Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders Photos of my Lyman Great Plains Rifle in 54 cal

I finally got around to taking some photos of my Lyman Great Plains 54 cal rifle . I spent the last few days shooting this rifle . I changes out the nipple to the Red Hot Knight and changed the sights to the Lyman Fiber Optic replacements they offer. I like the original sight and they worked great in good light but for early morning and late evening the Fiber Optics help out ageing eyes in the Deer Woods. I have settled on the Hornady .530 Round Ball and the Pillow Tick .18 patch and the CCI # 11 Magnum Cap with 90 gr's of American Pioneer FFFG powder. I will use this for my Muzzle Loading Hunting this year and let my Inlines take a break. I love shooting the Hawkins Style Rifles and the American Pioneer sure does clean up very easy and without all the stink of Blackpowder. It feel kind of good to go back to Muzzle Loading Hunting the way it was intended to be when they started the separate Muzzle Loading Deer Season. This rifle is shooting ragged holes at 25 yards and keeping the group in a two inch circle at 50 yards, which is the best i can do with open sights.

I love the classic lines on the Lymans, and sounds like you've found a load that works. I have a TC Hawken that I hope to break this year and shoot finally.

Nice looking stock. Don't see many of these in left hand either.

IMO the Great Plains Rifles are the best reproduction rifles on the market right now.

Mine is a 50 cal and I use the Lyman peep sight for hunting.

I had the Lyman Peep on my other LGP but being LH it kind of got in my way cocking the hammer and i can shoot the open sights just as well so choose to go this route on this one. I have the Lyman Peep and may change later down the road. What powder are you using in your 50?

Sweet. I love the Lyman Great Plains Rifle and have loved it ever since first seeing one probably thirty years ago. Beautiful rifle that won't break the bank.

I am shooting Goex 3-f, 40 grains for target / match shooting and 80 grains for hunting. My rifle shoots best with 495 round ball, an 18 thick denim patch, and moose milk lube.

The GPR is a great gun. I've had 3 of them, and will probably buy another one before i'm done.

You might want to experiment with other powders though. APP powder is not very consistent, and sucks up moisture like a sponge.

I'm shooting a dry patch with the American Pioneer 3F and the clean up is just a couple of damp patches. You should give the American Pioneer a try unless you just like cleaning up the Black Powder mess

I've tried all BP powders and subs. I consider APP the worse of the bunch.

They all clean up with water, but I don't choose a powder for how it cleans up.

Your choice though. Have fun with the gun.


btw Just cleaning the barrel with patches won't get the breech channel clean. At some point that will affect ignition.

I have tried them all and you give up nothing with the AP 3F except a mess to clean up. I always take the nipple out and clean separate. I have been using and hunting with muzzle loaders since the early 70's and have never had a misfire in the woods while hunting. If you use AP in the side lock then 3F is the only one to use. I use AP in my Omega and Black Horn 209 in my Encore and Pyrodex P in my Whites. I used to use Black Powder when i first started, then Pyrodex and then Triple7 , now AP and Blackhorn for me.

APP isn't messy to clean up, you can spit down the bore and it will remove the APP fouling.

Goex IMO was the messiest to clean that i've shot so far.

For my sidelocks, i much prefer pyrodex RS.

I used to use RS in my last LGP rifle but after trying AP 3F i will never go back. AP 2F is to En-consistence with patch round ball since it needs a really tight fitting slug to get proper ignition . # 11 Magnum Cap does a great job with the AP 3F . I prefer shooting them more than cleaning. I love to be able to sit down and shoot 50 shots without have to clean other than a damp patch down the barrel between shots. If a man is happier shooting the dirty stuff then more power to him.

Really, you don't give up anything?

Goex............1255fps
Swiss............1638
Schuetzen.....1347
Triple 7.........1518
Pyrodex RS...1292
Pioneer.........1045

http://www.chuckhawks.com/american_pioneer_powder.htm

http://reviews.cabelas.com/8815/215...ge=2&sort=submissionTime&dir=asc

Deer won't be able to tell the difference in a couple hundred feet per second, plus the higher vel doesn't always shoot the best. I will chronograph my 90 gr of AP 3F and see what speed it is giving because 3F using gives higher vel than the 2F . When i used T7 i always got the best groups with around 80 gr with patch round ball and since i never shoot past 100 yards with the patch round ball i never checked the speed. I killed this deer with patch round ball and 80 gr of T7 54 CAL Hawkins. I have already read both reports you posted the link to.

Not so much the velocity, but the inconsistent velocity. That's what makes the accuracy so bad compared to other powders. That will affect your hunting.

I know it cleans up easily. I used it for a little while shooting CAS, but after missing a few targets I gave up on it.

Just trying to help.

My muzzle loading club requires real black powder and patched round ball for all matches. As long as I can get it, I will stick with black powder. Cleaning a rifle isn't a chore to me.

I'm not questioning you choice of powder . I'm just saying I have got really consistent performance in my ML'S from the AP and not saying your experience was totally different . Believe me if it didn't work for me i would be using something else. Me personally , i have never liked Black Powder and it would be my last choice of propellant in my ML'S and PDS I hate cleaning up from Black Powder .

A lot of guys feel that way. That's why the subs are popular.

Anyway, you have a good gun now. Go out and slay something with it.

Nice rifle Bea Congrats, you gonna bring it on the hog hunt next year?

I have a boat load of .570 round balls for my T/C 58 cal, have never shot them, would a 58 be ok on deer and pigs using a round ball? they are made by Hornady, the rifle came with 8 fifty count boxes.

Gunner

Never hunted pigs, but a .58 PRB will knock any deer DRT.

Thanks MH, been thinkin for awhile about using them, have some pillow ticking, wonder lube and 2 and 3 FG Swiss BP, the old .58 goes off with a top hat musket cap.

Anyone care to recommend a powder charge? 100 grains?


Gunner

yes i will use it on the next hog hunt. The 58 would be great on a hog. Bigger is usually better with Black Powder rifles

10-4 neighbor, I'm gonna be loadin' Black Powder on the hog hunt two.

Gunner

the 58 muzzle loader or the sharp breech loader?

Load the Sharps with BP, and the 8-Bore too.

Gunner

either will do the job

Good deal

Gunner

100gr of Swiss will sure do the job. Try different loads to find the most accurate. Somewhere around 100gr should be a the sweet spot.

Keep in mind that Swiss has the power of T7. So, even 85-90gr will smack them with a .58 ball. I used a .54 PRB and 85gr of Swiss last year for a cow elk. Killed her just fine.

Bea,

I will bypass the powder arguements, but I will say that Lyman .54 is a beautiful gun.

thank . there should be no argument, just use whatever works for you

Very nice looking rife bea175!

Quote my posts where I was argumentative.

Thanks again MH, sounding very good.

Gunner

I was replying to this post,


Bea,

I will bypass the powder arguements, but I will say that Lyman .54 is a beautiful gun.

Yeah I like the GPR as well.

I stumbled across a fairly authentic custom Hawken replica, that was made in the 1970's. It is a .54 with a 34" Douglas barrel. I am looking forward to trying it soon.

your rifle sounds like a winner, let us know how it shoots

You might consider the TC Hunting Style Peep Sight. It might require you drill and tap one hole (I've seen reviews say no mod required, while others did for Lyman GPR and Deerstalkers), and maybe shim the peep or change the front sight. But it won't interfere with your lefty lock. I have one for my left-hand Deerstalker, but I haven't installed it yet.

I have that sight on my old T/C 58 cal, it's a very good and precise aiming sight, and at dawn or dusk the aperture is easily removed, and I have noticed no difference in bullet impact when shooting it both ways on targets.

Gunner

I don't believe it will work on the GP without drilling and tapping another hole

My deerstalker has three screws in the tang. The spacing measures up between the center screw and the lower tang screw for my TC peep sight. The hole spacing on the peep sight is 1-1/4". If I had to tap, the instructions with the TC sight says to use a #29 drill and 8-32 thread tap.

Looking on Lyman's website, they show a Lyman 57 SML and a 57 GPR sight. And they say that the GPR sight comes with an adaptor. See mounting instructions for the 57 GPR in the quote box below. I found the instructions on a thread on thehighroad at this link: Tang Sight for GPR - Thread from thehighroad.org, 3rd post

Just looking at your pics of the GPR and my Deerstalker, it looks as though the drop rate of your tang may be a little more. If so, that tapered adapter block described in the instructions probably compensates for it. I.E., perhaps a tapered shim would be required for the TC peep sight? Note in the instructions the centered tang hole present in GPR's manufactured after April 1997. My Deerstalker has a center hole and the spacing fits. I wonder if that adaptor block could be ordered directly from Lyman sans the 57 GPR sight?



In the 4th post of that same thread, mykeal shows a GPR with a different tang sight. Pics linked below of that:

Snagged this photo of safariman's GPR from a thread here on the fire: Traditional Guys.

It's a little fuzzy, but you can see the adapter block I refered to under the 57 sight.

The Lyman Sight for the GP comes with this spacer.

Just installed the TC peep on my Lyman LH Flintlock Deerstalker.

See pics below with a before of the tang screws, and another after installed.

Of course it does (the 57GPR sight), but the Lyman 57GPR isn't made for a lefthand side-lock. The TC Peep is an alternative, but not without the adaptor block, or making a custom shim. And the possible need to drill and tap on some of them.

Well crap, no round balls in my 58 for me Bea, that damn rifle would NOT shoot 'em, tried two different patches and three different powders, and a multitude of charges with said powders.

Went back to the old standby load of a 600 gr maxi powered by 120 gr 3FG and BOOM, perfect, groups like it always did.

Guess I'll have to stick with the conicals in this rifle.

Gunner

I had a TC peep on my first Deerstalker, loved it. I made a peep out of parts on hand this time.

I too have a Lyman Great Plains in .50 caliber. I got it in kit form for Christmas 1984 from Mid South Shooters Supply for the grand sum of $125. I browned the barrel and did a decent job on the stock. I love the traditional design and could not afford the Browning Hawken. It's a great round ball gun and has the slow 1 in 66 twist (if I remember correctly).I've tried the Mine' balls with little luck. I made my own hunting bag, ball blocks, patch knife, and powder horn to go with it. I also have the bullet mold and love melting lead in the fall. One of my favorites and one of my favorite Christmas gifts.

Great looking rifle, Bea. I would covet, but the lock is on the wrong side for me. The GPR has been on my wants list for years, but something else has always come up first.

Just something about taking a deer with patch round ball over using the inline with a scope, so much more satisfying, at least to me.

You don't have to explain it to me, the last bowhunting I did was with a longbow and port orford cedar arrows I put together myself.

After a few years I finally put a recoil pad and modern sights on mine.

Nice job if you built it.

How the hell did you get the lock to fit on the left side ?

Nice rifle! I've had a left hand GPR in .50 for several years and haven't found anything to dislike about it. Mine prefers 80 grains of 3F black and a PRB.

Does the job on deer and hogs both. Now I'm getting a hankering for a flintlock version though.

I've got a flintlock in .50. It's a great shooter with roundball. I'd like to get the faster twist Hunter barrel for it so I have a dedicated minie/maxi ball barrel as well.

I run Goex, Schuetzen and sometimes Swiss in mine. Goex is pretty heavy on the fouling whether FFg or FFFg. I use a tight patch/ball combo, and it's a rare day that I can run down a third ball without wet swabbing the bore first.That's the one facet where Pyrodex and 777 are superior. Though Swiss or Schuetzen is a better solution...