Author Topic: Anyone ever alter their Lyman GP rifle?  (Read 8084 times)

Offline OldMtnMan

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Re: Anyone ever alter their Lyman GP rifle?
« Reply #25 on: June 20, 2019, 03:45:55 PM »
It sounds like the 1-48 was an early version of the Great Plains Hunter as we know it now. They still called it a GPR back then. Later they changed it to a 1-32 twist and called it a Hunter version. I'm also surprised to see the Trade Rifle came in 1-60.

Pretty cool looking at the history of it.

Offline Pukka Bundook

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Re: Anyone ever alter their Lyman GP rifle?
« Reply #26 on: June 20, 2019, 05:11:54 PM »
Maybe they were experimenting in the early days, Pete.   
I had a good few questioning me about it.  Still a 1 in 48"  no matter how I measured it, and barrel identical on the outside to any other G-P rifle, inc. the  writing and great big "Black Powder Only".

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Richard.

Offline Daryl

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Re: Anyone ever alter their Lyman GP rifle?
« Reply #27 on: June 20, 2019, 08:11:59 PM »
I only remembered the faster twist as 32" as well. :)
Daryl

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Offline Pukka Bundook

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Re: Anyone ever alter their Lyman GP rifle?
« Reply #28 on: June 20, 2019, 11:11:42 PM »
Darkhorse,

Looks like you have it solved up the page. I missed your post.  Thanks for adding it!

Offline alacran

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Re: Anyone ever alter their Lyman GP rifle?
« Reply #29 on: June 21, 2019, 02:13:21 PM »
I'm looking at the picture with the product specifications table.
The way I read it, the .50 caliber wether Great plains or trade rifle comes in 1/60 twist. In a .54 it came in 1/48. It doesn't look like you had an option.
A man's rights rest in three boxes: the ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box.  Frederick Douglass

Offline Daryl

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Re: Anyone ever alter their Lyman GP rifle?
« Reply #30 on: June 21, 2019, 05:38:54 PM »
That's what it looks like, alacran, but that really doesn't make sense.
Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a spaniel without ears" King George V

Offline alacran

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Re: Anyone ever alter their Lyman GP rifle?
« Reply #31 on: June 21, 2019, 10:47:43 PM »
I thought it didn't make sense to me either Daryl. But we are talking 1975 and the gun writers of the day ( I' m not going to mention names ) stipulated a .54 for hunting as opposed to the ubiquitous .50 which every one was using for target shooting. I suppose a .54 with a 1/48 twist would handle the lyman maxi ball and other conical bullets.
A man's rights rest in three boxes: the ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box.  Frederick Douglass

Offline Darkhorse

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Re: Anyone ever alter their Lyman GP rifle?
« Reply #32 on: June 22, 2019, 07:13:26 AM »
They offered the 1-48 for those who wanted to shoot bullets instead of round balls.
I agree that it looks like the GPR was only offered in 1-48 but as I said you could order either twist. How do I know? Because I ordered a LH GPR with a 1-60 twist and that' what I got. However I didn't order mine from Lyman I ordered it from "Sports South" if memory serves me. It's been a long time ago.
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Offline OldMtnMan

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Re: Anyone ever alter their Lyman GP rifle?
« Reply #33 on: June 22, 2019, 03:53:41 PM »
They offered the 1-48 for those who wanted to shoot bullets instead of round balls.
I agree that it looks like the GPR was only offered in 1-48 but as I said you could order either twist. How do I know? Because I ordered a LH GPR with a 1-60 twist and that' what I got. However I didn't order mine from Lyman I ordered it from "Sports South" if memory serves me. It's been a long time ago.

Was it a .54?

Dave Patterson

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Re: Anyone ever alter their Lyman GP rifle?
« Reply #34 on: June 22, 2019, 03:57:36 PM »
Have I ever altered one?  Yes.

Was it financially wise?  No, probably not.  For what I now have in my flintlock GPR (bought well-used, but still bright-bored, etc), I could have bought a nice but plain rifle from some member right here on ALR - and have, several times.

Was it worth it, to ME.  Yes.  I figured, for what I had invested in that used, original GPR, I could afford to start doing some cobbling, and learn a few things, without risking messin' up a perfectly good rifle too much. 

So, I've replaced sights (several times, and learned in the process to fit bases to dovetails); I've installed a decent vent liner; I've tuned, fitted and replaced the (horrible, coil-spring) lock with the (flat spring) RPL version; I've replaced the triggers with the Davis version; I've stripped, refined and refinished the stock several times. 

I've now got far more money tied up in altering that rifle than I originally paid for it, but it still shoots better than I do, and once I'm tired of messing with it, I've got lots of family to pass it along to.

So, for MY purposes, it's been worth it.




Offline Hungry Horse

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Re: Anyone ever alter their Lyman GP rifle?
« Reply #35 on: June 22, 2019, 08:32:48 PM »
Well, I kinda hate to admit this, but many years ago, a bright eyed pilgrim attached himself to my camp at one of our bigger rendezvous. Like all of us when we started out, he had an endless stream of questions. One of those questions was how do you make your gun look like its actually over wintered in the Rocky Mountains. I said shucks thats easy, just give it to me, and I’ll fix it right up for you. He did, and I took his pristine.50 caliber Great Plains rifle home with me. I stripped the stock, and the metal, of their finishes. I belt sanded the bottom of the forearm clear through to the ramrod channel, and then smoothed it up to resemble saddle wear. I rawhided the wrist with a rawhide dog chew, and stained it with a wash of Lincoln’s medium brown leather dye, rubbed down while wet with a wet rag and rubbed it good with some black masonry tint while just barely damp.  The metal got a mix of Birchwood Caseys plum brown, and cold blue, rubbed back to bright, except in the corners. A painted on finish, rubbed back and accented with a little more masonry tint to simulate dirt, and the wood was done. I added some brass tacks, and treated them with salt, and hydrogen peroxide, to green them up, and she was done. I expected him to freak out when he saw it for the first time, and planned it so there would be a crowd, just in case he didn’t take it well. He loved it, and long after he had gotten a much better gun, it could always be found leaning against something in his camp.

  Hungry Horse

Offline Darkhorse

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Re: Anyone ever alter their Lyman GP rifle?
« Reply #36 on: June 23, 2019, 01:28:41 AM »
They offered the 1-48 for those who wanted to shoot bullets instead of round balls.
I agree that it looks like the GPR was only offered in 1-48 but as I said you could order either twist. How do I know? Because I ordered a LH GPR with a 1-60 twist and that' what I got. However I didn't order mine from Lyman I ordered it from "Sports South" if memory serves me. It's been a long time ago.

Was it a .54?
Yes it was. A .54 has always been my choice in a big game hunting rifle.
When I bought mine I had not yet discovered ALR or TOW or Jim Chambers. I lived in a remote, rural area, still do, with little contact with the rest of the black powder crowd. I shot my GPR for many years before I built my first .54 rifle.
American horses of Arabian descent.

Offline OldMtnMan

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Re: Anyone ever alter their Lyman GP rifle?
« Reply #37 on: June 23, 2019, 02:24:46 AM »
Sadly, i'm not a builder living in an apartment. So, other than buying a custom gun which I can't afford. The GPR is my pick for a hunting gun. I agree the .54 is the best choice.

Offline Hungry Horse

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Re: Anyone ever alter their Lyman GP rifle?
« Reply #38 on: June 23, 2019, 03:47:43 AM »
That may be the case for GPR’s bought a few years ago, but the new ones I’ve examined are not good quality. Mostly just poorly assembled.


  Hungry Horse

Offline OldMtnMan

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Re: Anyone ever alter their Lyman GP rifle?
« Reply #39 on: June 23, 2019, 03:32:48 PM »
Yes, they need to reworked. I'm sending mine to a buddy. He'll match the metal to wood fit, brown all the metal, defarb, bed it, and refinish. I already smoothed the crown and replaced the trigger with a Davis.

One good thing is they still shoot good.

Offline Hungry Horse

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Re: Anyone ever alter their Lyman GP rifle?
« Reply #40 on: June 24, 2019, 04:59:28 PM »
I just have to ask why would you buy a gun that isn’t particularly cheap to start with, and then spend more time, and money, on it to make it a PC marginal rifle. Why not buy a custom, or semi-custom gun in the white, that doesn’t have poor triggers, and a piece of junk lock, and fit, and finish issues?

  Hungry Horse

Offline OldMtnMan

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Re: Anyone ever alter their Lyman GP rifle?
« Reply #41 on: June 25, 2019, 03:35:05 PM »
I just have to ask why would you buy a gun that isn’t particularly cheap to start with, and then spend more time, and money, on it to make it a PC marginal rifle. Why not buy a custom, or semi-custom gun in the white, that doesn’t have poor triggers, and a piece of junk lock, and fit, and finish issues?

  Hungry Horse

Show me a custom gun for the same price including finishing it? Make sure it's a LH. You overestimate what it will cost me to have the GPR fixed.

Just the parts for a Hawken are over $1000.

Offline Daryl

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Re: Anyone ever alter their Lyman GP rifle?
« Reply #42 on: June 26, 2019, 06:21:31 PM »
Good point, Pete. A Layman rifle at around or just over $500.00 with a replacement lock installed is still less than the cost of parts for a quality Hawken build.
The barrels I have seen in these guns shoot very well indeed and as a rifle, are just fine, to my less than critical eye.
My other eye doesn't like them.  LOL - just kidding, they're OK. If Lyman called them 'Hawkens', I'd be less agreeable to them.
Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a spaniel without ears" King George V

Offline OldMtnMan

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Re: Anyone ever alter their Lyman GP rifle?
« Reply #43 on: June 26, 2019, 06:47:41 PM »
Yes, accuracy is the selling point for me. I think i've had about 6-7 GPR's over the years and they were all good shooters.

A Hawken it isn't but I can except a plains rifle.

Offline shootrj2003

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Re: Anyone ever alter their Lyman GP rifle?
« Reply #44 on: November 19, 2021, 05:34:19 AM »
I replaced everything but the barrel,tang and of course breech plug! Not because it wasn’t a good rifle ,I will get a green mount barrel  and can’t decide wether to put it back in the Lyman or leave it in the new rifle ( it’s happy there) and make a real good shooter out of the Lyman …or just switch them back and forth! Just because I wanted too!

The trigger and lock are both L&R the furniture The Hawken Shoppe and track of the wolf items,learned a lot building it.there are mistakes and learning to rectify them you can’t see.

Offline stikshooter

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Re: Anyone ever alter their Lyman GP rifle?
« Reply #45 on: November 19, 2021, 01:40:48 PM »
I guess it will work even better than it looks!/Ed

Offline elkhart

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Re: Anyone ever alter their Lyman GP rifle?
« Reply #46 on: November 19, 2021, 04:17:50 PM »
Finished this earlier this year. Tried to reduce the hump on the tang a bit, but that's about it. Builds up nice for a production rifle, and shoots very well.



Offline Daryl

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Re: Anyone ever alter their Lyman GP rifle?
« Reply #47 on: November 19, 2021, 10:46:50 PM »
Taylor extensively re-built a GPR.  Perhaps he will give us a picture parade?
Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a spaniel without ears" King George V

Online D. Taylor Sapergia

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Re: Anyone ever alter their Lyman GP rifle?
« Reply #48 on: November 20, 2021, 10:51:33 PM »
The first work I did for my buddy Brian (RIP) was to re-build his Lyman GPR.  So here's a few pictures of it...













what's my monitor resolution

The wood is some kind of European hardwood, and hard it is!  But it took a fine polish and stain and turned out very nice, compared to the factory finish.  I replaced the barrel key escutcheons too as they were inadequate, thin steel set in a rubbery filler in the wood.  I used pure silver and they also turned out nicely and much more serviceable.  I removed the hump in the tang and wrist, put in the details of stock molding and cheek piece to replace the slack-sanded stock architecture.  I stripped and browned the barrel and hardware, case hardened the nose piece, and replaced the factory lock with a RPL from L & R.  The original lock will not spark...still have it if anyone needs parts from it. 
The rifle shoots fine...it's accurate and reliable.
D. Taylor Sapergia
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Online JPK

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Re: Anyone ever alter their Lyman GP rifle?
« Reply #49 on: November 22, 2021, 09:12:41 PM »
I helped a buddy build his first muzzle loader from a Lyman kit. Had him do some trimming and reshaping. The toe line got straightened some and the cheek piece refined. I think he did well.




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