Cabela's Traditional Hawken or Lyman's Great Plains Hunter??

[stew71]

Decisions decisions.....I like both rifles. Cabela's Hawken is about $180 less than the Lyman Plains Hunter. Both are purdy rifles. I like the nice brass on the Hawken, but since this will be a hunting rifle, I'm concerned about it advertising my location out in the woods. The Lyman doesn't have that stuff and is still a nice looking rifle. But...it's quite a bit more...Hmmmmmm.....

Opinions anyone? Has anyone had issues with that shiny brass in the field? Are there any other features that could make or break the decision?

This will be used on the local pig and blacktail populations so the .50 cal is plenty powerful. I plan to use conicals so by that aspect, perhaps the 1 in 32 twist of the Lyman might be a better choice?

Thanks.

[Buffboy]

"Opinions anyone? Has anyone had issues with that shiny brass in the field?"

Nope, your safety glasses are likely more of a reflection problem and you REALLY should wear them when hunting, especially with cap/flint rifles.

As far as conicals, I've had no trouble stabilizing mini or maxi balls out of my 50TC Hawken with 1-48" twist. I've shot mini's in a couple other 1-48" twist rifles with good accuracy as well. I've never used sabots but others I know have and they experienced no problems.

I'd suspect there's nothing wrong with the 1-32" Lyman either. The Lymans are good rifles too.

[Rusty]

If you're worried about the brass here's what you do... the first time you go shooting come home and clean your rifle with soap and water down the bore to get out all the fouling. Take the very first dirty patch you use and wipe down all the brass with it. Several trips to the range and a few wipe downs and that brass will dull right up for you.

[Nath]

Yeah Rusty has it covered but even if you did nothing that brass will soon dull in no time.

My dog is white and black but she still comes with me even with the bow and I/we still get on game

My choice would be a patched ball barrel though

Nath.

[cnjarvis]

I have a Cabelas sporterized hawken that shoots well enough with RB's and conicals but doesn't like sabots at all. (1-48) YMMV

Although I've never handled the Lyman, I suspect that it's the better made gun of the two. My Cabelas could stand some improvement in the fit/finish dep't. My rifle may have been the exception but there are obvious spiral marks on the rifling as if they used a dull or bad bore drill, the hammer face does not center on the nipple and there are grind marks on the barrel at the breech end.

[Bruce]

My opinion is the Lyman, but not the Hunter as it is a Sabot round barrel only. Just the plain ole Lyman Great Plains is a very good ML.

[gamekeeper]

I've never had either long gun but I did have the Lyman plains pistol. It was well made and finished, accurate and very reliable.

[JerryB]

In my opinion I would buy the Lyman Great Plains Rifle because it is a true copy of the Hawken and a patched round ball put down the game that the mountain men hunted. What do we have here today that they didn't have to hunt? The ones that I have seen and shot were really fine weapons. I am a patched round ball hunter and take deer, if anything happened to my old Kentucky rifle that is what I would buy.

[TNBigBore]

I own the Cabelas traditional Hawken in 54 cal and my brother shoots the Lyman Great Plains rifle in 54 cal as well. They are both plenty accurate with patched round balls. The Lyman has a little better fit and finish, but a more sharply curved and more punishing crescent butt plate. Either will serve you well if you get the barrel seasoned properly and keep the rust off. If you are going to go with round balls, think about getting a 54.

[Hobie]

Great Plains Hunter...

[stretch]

Gee, Stew - it seems obvious that you should buy one of each,
spend a few days at the range, and report back with pics.

Seriously, I've always been interested in one lf the Lyman rifles,
and I might go that direction. I've always had good luck with their
stuff. Not always the least expensive, but decent-quality equipment
which WORKS.

-Stretch

[Pete44ru]

The difference is like choosing between a Hyundai or a Lexus - the Lyman GPH has been the gold standard in high-quality factory-made BP caplocks/Hawken copies, for a very many years.

They will both take game, and the Cabela-branded whatever might be accurate - but the Lyman has always exhibited very good quality & workmanship in past years.

Bling isn't necessarily better.

.

[rjohns94]

I would do the lyman. It was the one I was going to get when I had a BP rifle built for me by Brad Emig. I would do (and have done) the round ball instead of conicals.

[Ysabel Kid]

Hawkens. Fell in love with the gun when I was a pup and saw "Jeremiah Johnson" for the first time...

[Ray]

Deleted.

[SmokeEater2]

Don't know anything about the Cabela's rifle but I've owned a Lyman Great Plains rifle in .50 cal. for several years and if something happened to this one I would buy the same model again. The fit and finish is letter perfect and the walnut stock is a thing of beauty.
Mine has a 1 in 66 twist so it's patched round balls only but that has not proved to be a problem at all on the 2 deer and 1 hawg it's accounted for. The crescent buttplate is not as punishing as I had thought it would be,in fact I find it pleasant to shoot and it gets taken to the range a lot. The best part is that it's available in a LH version and since I have some nerve damage in my right eye I shoot rifles lefty now. It's a known fact that I'm about as tight with a dollar as anyone (just ask my wife) but these rifles are worth the money and besides if a man's gonna' have a rifle it might as well be one he can take pride in.

[HEAD0001]

Personally I do not care for the shiny brass. There are times when it will give bad reflections.

The Lyman shoots a conical very well. Mine does. Tom.

[O.S.O.K.]

Lyman without question over the Cabelas. Cabelas are fine rifles but you asked between the two - - and the Lyman is my pick... hands down.

Or if you can find an old CVA Mountain rifle with a Douglas (labeled Made in USA) barrel, then get that!

[Brian in FL]

I think I'd prefer the Lyman, but I like my old .50 caliber CVA Hunter Hawken just fine. She has never failed me and is very accurate with the patched round balls that I prefer. She's got no shiny brass at all. I call her Ol' Sure Shot. I don't think they make her any more though. Pity.

[Daveboone]

I have owned a Great Plains rifle for years, and think the world of it. It has taken (as I recall) four deer with one clean shot apiece (big Northern NY deer). I shoot strictly patch and ball through it, but have made the switch over to Triple 7...very happily. I regularly place three shots in the same ragged hole at 75 yards, much to the dismay of alot of other shooters at my club with much more expensive rigs.
I replaced the buckhorn sights with Lymans adjustable flip up rear sight. It allows a much finer hold. I would strongly consider the Lyman Deerstalker as an alternative sidelock. It has the same basic action, but a single trigger, and is a more compact gun. It is set up for 1/48 twist as I recall. You may want to double check on this detail, but as I recall it also comes with the splendid Lyman adjustable aperture rear sight. It is the perfect blend of traditional limitations with modern improvements.

[salvo]

I would go with the Lymans also, but I love my TC Hawkins .54 with patched round balls. It amazes me how they nock the snot out of the mule deer I have shot with it.

[jd45]

I have a Lyman Great Plains Hunter I bought at the best price I found, which was MidSouth ShootersSupply.com. The Hunter barrel is a 1-in-32 twist, working much better with conical lead bullets such as the Hornady Great Plains, or a sabot, but will shoot round balls if you keep the charge down to no more than 65grs or so. I recommend it. jd45
P.S.......you can buy a round ball barrel for it as well. I think it's around $118 or so now at Midsouth. jd45

[SmokeEater2]

I have a Lyman Great Plains Hunter I bought at the best price I found, which was MidSouth ShootersSupply.com. The Hunter barrel is a 1-in-32 twist, working much better with conical lead bullets such as the Hornady Great Plains, or a sabot, but will shoot round balls if you keep the charge down to no more than 65grs or so. I recommend it. jd45
P.S.......you can buy a round ball barrel for it as well. I think it's around $118 or so now at Midsouth. jd45

Good point about the spare bbl. I've thought about buying one of the 1 in 32 twist bbls. for mine so I could use the Buffalo boolits in it.

[765x53]

I believe they are both made by Investarms. I would bet that the Lyman Trade Rifle is the same rifle as the Cabela's Hawken.