Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders Lyman Deerstalker .54 Cal Percussion

I just stumbled into a basically new .54 cal Lyman for cheap and I need some guidance. Black or Pyrodex? Round ball or conical? I had thought about trying to cast for it, would this be a good bullet? http://www.midwayusa.com/product/38...-diameter-415-grain?cm_vc=ProductFinding


I'm used to inlines, BH209, and Harvester sabots stuffed with Barnes bullets. This side hammer bidness is new to me.


Be gentle........



Thanks

Black powder.

Clean it down to bare metal, order some Dyna-Bore Coat, follow the directions and let it air cure for about 10 days.

What's the rate of twist?

Says the twist is 1/48 barrel is 24" long.

Then either RBs or conicals should work, but don't expect gilt accuracy from either. Conicals may have a slight edge with that twist in a .54

I don't think I'd go for that bullet as it's a hollow base which sometimes doesn't fare well with hunting loads. I think you'd be better off with the REAL style bullet or a Maxiball. You could also try a box of Great Plains bullets to see how the gun like conicals before investing in a mold
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/78...7-diameter-380-grain-realcm_vc=OBv781597

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/63...low-point-box-of-20?cm_vc=ProductFinding

My .54 1:48 LOVES 425gr. Great Plains! (over 100gr. 777). It is also very good with 250gr. XTP's over 100gr. 777.

I love the maxi balls in my Hawkins 100 gr of ff tac driver it dosent like any of the new power belts or sabots

54 cal

Thanks for the info guys. I'll find some Great Plains and I actually have a box of 420gr Maxi Balls it came with that I just found in the bottom of the bag.


Here is another question, when I clean it do I pull it apart and clean it in hot soapy water or is there another compound that works better?

Black Powder , and patched round ball or conical.
don’t disregard the hollow base . As long as its got a thicker skirt you shouldn’t see issues with reasonable hunting loads .
I shoot a hollow base 435 gr, backed with 110 grains of 3F in my 1 in 72 twist flintlock . More then accurate even off hand at 100.
As to round ball . The 1 in 48 is just as capable of producing RB accuracy with either . I have worked over plenty of TC and CVA with 1 in 48 twist barrels that are producing superb accuracy .
Spend some time working up a charge , patch , patch lube and / ball combo . Doing so is just as important to the accuracy of a RB as it is with any conical
You will need either a .530 or .535 RB or RB mould . I say either because it will depend on what the actual size of your bore is . Same goes for the other conical recommended . . All can work and most will work well in the right bore . IE just because your rifle says 54 cal . doesn’t mean that’s what it truly is . It could have a bore in the .535 or even up to or a little above the .545 range .

Is this the stuff I need?

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/17...d-alcohol-cleaner-1-oz-aluminum-canister

Yep.

No back powder around here the store had Pyrodex RS and 777. I picked up a can of the Pyrodex RS. Do you clean it using Windex with ammonia?

I'm going to start with the Hornady 425gr Great Plains.

If you go round ball, I would start with a .530 ball and a .015 patch. Almost every 1-48 barrel I have messed with likes that combo to some degree. Try a .535 ball later if it doesnt like the 530's. Conicals will be hit or miss so to speak, some 48's like them, some dont. The Great Plains would be a good place to start.

Clean with soapy water. Dont forget to pull the lock and clean it as well. BP residue gets in there and makes a friggen rust pot quick if neglected. Give the cap recess in the hammer a good cleaning too. I usually dry the barrel with a few patches, pour a bunch of rubbing alcohol(>90%) down the bore, then oil it up. Put some anti-seize of some kind on the nipple threads before you put it in.

Cleanup ... I shoot both Pyrodex and FFg. I don't change my cleaning procedure. I don't use Windex.

Get a bottle of TC #13 solvent and a tube of TC "Bore Butter". I boil a pan of water on the stove. I have 2 bottom halves of 2L soda bottles. I have the gun broken down before I start. I leave the nipple in to begin with. I start out swabbing the barrel a few strokes with a patch with just solvent, then I drop the breech end into one 2L bottle bottom and pour half the other bottle down the barrel (leave the ramrod in the barrel and hold onto that so y' don't get burned). Stroke a few times. Stop. Remove the nipple, toss it in the bottle bottom with the hot water, then put the action end back in, too. Stroke it a few more times, pour the rest of the water in so it over-tops, take a few more strokes. Pull the barrel out. Hold it with a pot-holder ... that fugger gets HOT. Tip it up, pour the water out. Immediately swab the barrel with a new dry patch with bore butter. This is somewhat akin to seasoning a frying pan ... with the barrel hot it draws the bore butter into the steel. If done quickly there's no rust. with that "setting", take another patch with bore butter and wipe down the outside of the barrel both "oiling" it and removing percussion cap fouling.

Now you can let the barrel sit. Time to clean up the nipple. Do whatever you do ... I run a needle and a Q tip into mine to scrape out the goobers. I use a little more bore butter as a thread lube, then put the nipple back in the gun. Wipe down the stock where the percussion cap splashed soot. reinstall the barrel. I'll usually run one more patch with bore butter before it cools too much, then when it is room temp, run a dry patch or two through so there's no residual stuff to wreck a powder charge.

I don't snap caps to clear the flash hole, I vent a CO2 discharger through my cleaned gun just prior to loading.

In 20+ years I've never had a misfire or hangfire on the first shot with that process. I know that's kind of a long-winded explanation but I can clean my muzzleloader faster than I can clean my centerfire.

The aversion to Pyrodex is mostly a load of hooey. People trying to be snobs. The only issue with Pyrodex is it ignites a little hotter ... I prefer magnum caps with it. Any more, I prefer 'em with FFg, too.

Figure out what works for you in your gun and do it, no apologies needed.

Tom

I've been shooting my 54 cal deerstalker the past little bit and a really enjoy it. I decided to change to a Knight Red Hot nipple and I looked around and found the Lyman is a 6x .75 thread. I ordered one and it will not even come close to threading.


Anyone know what the correct thread pitch is?


Thanks

I had the same rifle in 50 cal. It shot great with patch and ball or sabot with pistol bullets. I used black, pyrodex, and 777.

Should be ok with that one, unless somebody put another barrel on it. A TC is 1/4 x 28. The barrel would fit. I'd try that out.

The rifle is all original, all Lyman. Everything says .75x6 threads but it's not happening.


I'll try a 1/4x28

Well, turns out it is a .75x6, I found a replacement in town. The 2 I ordered say .75x6 but neither are. They thread right into a CVA so they are 6x1.