Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders Flintlocks Lyman Vs T/C?

Hello,
I would like to buy a first flintlock. I have heard that the Lyman lock might not be the best for function due to design or execution. How does the T/C hawken compare? It is quite expensive. thanks

i have both the lyman and the hawkens and like them both never had any trouble with either my lyman is the trade rifle if that makes a difference but overal my lyman outshoots the hawken so thats what i use the most ps i think the hawkens are alittle more money all in what you like.

Both companies make good rifles. The T/C warranty and customer service is hard to beat.

I own several rifles T/C being some of them and I agree that their warranty is hard to beat. Never had any problems with the Lyman (Great Plains) rifle either. My T/C Hawkens and Firestorm preform well. Got a Traditions PA Pellet for Xmas and it too shoots well. I think Traditions has stepped up their quality. My favorite is a custom with a Siler lock. Keep in mind you may want one with an adjustable trigger. I found the Lyman to be a little stiff for my liking.

I want to thank you all for the responses. I have greatly enjoyed reading through this forum.

outdoor . most likly the problem your feeling is do to a change that investment arms did do to a lawsuit a few years back .
what they did was change the adjustment screw leaght so as to not aloow the triggers to be feathered as light . the original screw alowed the set trigger to be feathered to the point that it took less the 1 lb to trip it .
the new screw only allows about 31/3 to 4 lbs .

as to the lock . it depends
on one hand some lymans have frizzens that are alittle hard .
TC though has had issues with poor lock geomitry .

bot are very good IMO . not as good as an aftermarket lock . but still IMO concerning production guns .

while TC " now owned by smith and wesson " has a good reputation for warrentee's . IMO the Lyman is a little better rifle

Thanks! I am thinking toward the gpr flint and after I figure which end is up, save for something semi-custom or a used custom. I don't expect to hunt right off so the size of the gpr isn't putting me off. My T/C contenders have given me long and solid service so I wanted to give them an equal chance.

I have both TCs and a Lyman GP. Can't go wrong with either. If you're going to be shooting round balls, the Great Plains' 1:60 twist barrel has and edge over the TC in my opinion.

Never had any problems with my GP flintlock and get excellent accuracy from it. It's a good sparker. Flint life is in the range of 40 to 60 strikes on a fresh flint, and another 40 to 60 after knapping. If your trigger adjustment screw is too short for your liking, it's easily replaced with a longer screw from Ace Hardware. You can file one to the length you like. The only improvement I made to my GP was to replace the Lyman touch hole liner with a RMC liner.

What load are you using for your best accuracy using round balls and do you run a patch after each shot?

I also own both rifles. Although mine are LH flinters. I like them both. I think the edge in quality goes to TC. Although I like to hunt more with my Lyman Deer Stalker. It is shorter, and not as bright without all the shiny brass that my Hawken has. I wish I had the LH Renegade flinter. I have a RH Renegade and I like it also. But the Lyman handles very well, although it is not quit as accurate as the TC. It is more than accurate to do the job for hunting deer. I would have no problem with a shot out to 150 yards with the Lyman and a heavy conical. Although I did put the Lyman peep sight on the rifle.

If you are young and want to own this rife for a long time then I would go with the TC. For a couple of simple reasons. Fist Lyman does not make the rifle, they are an importer. So they really do not have control over the warranty and parts and what will be done with the rifle in the future. While TC has been around a long time and stands behind their product 100%. So I believe in the long run the TC is the better rifle to own. Tom.

Mine seems to like 85 grains of GOEX FFFg Outdoors26. That's my hunting load. For general plinking, 50 grains of powder does the job nicely and is very accurate.

I generally swab the bore with one side of a patch lightly moistened with 91% isopropyl between shots. On the target below I swabbed with both sides of the alcohol patch, followed by one side of a dry patch (as noted on target with "2S1AP&1S1DP").

I am with HOGGHEAD. I would go with the TC just for the no questions asked warrenty. I have had to get a two parts from them and there is no hassle. You call tell them what you need and then get it in the mail. Its that easy.

I am partial to TC I currently own 7 Encore (BP, CF handgun and rifle), 5 Contenders, a Black Diamond, Hawken, Renegade, and 3 New Englanders. Out of the last 20 years I have owned these I have needed two little parts from TC. Thats it. They fix you up and your done.

I sure appreciat all of your responses. The brass on the TC put me off and so I bought the GPR. I have not had time to shoot it yet, but it looks fine. The trigger is a bit out there so I will work on that. I appreciate the tip about the longer screw. I am sure this won't be my last rock crusher. thanks again!

I have this sinking feeling I will need to buy another safe soon.

THANKS !!!

Ya keep hanging out wid dis bunch and dat is a done deal!!! I wish I had some input for you but my smoothie has a Davis lock and my Lancaster has an L&R Classic lock.

I'll tell you what I tell everybody who's getting into the blackpowder game. You'll get bitten by the bug and after a while you'll start plotting how to get a better rifle than the T/C, Lyman, etc. you started out with. Might as well spend some more money right off the bat and get what you're going to end up with anyway! My second word of advice is to attend as many blackpowder shoots, rendezvous, re-ennactments, etc. as possible and talk to experienced shooters and maybe even test fire a few different guns before making a final decision. Just my opinion, and you know opinions are like a**holes- everybody's got one!

I knew the first flinter would not be the last, but wanted something that would function ok while I learned what not to do. At this point in my life, conventional centerfire rifles are tools and all pretty much look the same. I will probably spend the rest of my life trying to figure out the various muzzleloader styles and historic periods.

I'm fairly fond of my Lyman.

It's the one in the middle.....grins.

I built a lot of Lyman GP kits for friends. They wanted a little more custom then the factory finish.
I have always said they are the most accurate off the shelf rifles made. It was easy to put 5 shots in almost one hole at 50 yards. I only did RB rifles though.