I keep looking over Lyman's rifles and thinking that the Deerstalker would be a better purchase over the Traditions Deerhunter. I've heard nothing but good things about Lyman and hit or miss with Traditions.

Anyone know if Lyman is all American? Lyman is made in Italy by Investarms Inc. Investarms also makes Cabela's rifles and their own brand of rifle.

I am curious about shooting RB, but seems windy days could be horrible at distance. Any reason why I couldn't triple patch my .457 balls and fire them? Well you can try it. But if the rifle is .50 caliber I would suggest a .490 ball or if a Lyman even a .495 with a thinner patch. I shoot a Lyman .50 caliber Trade Rifle as well as a .54 caliber Trade Rifle. Both flintlock. Excellent roundball shooters. And my Lyman for some reason with the 1-48 twist shoots Powerbelts really well. My .50 caliber will shoot sabots pretty good too.

When the term "conical" is used does it only refer to big chunks of lead or does it include, say, the Hornady FPB's (full bore bullets)? The Hornady FPB is a conical. The Sabertooth is a conical. The Thors are conical bullets. Conicals are any full bore size bullet that does not require a sabot and in most cases a patch. Although if the conical is small, some will paper patch them or teflon tape them.

.50 cal handgun bullets are designed differently and won't work correct? We shoot hand gun bullets all the time. Hornady XTP's in .452 diameter in a sabot shoot fine in a .50 caliber. But using them as a full bore conical never worked for me. I do cast a .458 pure lead 424 grain bullet that I shoot out of my .451 white rifle with excellent results. But remember, its pure lead. Many of the hand gun bullets we shoot are either copper coated. Also some of the lead handgun bullets you see are not pure lead. Its because they are used in cowboy action pistols. So if you want to shoot a "pure lead" hand gun bullet, make sure it is pure lead.

I recently acquired an Old Army and am considering conical/bullet moulds. If I get into casting what size would I need for a .50 cal rifle? The size depends on the caliber of the rifle and whether you want to use a sabot. If no sabot.. .50 caliber .. any think like a .501-.503 seem to work well.

Bronko: Sorry I wasn't more specific in my question. I meant bullet weight in a 1:48" twist. If a 60" is ideal for a ball, and 20-38" is ideal for long bullets I assumed that maybe lighter weight bullets might be better for a 48" twist. But my reasoning has let me down several times in the past...

I intend on using 3F 777 so as to stock up on one powder to use for both my revolver and rifle. And from the data I saw on Hogdgon's sight 3F typically produced much higher velocity. And from what I've been reading it's less fouling, easier to clean, and produces the least amount of smoke compared to other subs. Currently I have 2 lbs of Pyrodex P and 1 of RS that I got with the Ruger.

pluckit: I would assume that I'd probably be happier with the Lyman's over the Traditions. I typically believe in the idea of you get what you pay for. What would you expect for $250? Before you rule out Tradition rifles, I have three of the traditional rifles. Two of them are 1-48 twist and one is 1-66 twist. All of them are excellent shooters, once you find the load. I have three Lyman rifles (all flintlocks) and they too are all good shooters. Its just a matter of what you like to shoot, and what you want to spend. Tradition rifles are well made.

I keep looking at Lyman's Trade Rifle and various Hawkens too, but I think the Deerstalker is calling to me even though I think I'd be happier with the performance from a 1:32" twist GP Hunter. It's just not very handy, and an extra $200 for gear is always a nice bonus!

Anyone find the aerodynamic (SST, FTX, FPB, etc.) bullets worth the expense over a standard bullet design? Again, it depends on the rifle your shooting and what you want the rifle to do. If your shooting 100 yards average, a simple XTP or Deep Curl will plant most animals just fine. But if I were shooting long distance, then the SST might be a real good option on the field.

Thanks for the input guys!