250grn or 300 grn SST
45 300 grn XTP Mag

My question is which projectile would be more suitable for shooting deer (sika) which is the equivalent size of white tail, mule deer in the states?

Any other advice you could pass on for shooting with the "deerstalker", no doudt its gonna be an interesting learning curve after shooting metallic cartridges all my life... i'm certainly looking forward to it.

Thanks in advice

First I would test different loads/projectiles for accuracy.

One thing I don't care about in a .50 cal is bullet expansion. You are already making a 1/2" hole. I prefer a heavy, full-caliber, bullet moving at a moderate velocity for deer sized game. A lot of "purists" won't use anything but a PRB. You may try to find some TC Maxiball bullets or a mould to cast your own. This is only my opinion and any of the projectiles listed will take down a 200-400lb deer.

Either the round ball or the Great Plains bullets will be your best bet. Something between 70 and 90 grains of 2f blackpowder--your rifle will tell you what it likes. If I were to guess, I would say you will get your best result with the 385 grain Great Plains bullet and 80 grains of powder. It will shoot all the way through anything you have over there.

You should ascertain the twist rate of your individual gun. Deerstalkers come in various twist rates. I had a .50 with the common 1-in-48 twist rate that shot wonderfully with the Great Plains Bullets, and was also very accurate with round balls but only at low powder charges/velocities. My current one has a 1-in-28 twist (it is the short barrel, half-round/half-octagonal model) and shoots quite well with almost any saboted bullet, particularly the Powerbelt slugs.

John

I just got myself the SAME rifle in stainless. I love it. I never knew these old traditional style guns were so much fun to shoot. So far I have not shot anything except Hornady round balls patched with 80 grains of Shutzen 2F powder.

Get the Lyman pep sight if you can. The stock sight is good but the peep is great at anything over 100 meters.

I plan to play around with the powder weight to see what load groups best.

Do you have a muzzleloader season in NZ??

Very nice bushbuck!!

That is the exact rifle I juts got, except mine is stainless. I put the Lyman peep sight on the rear.

I love that gun.

great plains bullets (385) will do the job easily, along with ffg black powder. i'd start at 90 grains, then move up to 100. i'll bet one of those loads will be very accurate in your rifle. good shooting.

All good advice, I'd suggest a starting charge a little lower however, at 75 grains.

Another thing, is you might wish to look into purchasing a mould and casting your own bullets. They are quite cheap done that way and you can cast a couple hundred in an evening pretty easily. It drops the cost per shot substantially and if you do go hunting it is even better to bag something with a muzzle loader using a bullet you made.

I Bought a Lyman deer stalker earlier this year and have be extremly impressed with the accurracy and the feel. I been shooting the 425 great plains bullets over 100 grains of triple seven 2f. If i do my part the gun will clover leaf at 50, though I recently bought a maxi mold off another AR member,

I dont cast but my shooting partner does, went up a few days ago casted a bunch and took the to the range 420 grain maxis all within 1 grain of each, 100 grains of triple seven we chrono the load at 1600 plus, amazing accuracy.

Enjoy the rifle, hope this helps you out.