I was drawn for a New Mexico primitive muzzloader deer hunt this coming fall. I now need to buy oa suitable rifle. Any opinions on Lyman, Cabela's or Traditions brands? I would like to keep the price under $400.

If it's primitive enough to meet the NM F&G regs I'd recommend Lyman's Deerstalker or Trade Rifles http://www.lymanproducts.com/lymanproducts/rifles.htm Their Great Plains Rifle is a great value but count me among those who don't enjoy the steeply curved buttplate when shooting hunting loads. I recommend the .54 as I'm a roundball shooter, but if you're inclined to use bore diameter conicals the .50 ought to be fine as well. Good hunting!

I have converted for the most part to flint. As a result I have one New In Box Lyman Deerslayer .50cal. Perc. that I will sell for $270. plus a little shipping if you are interested. Thanks.

I shoot the Lyman Great Plains rifle and love it. The butt does take a little getting use to, but it is not too uncomfortable shooting 75 grains of ff Goex with a patched round ball.

JKeith, do you know why that buttstock is that way? I used to build custom flintlocks and always used the hook style buttstock.

It's not meant to seat on your shoulder but in fact, set in the joint of your upper arm and your shoulder. If you lay the gun flat on your arm, place the point in your arm pit, and then turn it towards your face 1/4 turn, you'll see it cradles your upper arm and not your shoulder. These guns were designed as "lay overs" where your face lay over the buttstock.

If you mount it as it's designed, you'll find that it really does fit quite well and shoots relatively easy. It also insures that your shooting arm is horizontal while your resting arm is almost vertical to hold the extra weight of that heavy barrel.

Great explanation of how to use the hook style buttstock. That is what I meant by taking some time to get use to it. You are right, if you cradle it as you described, it is very smooth shooting. I still have a tendency to pull it straight up to my shoulder like other rifles but am getting better at "seating" it in the right spot.

LOL. You don't want to know how many bruises I have from trying to "punch mark" that buttplate to my shoulder.

If interested I am selling a nice T/C .54cal. percussion Hawken. email me at klewisinc@msn.com

I was looking at a Lyman in Sportsman's Warehouse. I am thinking of selling my Omega and getting a more traditional rifle probably percussion, .50 caliber. How does your Lyman rifles shoot?

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Originally posted by chain:
I was looking at a Lyman in Sportsman's Warehouse. I am thinking of selling my Omega and getting a more traditional rifle probably percussion, .50 caliber. How does your Lyman rifles shoot?

My flint GPR .54 has never missed a deer I've pointed it at but I hunt up close. It shoots into a couple three inches sometimes better at 50 yards. I wouldn't sell the Omega. There are days the convenience of an inline means the difference between hunting and not.

I hunt whitetail with my .50 GPR percussion and it works great. Most of my shots are within 50 yards, but I'm comfortable shooting deer out to 100 yards with patched roundballs. You can get the GPR Hunter version which has a faster twist and allows for shooting conicals, but I like the roundballs and since I hunt mostly swampy areas, I'm usually shooting "up close".

As my eyes age, I've purchased the Lyman peep sight for it, but have not yet installed it.