Cabela's has a Hawkins Carbine for brush hunting and stalking. It has a 21" barrel and a 1-24 twist. This would be my choice, again in .54 caliber if I were shooting less then 100 yards with open sights, and wanted real knock down power. For hunting out of trees or stalking, that short barrel would be easy to handle, quick to point, and hard hitting because of the caliber. I'd load a Lyman Maxiball with about 80 grains of powder and just blow through anything that was in my way.

I would guess... the Carbine would be a great conical shooter and even a good sabot shooter. You could scope it or peep sight it. Never let a short barrel make you think short range. I've seen too many short barrel rifles shoot side by side with the long barrel ones.Granted you might not be shooting 200 yards with a 21 inch barrel, but for most of the stuff I do, it is plenty good. I have a CVA Stalker Carbine with a 1-32 twist that shoots maxiball real well. Even though it has a 21 inch barrel.

Cabela's rifles are made by Investarms Inc. The same people that make Lyman Rifles, out of Italy. The Blue Ridge Series is made by Davide Pedersolli of Italy. Another great gun maker. When you look at Lyman Rifles, the Great Plains Rifle is a roundball rifle. The Great Plains Hunter is a conical shooter. The Trade Rifle is a do anything rifle. I own one of the Trade Rifles in a .54 caliber Flintlock. It shoots 90 grains of black powder and a roundball with some real authority. Last year it shot lengthway through a deer at 52 yards, through the brisket, heart, out the bottom of the stomach, and then broke a back leg before the ball disappeared somewhere in the ground.

I have never owned a Pedersolli rifle but got the opportunity to shoot a Blue Ridge .50 caliber one day. It was a sweet rifle to shoot, but for some reason I did not like the overall balance of the rifle when we were free hand shooting.