the thing about the available interchangeable locks and triggers is interesting. I'm not purist enough to run out and buy them but a lot of people are. My action is very smooth and the rifle is a great off hand shooter. We did some fiddling with our GP rifles this morning. Mine has been sighted in for your basic 80 grain ffg and .490 ball forever. Used .015 pillow ticking precut patches today. At 75 yards, a gallon paint can looks real small just hanging there. I smacked it twice in a row and then pulled the third shot. At fify yards such a thing is just about impossible to miss.
We shot two Lyman gprs from kits with variety of charges behind the above ball /patch combination. Generally one shot each so this is not a very scientific load table. I was a bit surprised at the low velocities with the larger loads. velocities with the 60 grain charges are about what I remember.
60 goex ffg 1380 fps
60 Pyrodex rs 1493
60 Goex obsolete ClearShot 977
60 American Pioneer 1566
80 goex ffg 1576
80 goex 3fg 1583
80 pyrodex rs 1727
100 goex ffg 1713
100 pyrodex rs 1731 (!) ???
100 obsolete Clearshot 1197
100 American Pioneer 1566
120 grain goex ffg 1819 and 1849
Bates used one of his gprs to kill a doe a few years ago. used 90 grains goex at about 50 yards and the deer was drt.
Here are two Lyman gprs from kits. the gun on the left is a dixie kit pennsylvania made from a high skill level kit about 30 years ago. the lymans are virtually finished except for cosmetics and some fairly intensive stock finishing. they are recommended over the complete rifles because you can put a period authentic finish on the barrel after you drawfile off the disgusting literature on the upper flats of the barrel.
these are advertised as having a 32 inch barrel however, mine measures 33 " from the muzzle to the breach- just like the originals.