Tell me about this gun

[tacklejunkie]

This winter, my father in law gave me an old Win. 94 30-30 as I think I'll start deer hunting this year. Today, he opened his gun cabinet and there was an old style muzzleloader in the rear that he has had and said I could have it as he never used it.

Here is the gun. It says, "LYMAN 54 caliber" on the barrel. It's a caplock according to the HSOforum. Is this decent for deer? What kind of powder and ammo should I shoot out of this? Range? It appears to be in good shape

[icehousebob]

Lyman muzzle loaders were made in the 70's and I think into the 80's. They came as either a kit gun or as a complete gun. For the money, they are a quality piece. I remember more than a few rifle matches won with them. They make very good deer rifles, especially that caliber. They are made to use loose powder and a patched round ball for a load. I don't think the rifling twist is set up for conical bullets. If memory serves they had something like a 1 in 60 or 66 twist. That would never stabilize a conical. Take it out and enjoy it. They're fun.

[tacklejunkie]

Lyman muzzle loaders were made in the 70's and I think into the 80's. They came as either a kit gun or as a complete gun. For the money, they are a quality piece. I remember more than a few rifle matches won with them. They make very good deer rifles, especially that caliber. They are made to use loose powder and a patched round ball for a load. I don't think the rifling twist is set up for conical bullets. If memory serves they had something like a 1 in 60 or 66 twist. That would never stabilize a conical. Take it out and enjoy it. They're fun.

So were can I buy the stuff I need for it?

This is a whole new ball of wax for me

[SmilinBob]

try Track of the Wolf, they have everything you need and can probably tell you just about anything you may want to know about your gun. They are a MN company too in Elk River. Good people there.

[icehousebob]

I know places around the Twin Cities but I'm not too familiar with the duluth area. There used to be a shop in Duluth that sold muzzle loading supplies and there also used to be a black powder club. Try the phone book and make a few calls. There's also some mail order places but I don't think they can ship powder or percussion caps too easily. If you can find a good shop up there, take the rifle in so they can figure out the round ball size needed and the cotton patch thickness. Use only well washed cotton. Synthetics can sometimes cause a static spark and you probably don't want that when you're pushing the ball down on a powder charge. You're also going to need a powder measure, ramrod, cleaning supplies, etc. It's not like dropping a shell in the chamber and firing, but it is fun to master and use for hunting. Good luck.

[mechanictim]

Lyman still makes rifles and some really good ones. Since yours is a sidelock you will need to skip any of the pelletized powder and use real blackpowder or a black powder substiute such as Pyrodex or Triple 7. Use no. 11 percusion caps to ignite the charge. To tell which type of projectile to use the rate of twist is what will determine which works best. Lyman uses two twist rates 1 in 60 or 1 in 32. The 1 in 32 is good for conical bullets or sabots while the slower 1 in 60 is for round balls.

You should be able to get a manual from Lyman for your rifle. Either send a letter or e-mail to them with a description of the rifle anda serial number.

Your basic kit wil consist of a powder flask to hold powder, a powder measure to measure a charge and pour it into the rifle and a capper to hold caps and place them on the nipple. A bullet starter comes in handy to get a bullet started down the bore.

For cleaning you need a jag for your caliber and some patches. Some pipe cleaners to clean the nipple. and the tools to take down the rifle.

As for range if you put in some time at the range 100 to 120 yards in good light is realistic. That is if your eyesight is decent, and if you use a rest.

[tacklejunkie]

Thanks guys for the info

[tacklejunkie]

Ok.

SSS in Wisconsin got me set up and I downloaded the instructions. Loaded powder, patch and ball and fired.

FUN!!!

Cleaned it well and I may use this instead of the 30-30.

This will be my first deer season in ages.

Are muzzleloaders legal to use in Minnesota's firearm deer season or are they allowed only in the BP season?

[mn_bowhunter]

They are legal during regular season and muzzleloader season. During muzzleloader season scopes are not allowed. Now you just need to get out and figure out a load combo that shoots well. You may want to consider using the 30-30 for regular season since you'll have a back up shot.

[tacklejunkie]

Ok...

I have shot it and cleaned it real good after shooting like the instructions said to do.

I did a soapy water flush,clean, and dry. I used a natural oil for protection. My next question is can you use a regular gun oil or do you have to use a special muzzleloader oil?

[flipper]

Regular gun oil is fine for protecting your bore, just use a couple patches with 91% alchohol and get the oil out of there. The Great Plains Rifle is a great gun.

[swamptiger]

Quote:

I have shot it and cleaned it real good after shooting like the instructions said to do.

That right there is the most important thing about a blackpowder firearm - clean it religiously - black powder is very corrosive and it will rust the bore very quickly if not cleaned and oiled every time you use it. Have fun.

[tacklejunkie]

Ok.

I have been getting great tips from here and others. It appears I'm deadly with fffg 80 grains and a patched ball.

I can only shoot well out to around 50 yards but this is the woods of N. MN and i don't see the need to go further.

The drawback is the cleaning but this baby will be(hopefully) filling the freezer with my first deer in years

[tacklejunkie]

It continues to be a great gun and I love shooting it. If only I could talk the wife into cleaning it.

So....I'm thinking after an evening of deer hunting, I have to discharge the ball. I don't think I would want to fire a round were I'm hunting.

Has anyone used those CO2 dischargers I see in Cabela's?

[mabr]

TJ, No need to discharge after hunting as long as you keep the gun at the same temp as the outside. My ML never comes in the house or any conditioned area while loaded.

I will typically leave mine loaded for 3-5 days then i'll ill shoot it off/ clean/ load. Thats just me i get paranoid about a missfire.

Never tried the CO2 dischargers.

[tacklejunkie]

Really?

You keep it loaed that long with no problems?

[mabr]

Yup. As long as you dont have any varying temp changes. Condensation can be a huge problem with powder.

One thing to NEVER forget, POP a cap through the nipple before you ever load it. Need to make sure the hole is clean. Son missed or I should say missfired on a 160+ buck at 20 yard becuase of this. He still has nite mares.

[tacklejunkie]

Yup. As long as you dont have any varying temp changes. Condensation can be a huge problem with powder.

One thing to NEVER forget, POP a cap through the nipple before you ever load it. Need to make sure the hole is clean. Son missed or I should say missfired on a 160+ buck at 20 yard becuase of this. He still has nite mares.

Thanks for the tips.

Even if I end up changing my mind and don't hunt deer this year, it still is fun to shoot and the idea of hunting with this gun is fun, also

[Archerysniper]

Mine will stay loaded through the whole rifle season unless I shoot a deer then i will reload after the shot till I come back in from hunting then shoot it to unload and clean it than reload. If I go through the whole rifle season without shooting it I will shoot it to unload clean and reload it then it will sit this way through the whole muzzleloader season unless I shoot it.