Question regarding Lyman GPR or GPH

[bandit]

Considering purchasing my first muzzleloader. I know very little about them, and have only shot a .50 once or twice. Browsing through previous comments, it appears that many of you rate the Lyman Great Plains Rifle, and Great Plains Hunters as pretty decent guns. Im considering purchasing a Great Plains Rifle or hunter, possibly in .54cal, for deer/elk. My concern is that Im not a big person, have a bad shoulder, and not sure how that .54 will kick. So heres my question. If I purchase a .54cal, are the .50 & .54cal barrels interchangeable on the same gun? Is the diameter of the barrels the same, stock fit the same? For example I purchase a .54 cal 1in32 twist for sabots. Then purchase a .50cal 1in60 for roundball, or just downgrade to .50 if the .54 is a problem.

Thanks in advance,

[Triple Se7en]

Bandit

You can interchange those different caliber Lyman barrels with only one stock.
Recoil with the Lyman is less felt because of it's weight/distribution of weight.
I recommend going with the 54 1-60 and the 50 1-32. At midsouth.com, you can buy the Lyman GPR and another GPH barrel together for around $450 delivered.

Having a bad shoulder, I suggest you tinker with this idea. Saw off the end butt-stock square and buy a Sims 1" recoil pad for it. You measure the diameter & wheel-grind the excess growth of the pad.

If you are not good with tooling or wood cutting, a gunsmith could modify your rifle for approximently $85-$100... parts & labor included. If you decide to try doing the work yourself, measure the butt-end and go to this website & click "MASTER TEMPLATE"... they have a pad that will be close in size to your GP


http://www.gunaccessories.com/limbsaver/index.asp

[mamaflinter]

bandit Having a bad shoulder here is another option you might want to consider.

Buy the roundball barrel in .54. By the conical/sabot barrel in .50 You can really tweak with loads when you use a roundball since you have more control over the variables (patches, weights of rbs, and your powder charge).

Recoil pad would be something else to consider to help absorb the recoil.

Two of my mz are in .54 and I thoroughly enjoy shooting/hunting with them. They are heavy enough that recoil isn't an issue.

[Ironwood]

Bandit, here's one more option.  If you want to keep the traditional look of the GPR you might get a Past Magnum recoil pad.   The pad cost about $30.  They are very comfortable to wear and work very well.  You will also have the option of not using it when you have on heavy clothing.  Mine really comes in handy when hog hunting down here in the summer (tee shirt) time.

[jd45]

Bandit, I, too am a first-time purchaser of a muzzleloading rifle,and, yes, I also reccomend a Lyman GPR hunter. I've been practicing with mine....the load I settled on for deer is 85grs 2f Hodgdon777 & a 385gr(50cal) Hornady Great Plains hphb conical. I can group in 3" off-hand @ 50yds with the 57GPR peep sight, which I also reccomend. Midsouth is the place...$311.00 for the gun & $50.00 for the sight. 777 has no sulphur, so there's no fouling build-up & cleaning is a snap with hot water. The 54 even with a round ball will be more than adequate for Elk.You won't be sorry. jd45.

[azshooter]

Shooting roundballs in my .54 Cal GPH with 100 gr Pyrodex is nothing.  In my opinoin, shooting a 390 Gr Hornady Conical with 100 Gr Pyrodex kicks on par with a 30-06.  These rifles are not lite so they really do not kick too bad.

[bandit]

Thanks everyone for all the great information. I think that I see a GPR in my not too distant future. Midsouth sure seems to have great prices, Ill very likely purchase one through them.  Can you guys give me a brief rundown or recommendation as to what accessories that I'd need to purchase for the GPR.

[mamaflinter]

bandit Click on http://mamaflinter.tripod.com/ I built this site to give beginner's a whole lot of information from what you need to how you clean a rifle, etc. Have a look there and you will have your questions answered.

[xnmr53]

bandit,

I wouldn't worry all that much about the recoil. I have bursitis in both shoulders and I shoot a .58 caliber with a metal butt plate.

First, the muzzle energy from even a .54 is not all that awsome.

Second, the gun is considerably heavier than most sporting rifles, and there will be less felt recoil for a given muzzle energy.

Third, the recoil from black powder is more of a shove than a jab.

Finally, the butt of the rifle is intended to be positioned further to the right than a modern rifle, actually resting on the arm rather than the shoulder. The reason that many people find the CURVED metal butt plate uncomfortable is that they are trying to seat it on a flat portion of the body, rather than the rounded arm. Man, those points hurt!  :lol:

[Winter Hawk]

I have a GPR, so don't think I'm knocking it.  But you might want to look at the Lyman Trade Rifle.  It doesn't have the curved butplate.  Midsouth doesn't have them on hand, but last year they told me they would get one if I wanted it.  Look at Lyman's web site.  The GPR comes in a roundball twist (1 : 66) while the Hunter is a conical twist (1 : 33, IIRC) so you would have to decide which you are going to use.  The Trade Rifle has a 1 : 48 twist so it will shoot both RB and conicals acceptably well.  Cabella's Hawken is the same, and is a fine shooting rifle for low bucks.

Round ball will work for about anything in North America.  One of the guys who works here shoots BP sidelocks almost exclusively.  He has some amazing tales of going up North for caribou, having a .54 RB over 80 gr. of ffg go in the caribou's chest and lodge in the skin of the hip.  I have heard the same for the .45 round ball with whitetail deer so that little lead marble is nothing to sneeze at!

Incidentally, Alaska minimums for big game are .54 round ball or .45 conical weighing over 250 grains, except for blacktail deer.

Hope this helps.

-Kees-