Flintlock Rifle advice

[DuncanSA]

I have resisted the temptation for years, but have now decided to give myself a flintlock rifle for Xmas.

Living where I am (South Africa) we have some of the most draconian firearms legislation in the world, but so far they haven't got around to legislating flintlocks. Nevertheless, availability is limited and cost factors matter.

Of the choices I have, and can afford, I need to chose between the Lyman Great Plains Rifle and the Lyman Great Plains Rifle Hunter -both in .54 caliber.

I tend towards the GPR with the 1" in 60 twist rather than the Hunter with its 1" in 32, but would also like to shoot conicals and sabots.

Comments please.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I have found that when you get up to the 1:60+ twist rates, the conicals don't like that very much, and the sabots don't like that at all. 1:48 that one finds with the TC Hawken and New Englander, or the Cabela's Blue Ridge Hunter (as well as other models and other makers) shoot both round ball and conical bullets. I never found a sabot that shot well out of any of my 1:48 barrels. The Pedersoli Jaeger is a 1:24 twist, and does shoot both conicals and sabots well, but it also is reported as doing well with round ball. I'd say that your 1:32 twist rate would be the better option, as (unless I miss my guess) getting the right gun is easier in SA than getting a second gun when you find the first wasn't so good.

LD

 

[mykeal]

Get the GP Hunter. It's the better compromise, although I personally favor the GP Rifle. I have two, one percussion and one flintlock, both in .54 cal and of course 1:60 twist. Both shoot roundballs very well; I have no interest in conicals or sabots for those guns so I haven't tried to work up a combination that satisfies me. I use a 1:20 Traditions Lightning for that kind of shooting.

 

[Mike OTDP]

I'd contact Mr Merwe van Rensburg, Black Powder Shooting Union of South Africa.
e-mail: [email protected]

He's the MLAIC delegate for South Africa, and should be able to put you in touch with someone who can get you good hardware.

 

[ED21]

Get the one you like the looks of best. Or will use the most. Then as means become available, order a replacement barrel with the faster/slower twist. One gun, two uses. Might be an option for you.

As a side note: I seem to remember that these rifles, the early ones at least, were a bit under sized. I seem to remember that one needed to use a
.520 or .525 RB with .015 patches when the norm for a .54 was a .530 RB with a .015 or .020 patch. Not sure about the conicals or the newer rifles.

 

[arcticap]

The newer .54 Lyman's aren't known to have a smaller bore.
I would select the 1 in 60" though because the .530 round ball is very effective for hunting and accurate for target shooting.
That slow twist may also be able to shoot some conicals satisfactorily, or else buy an accessory Lyman barrel or an after market Green Mountain Barrel from the U.S..
It shouldn't be too difficult for a dealer to order one for you if necessary.

 

[DuncanSA]

Thanks for the helpful comments and advice.

Within the joint brackets of price and availability, I have opted for the Lyman GPR in .50 cal.

Tips on shooting the rifle will be appreciated. I will also let you know how our future relationship develops.

 

[elmerfudd]

So with all that gun control I'm guessing SA must be pretty peaceful.

 

[DuncanSA]

Sure its peaceful, only the highest per capita murder rate in the world! Somehow disarming the civil population hasn't got the message across to the criminal element that they should also mend their ways!

 

[Brillo]

I have a Lyman GPH which I love. With the fast twist barrel it shoots all the easily available conicals (mainly maxi-balls, maxi-hunters, powerbelts) quite well all day long. I hunt Elk with it with very effective results. I do not shoot sabot rounds out of it. It will shoot patched round balls (PRB) just OK but only with very light loads. I also bought a 1:60 slow twist Lyman barrel for it which drops in in about 2 minutes. It is fantastically accurate to 100 yards with PRB. It will not shoot conicals worth a darn, even the shortest conicals like the Buffalo ball-et, even with the maximum recommended loads. There is just not enough revs per second to stabilize them. Someone above mentioned a Green Mountain barrel drop-in. Careful, Green Mountain makes great barrels but do not make a drop-in for the Lyman GP rifles. They can be used but need to be modified first.

 

[arcticap]

A friend with a GPR tried shooting Buffalo Ball-ets over a Wonder wool wad and he reported that he obtained very good accuracy out to 70 yards. Sometimes the wool wads do greatly improve accuracy by acting as a gas check, especially with loser fitting conicals like the Ball-ets.
Hornady also makes a version of Ball-ets named the PA Conical:

The ideal choice for any hunter who wants to use a longer-barreled, slower twist firearm. Hornady's PA Conical bullets deliver greater accuracy and more knock-down power....

https://www.hornady.com/shop/?ps_se...&category_id=5dadafd809b601a67c77adcd3834ac1d