Anyone here re-work a Lyman GPR lock?

[MIOutdoorsman]

I have a Lyman GPR flintlock, and it's been working well enough for me. I generally like the design and since I'm mainly using this gun for hunting, the fact that it's not perfectly PC is ok by me.

I do struggle a little with the lock. It sparks well and fires every time. My issue is that the powder will leak out of the pan pretty quickly, requiring me to hold the gun level to the ground all of the time if I want to be ready to shoot when a deer approaches. Even when I do this, I'm often surprised that there's no powder there sometimes when I check it.

I posted questions about this a while ago and received solid recommendations on how to fix this problem. While I very much appreciate those recommendations, the bottom line for me is that I lack the experience necessary to perform a proper fix, and I don't want to take chances that I'll screw it all up and be left with something worse off. After all, she shoots when I need her to shoot, so long as I double-check that there's still some powder in the pan first. I could just live with it, and not even load the pan until I'm ready to shoot, but I'd rather not have that additional requirement. Sometimes a deer approaches "out of nowhere" and I'd like to be ready for that shot.

MY QUESTION for this group: Are there guys on this forum who might be willing to receive my lock and tune it up? Based on my (naive) evaluation, it probably needs some work on where the pan/frizzen surfaces meet to make them more uniform. I think it could also benefit by a stronger frizzen spring, but I don't know if that's modifiable or replaceable.

If there are guys who would do this, I'd appreciate a PM on price. I would need to send the lock, of course, but I don't want to ship out the entire gun.

Much appreciated!

 

[Dave Marsh]

I would recommend that you contact Brad Emig at Cabin Creek Muzzleloading. He is great to deal with and does great work for a fair price in my opinion. Turn around time is fast as well. Good luck. Dave
https://cabincreek.net/location/
Phone (717) 757-5841
[email protected]

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

I would recommend that you contact Brad Emig at Cabin Creek Muzzleloading. He is great to deal with and does great work for a fair price in my opinion. Turn around time is fast as well. Good luck. Dave
https://cabincreek.net/location/
Phone (717) 757-5841
[email protected]

Thanks! Much appreciated

 

[bptactical]

Either go the Cabin Creek route or get a L&R "RPL" lock Lyman/Investarms(Cabela's) Lock - Model# 05 Flint, 05 Percussion

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

Either go the Cabin Creek route or get a L&R "RPL" lock Lyman/Investarms(Cabela's) Lock - Model# 05 Flint, 05 Percussion

Thanks BPTactical. Do you have any direct experience with those "drop-in" locks? I believe they're running $185 per the website you referenced. That's a little more than what I think Brad at Cabin Creek would end up charging to re-work my lock (including shipping back and forth, and my guestimate of some additional work that he may need to do but understandably can't accurately quote out without seeing my gun). It's not unreasonably high priced, and could be about the same price as a re-work... who knows

 

[Dave Marsh]

My personal experience with the L@R locks is that over the years I have purchased 3 "RPL" locks. All three had to be tuned. Just my experience and not meant to bash L&R. Your mileage may vary. Good luck.

Dave

 

[SDSmlf]

The L&R RPL locks are not exactly drop in, but performance wise, a step up from the GPR’s factory lock. Have installed them on a couple of guns.

Curious about your powder leaking out problem. Does it leak out between the frizzen and pan? Or between the frizzen and the barrel? Are you using a slotted or hex hole liner? Potential leak paths. Also, if you are priming with ffff, consider trying fff. You will not be able to tell the difference and it just may help or eliminate your leaking problem.

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

The L&R RPL locks are not exactly drop in, but performance wise, a step up from the GPR’s factory lock. Have installed them on a couple of guns.

Curious about your powder leaking out problem. Does it leak out between the frizzen and pan? Or between the frizzen and the barrel? Are you using a slotted or hex hole liner? Potential leak paths. Also, if you are priming with ffff, consider trying fff. You will not be able to tell the difference and it just may help or eliminate your leaking problem.

I believe I’m leaking between pan and frozen, but will have to consider the second possibility too.
I replaced the touch home liner with one that uses hex to remove, so I do think that opens up a pathway.
I do use ffff in the pan, and ff down the tube.

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

I don’t see a gap there.... but maybe my eyes are too forgiving?

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

You are looking at it the wrong way ... look straight into the touch hole with the pan cover closed. See if the pan cover will close firmly on a thin piece of paper, or if can you see gaps. Remove the lock off the rifle, hold up towards light, so you can more easily see where the pan cover is not fitted or closing to the pan completely.

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

You are looking at it the wrong way ... look straight into the touch hole with the pan cover closed. See if the pan cover will close firmly on a thin piece of paper, or if can you see gaps. Remove the lock off the rifle, hold up towards light, so you can more easily see where the pan cover is not fitted or closing to the pan completely.

Yes, I understand what you are describing--and I do believe that my main issue is that powder is leaking out between the frizen (pan cover) and the pan...

The pic I provided was what I'm looking at when I'm trying to determine whether there is a gap between the barrel and the lock, which is the other way powder can leak out.

 

[voltigeur]

as said before, by increasing the particle size of the powder, the leak should stop unless the gap is greater than 2.5 mm. A makeshift solution would be to make a seal with paper until the fridge is full.

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

Indeed, I'm going to try using FF in the pan, since that's what I use down the pipe. I'm also in the process of building a (kit) pistol, and I think it'll want FFF, so I may end up with some of that to try as well. Thanks fellas.

 

[stewart.leach]

I had to deal with this on a lefty Lyman flinter. Just lived with it until I learned to joys of inletting black on wood, then thought why not try blacking the edges of the pan and stoning the underside of the frizzen to detail seat it on the pan? The blacking transfers to the high spots on the pan cover part of the frizzen, these are just stoned to get even bearing all the way around. Had to remove the frizzen spring, and take care to keep the stone nice and square to the surface. Took about ten or a dozen trips on and off the lock as I went very slowly. While I was at it the pan was polished with very fine emery paper.

I suppose this could have been done the other way around, as in stoning the top edges of the pan, but I was taught long ago to tinker with the least expensive part...…….

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

I had to deal with this on a lefty Lyman flinter. Just lived with it until I learned to joys of inletting black on wood, then thought why not try blacking the edges of the pan and stoning the underside of the frizzen to detail seat it on the pan? The blacking transfers to the high spots on the pan cover part of the frizzen, these are just stoned to get even bearing all the way around. Had to remove the frizzen spring, and take care to keep the stone nice and square to the surface. Took about ten or a dozen trips on and off the lock as I went very slowly. While I was at it the pan was polished with very fine emery paper.

I suppose this could have been done the other way around, as in stoning the top edges of the pan, but I was taught long ago to tinker with the least expensive part...…….

I suspect this is what needs to be done. I lack the tools (stone?, inletting black?), skills and confidence. I’d almost certainly make things worse.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Inletting black... Do you have a candle? You can go to a Dollar store and get a tube of lipstick. That works pretty good. There may be a few sidelong glances, but you should be wearing a mask anyway.
Stones could be more of a problem.