.54 Lyman Deerstalker Question

I have a .50 cal version and the factory nipple has eaten everything I’ve fed it. I don’t see a need to replace it. I’ve read they don’t last as long. Mine has been shot a good 200 shots or so, and likely a handful more and it’s still doing fine, though I mostly shot patched ball.

I’m fond of the Rem #10’s as they work on both revolvers and are easy to get. I’ve yet to try standard CCI #11’s, which is what my ToTW nipples claim to fit, as I can’t find the non magnum versions in a single tin to try. But then I read the CCI’s tend to break apart.

I dont like cci...they turn to mangled shrapnel ...while remingtons just open up like petals on a flower and stay whole. I use Remington 11s and they fit everything. Love them.

Jackrabbit1957 said:

The great Sam Fadala suggests using hornet nest material to stop patches from burning through. It works. Also there's a difference between burnt patches and cut ones, cutting comes from something sharp down bore or too tight fitted patches. Look at your expelled patches for signs of either. Just a side note, the patch does not seal the bore or act as a gasket. It's purpose is to grip the ball and engage the rifling. Watch a slow motion video of a muzzleloader being shot using ball and patch, you will see a puff of gasses being expelled from the muzzle before the ball and patch exit.

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Good post. All this information is in the Sam Fadala books and the Lyman BP Manual. I recommend Sam Fadala to anyone who will listen. But I like using patches for a firewall. I have yards of patch material and I don't play well with wasp.

I made some more progress with the deer stalker today. I was able to get a lot of shots touching in the bullseye at 100 meters today. I did get random flyers though. I'm not sure why this is happening though, but it's probably just me, though it could be related to the patches not being seated perfectly every time. Barrel is swabbed between every shot with a dry patch. Ill occasionally run seasoning through it followed by a dry patch.

I'm new to the patched round ball concept and still have much to learn. But the fact that I could get 6 rounds to touch inside the bullseye at 100 yards gives me hope. I just believe it's all about being consistent.

I know a local old timer who collects bp guns...used to shoot but now cant due to health conditions. Anyway...i had slicked up a colt for him and started talking about how im getting a .45 hawken soon and he happens to have a lyman hawken himself...not a deerstalker..but i think a great plains rifle. Beautifil rifle. I offered to give him the nipple from the extra parts bin i had that would fit it and he abliged..but i also compared then against slixshot and treso nipples for pietta revolvers. While pietta sized nipples fit some barely touch the hammer..BUT... He had a flash cone gaurd in his random parts bag and when installed it acts like a spacer washer that lifts the nipple cone to make contact with the hammer. So pietta sized nipples both stock and aftermarket will fit and work just great if that flash sheild cone is used.

James84 said:

I made some more progress with the deer stalker today. I was able to get a lot of shots touching in the bullseye at 100 meters today. I did get random flyers though. I'm not sure why this is happening though, but it's probably just me, though it could be related to the patches not being seated perfectly every time. Barrel is swabbed between every shot with a dry patch. Ill occasionally run seasoning through it followed by a dry patch.

I'm new to the patched round ball concept and still have much to learn. But the fact that I could get 6 rounds to touch inside the bullseye at 100 yards gives me hope. I just believe it's all about being consistent.

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That is awesome! What is your set up to get such accuracy? Powder type, ball size, amount of powder, patch type/size, etc. Would love to know

ThomasT said:

What I like to do on my loads that are approaching 75grs of powder is use a firewall. That is that I start a patch in the bore a couple of inches and then insert the patched round ball on top of it. When I pick up my patches to check for burning through the firewall patch will be burned pretty good but the ball patch will be almost reusable because it suffered no damage. Maybe give this a try and see if it works for you.

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Another similar method is to put a felt wool wad under the PRB to act as a gas check.

James84 said:

..I did get random flyers though. I'm not sure why this is happening though, but it's probably just me, though it could be related to the patches not being seated perfectly every time.

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Accuracy can sometimes be limited by the length of the sighting plane, which is the distance between the front and rear sights.
The long rifles have a longer sighting plane which contributes to more accurate shots.
Less margin for sighting errors.

arcticap said:

Another similar method is to put a felt wool wad under the PRB to act as a gas check.

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Thanks Articap. I never thought about a felt pad under a PRB. But just a couple of months ago I did buy a set of wad punches from Harbour Freight and punched out some half inch wads in felt to use under a Lee REAL bullet in the above mentioned new 50 caliber gun I bought. The poster FrontierGander had mentioned doing that but so far I haven't tried it. The 50 caliber REAL mold I have cast a 320gr bullet and I want to get the lighter 250gr bullet. I suspect it will work better in the 1-60 twist guns I have.

The Lee REAL 320gr and Lee Improved Minnie both shoot just fine from my Lyman Great Plains rifle and it has a 1-60 twist. And remember this country fought a Civil War with both sides pretty much armed with rifles that had a 1-60 twist firing 600gr Minnie Balls and killing each other out to 300 yards.

My Lyman shoots both of the bullets mentioned above well enough to kill deer at 100 yards. Strangely enough I rarely ever shoot paper with my BP rifles. Instead I would set up 2x6" blocks of wood 6" long I got as scrap where I used to work at anywhere from 60 to 100 yards and shoot those. Off hand. Hitting those blocks was a pretty easy shoot. We would do this every weekend for a while till the gravel pit we shot at got closed because so many would go there and shoot and leave SG hulls and empty beer cans laying around. I took a trash sack with me and picked them up but it wasn't enough. We lost the spot. It was a great place to shoot too.

Blackpowderwarrior said:

Thanks for the information OutlawKid. I like to change my nipples on my bp revolvers as soon as i get them. So, that being said i have a few spare sets i could use should i burn through the stock deerstalker nipple. But from the sounds of it, the stock nipple should be fine.

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I think you are going to find that revolver nipples are shorter than the nipples on your rifle. Just order a proper nipple for your rifle if you feel the need to replace it. But shoot it first. I think you will find out it works fine.

Don't forget that there's a variety of .54 sabots that may also allow for shooting other caliber bullets well.
MMP makes .54 sabots in sizes that accept bullet diameters of:
.429 - .430
.451- .452
.457 - .458
.50

That's quite a large selection of potential bullets and bullet weights to try out.
That means that if you come across a good deal or an interesting large caliber bullet, the .54 can provide a way to shoot it.
The sabots are listed on 2 different pages of the MMP website:

1. https://mmpsabots.com/store/mmp-standard-sabots/
2. https://mmpsabots.com/store/hph-sabot-series/

TheOutlawKid said:

That is awesome! What is your set up to get such accuracy? Powder type, ball size, amount of powder, patch type/size, etc. Would love to know

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I
80 grains of 3f goex
.015 lubed patch from midway usa.
.530 hornady round ball
CCi #11 primer

I'm shooting off a small bench and am using a crappy wood block with a piece of rug attached to it as a rest.

arcticap said:

Another similar method is to put a felt wool wad under the PRB to act as a gas check.



Accuracy can sometimes be limited by the length of the sighting plane, which is the distance between the front and rear sights.
The long rifles have a longer sighting plane which contributes to more accurate shots.
Less margin for sighting errors.

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I often read about people claiming to get great and consistent accuracy using patched round ball at 100 yards. I also bought this deer stalker with the intention of only shooting pure lead projectiles out of it.

For about $2, I buy really thick wooden dowels at the hardware store to use as a ramrod at the range.
You can buy a plastic or wood handle to fit on the end, or drill a hole into anything that you want to use as a handle.
As long as the wood dowel is thick, it won't break or hurt your palm when ramming.
I've never used some of the thin ramrods that come with most guns, they're basically only needed for hunting or for using attachments like a patch puller, ball screw or jag.
Here's the Traditions wood ramrod handle that looks like a large flat knob: --->>> https://www.muzzle-loaders.com/traditions-wooden-palm-saver-ramrod-handle-a1296.html

arcticap said:

For about $2, I buy really thick wooden dowels at the hardware store to use as a ramrod at the range.
You can buy a plastic or wood handle to fit on the end, or drill a hole into anything that you want to use as a handle.
As long as the wood dowel is thick, it won't break or hurt your palm when ramming.
I've never used some of the thin ramrods that come with most guns, they're basically only needed for hunting or for using attachments like a patch puller, ball screw or jag.
Here's the Traditions wood ramrod handle that looks like a large flat knob: --->>> https://www.muzzle-loaders.com/traditions-wooden-palm-saver-ramrod-handle-a1296.html

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Mr.articap that is a great idea about using a cheap wooden dowel. Id also recommend maybe trying to find one with straight grain and with the least amount of grain runoff...thay way it wont break if your rough...but then again you are right that a thicker dowel wont break. I have purchased some that were great and others that were so dry and shattered when used. I actually have one that i coated in linseed oil and made it into my cleaning rod for my 36 navies. Work great!

Another useful ML item that can serve as both a short and long starter is called a crab mallet or seafood mallet.
Plus it's a handy wooden mallet that fits in a possibles bag that can be used to help start tight PRB's and projectiles.

They come in different lengths but are usually 7 - 8 inches long and can cost as little as a $1.49
They can also be homemade.

Photo: https://cdnimg.webstaurantstore.com/images/products/extra_large/3358/1791441.jpg

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/7-...MI8Mze29bq6wIVkuDICh2CjwmREAQYAyABEgKjFvD_BwE

Blackpowderwarrior said:

Great ideas guys, I'll have to keep both of those ideas in mind. I was lucky enough to find a ramrod by CVA on sale so I doubt I'll use the ramrod that came with the rifle much

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The ramrod that comes with the rifle is pretty good. It’s called the unbreakable ram rod. Yes it’s plastic but it can be bent into a full circle. I like it better than the other fiberglass and aluminum rods I have.