Brand new shooter and GPR owner...

[patrick_ford]

I am officially in the club now as I just bought a .50 caliber percussion GPR. I have shooting experience, but absolutely none in BP or muzzleloading rifles.

Now, what do I do?

I wanted to assemble my rifle to check her out. I placed the "longer" wedge, closest to the trigger in right to left, but they won’t go in all of the way. Now I can't get them out. It doesn’t help that the majority of my order from Midsouth was apparently tampered with and most of the smalls I also ordered with my rifle were lost. I'm hoping that they will help me get what I paid for as its kind of hard to do this sort of thing with the appropriate tools.

Since I can't shoot, I wanted at least to clean this beautiful rifle up, but like I said, I can't even get the wedges out.

Anyone have any advice or decent directions? The Lyman directions are a little lacking.

Thanks,

Patrick

 

[Little Wattsy]

Welcome aboard! There is some GREAT talent swilling to giive advice on here. Beware of the three ghost's, The ghost's of PRB past, present, and future!! :wink:
I use a wedge pin puller basically a brass flat screwdriver to push the wedge pin out. Tight, but not TO tight is OK. Just mind that you dont scratch the wood and you can ooomph it out.
I'd clean all the metal parts good useing soap and water or MY favorite Formula 409. Then oil the parts with a good gun oil.
Next sit back and read, read, read this forum you will learn sooooo much. Then next week go out and shoot. You will make some mistakes, maybe burn off yer eyebrows off (just kidding) and come back and read some more asking questions as you go. NOTE: there is a spot for "subject search" that is mighty usefull when you have a specific question that might have already been covered.
:hatsoff: :hatsoff:

 

[patrick_ford]

Thanks.

The wedges are supposed to be flush with the stock when they are fully installed right?

I have about 1/16" of both wedges sticking out still. It looks like they are catching on the opposing escutcheon. It takes quite a bit of force just to get the wedges in this far and a act of god to tap them out with a small screwdriver and hammer...

 

[tg]

" The ghost's of PRB past, present, and future!! "

Suddenly I heard a tapping, as though someone gently rapping,rapping at my gun room door, quoth the Raven on the use of connicals.nevermore,..... nevermore

 

[jtmattison]

Thanks.

The wedges are supposed to be flush with the stock when they are fully installed right?

I have about 1/16" of both wedges sticking out still. It looks like they are catching on the opposing escutcheon. It takes quite a bit of force just to get the wedges in this far and a act of god to tap them out with a small screwdriver and hammer...

Welcome aboard!

Yes, the wedges have to go all the way in. Your owners manual will instruct you on how to adjust the wedge fit. All it takes is a little filing on the escutcheon.
Your barrel is coated with a heavy gunk to prevent rust. Use brake cleaner or another good solvent to clean it off. It takes a bit of work to get it all out of the bore.
Hope this helps.

Keep us up to date on your progress.

HD

 

[Little Wattsy]

" The ghost's of PRB past, present, and future!! "

Suddenly I heard a tapping, as though someone gently rapping,rapping at my gun room door, quoth the Raven on the use of connicals.nevermore,..... nevermore

:haha: :haha: :haha: :hatsoff:

 

[cowpoke1955]

My first muzzle loade was a .54 GPR percussion. I bought it about 29 years ago and still shoot it. Try to pull the wedges out with a pair of pliers (with the jaws wrapped in leather so it won't mar the wedges) amd pull on the wedges as you squeeze the barrel and stock together near the end of the forearm. When you get them out, try giving the wedges a slight bend. This will sometimes give the wedge enough curve to go through the stock and barrel key. By the way, welcome to the forum and to the world of black powder. One of the first things I'd do is to replace the nipple. Mine lasted a year or so and became so deformed it would no longer pop caps. I replaced it with a spit fire nipple (6 X .75mm) from Dixie and never had another problem. Here it is: https://www.dixiegunworks.com/prod...=5869&osCsid=bc84f8c98d3d69b55f5ed43aa28a415a . You have a great rifle. Take care of it and it will last you a lifetime.

 

[mykeal]

I assume the 1/16" that's sticking out it under the head. The head should be flush against the stock.

Both my GPR's are sensitive to which side of the wedge is up; if one of the wedges doesn't seat I remove it, turn it over and replace it, which solves the problem. It is necessary to squeeze the barrel and stock together when installing the wedges, even when they're 'right side up'.

One of my GPR's is a kit, the other a production gun - on the kit gun I did have to file the escutcheons a bit to get the wedges to fit.

 

[patrick_ford]

No matter how I seem to flip these wedges over, bend them slightly or try to expand the slot under the barrel, the simple fact is the wedges cannot clear the escutcheons. It doesn't seem to be a simple matter of filing off a little metal, the overall fit is just off.

Has anyone ever had this situation before? I am more or less handy around the house, but for as much as I have spent on this rifle, I would have hoped I could at least assemble the rifle easily.

I guess I will have to see what Lyman says tomorrow. I love it, by the time I get something that is usable, the hunting season will be well on its way out...

 

[jtmattison]

Whatever you do, don't get frustrated with it and file too much where it doesn't need to be filed.

Wedges are very easy to fit. File a slight bevel inside and top of the left escutcheon then file a slight bevel on the top leading edge of the wedge. This should allow the wedge to go all the way in. If not, file a little off the inside top of the right escutcheon. This will give the wedge more play so it will go in.

Patience is the key.

Did you read the owners manual instructions on fitting wedges?

HD

 

[Little Wattsy]

No matter how I seem to flip these wedges over, bend them slightly or try to expand the slot under the barrel, the simple fact is the wedges cannot clear the escutcheons. It doesn't seem to be a simple matter of filing off a little metal, the overall fit is just off.

Has anyone ever had this situation before? I am more or less handy around the house, but for as much as I have spent on this rifle, I would have hoped I could at least assemble the rifle easily.

I guess I will have to see what Lyman says tomorrow. I love it, by the time I get something that is usable, the hunting season will be well on its way out...

I DID have a .54 T/C Renegade barrel that was so tight it was effecting my POI...I was tapping the pin in with a hammer. Fianally sent it back and they fitted it correctly for me. That MIGHT be an alternative for you too?

 

[Rollover Jack]

Mr. Ford...

I have just the opposite situation with a new GPR in .54, but I would say that when I squeeze the barrel against the forestock, it seems to give a little and the wedges have much more room to move.

As mentioned earlier, my new barrel came with a lot of muck that needed carburetor cleaner, brake cleaner, alcohol and soapy water to remove.

Also, the rifling at the crown is so sharp that I was gouging grooves into my ramrod. :cursing: This weekend I will be following Mr. Zonie's advice concerning these sharp edges.

You may read my post in the flintlock section and his advice.

On a parting note, I hope that you have time to go shoot and develop an accurate load for the ethical hunting that we all strive for. Several trips may not be enough, in my case, but I am also on a learning curve with a rock-lock.

"Less powder, more lead.
Shoots farther, kills dead."

 

[Billnpatti]

Pat,

I, too, have a GPR. It is a fine gun. Mine's a .50 cal. flinter. Removing the wedge pins is not all that hard. If you will notice, the wedges have small grooves in the end into which a narrow bladed screw driver will fit nicely. I find it is easiest if I just lay the rifle on its side on a thickly folded towel or piece of carpet. I use a thin bladed screw driver and put the blade in the groove in the wedge pin and give it a few light taps with whatever I have handy. All you have to do is to move it about half an inch and it will be loose enough for you to pull it out with your fingers. Be sure to have your rammer removed from the thimbles under the barrel and the hammer at half cock. Then just lift the barrel up and away. Be careful because the stock will be butt heavy and will slip from your grasp if you are not careful. Don't want to knock a chip out of it at this stage. To reassemble, just lay it back on its side and press the wedges back into place. You may have to use something like a plastic mallet or chunk of wood to tap them the last little bit. Just take care and you will do fine.

 

[nodakhorseman]

Hello All,

I JUST ordered myself a .50 cal percussion GPR. Just made the call to Midsouth about 10 minutes ago and should see her in 6-7 days.

I've been shooting ML'ers for about 10 years, but nothing this nice. My current ML'er is a Traditions .50 cal Panther with a black synthetic stock (all I could afford in college). I can't wait for the upgrade to arrive.

I've heard many great things about the GPR and I hope they all hold true.

The black powder bug has a strangle hold on me. I even shoot a Pedersoli S/S 12 gauge shotgun when hunting winged creatures. My breech loaders are collecting dust.

Thanks for the great info you're all providing.

--Joel

 

[nodakhorseman]

Before ordering the GPR, I called Midsouth to see how many grains of black powder the barrel is rated for.

I was told a MAX of 110 grains. I was surprised they also reported a MINIMUM of 90 grains. I'm surprised by this and I'm not sure it's true.

Can anyone verify this? If it's true, what is the purpose of the minimum?

Thanks. --Joel

 

[Zonie]

I totally disagree with their 90 grain minimum powder charge.
There is absolutly no reason for this and many people have found that charges in the neighborhood of 50 grains not only works well but is often the most accurate load in their .50 caliber guns.

There is a minimum powder charge of somewhere around 20 grains for the GPR. It may be less than that.

The reason for the minimum is that there is a "powder chamber" in the breech block which should be filled before firing.
This powder chamber is much smaller than the guns bore. In my GPR it looks like it is around 1/4 inch in diameter.

If my guess about its diameter is correct and it is 3/4 in length that would hold about 10 grains of powder.

 

[patrick_ford]

Update!!!

After much cursing, filing and hammering, I was able to convince my wedges to fit snugly, but not excruciatingly tight. The front wedge slot is a little out of alignment, but I managed to bend the wedge slightly down and to the right, I don’t know if it will hold forever, but it does the job right now. I spoke with Lyman and they agreed to send me a replacement pair of escutcheons and a new wedge if this solution does not work. Also they said if I have any problems to send the rifle in and they will make sure everything is set up right.

Very nice folks!

I've got my barrel swabbed with BreakFree right now to start cleaning out the shipping crud. I've got to ask, what is everybody’s standard practice when it comes to cleaning and prepping a newly shipped barrel?

I am going to try to shoot sometime in the next couple of days if the weather holds.

Thanks for all the great advice,

Patrick

 

[Semisane]

I've got to ask, what is everybody’s standard practice when it comes to cleaning and prepping a newly shipped barrel?

I pull the nipple and stick the plastic tube of a spray can of carburetor cleaner into the nipple hole and, with the muzzle pointed down (outdoors)give it a good long blast. Then I run a patch or two through the bore and do another long blast. Then another patch or two and another blast. The bore is usually squeaky clean by then.

For the first shots through a new 50 caliber barrel, I get a box of 385 grain Great Plains conicals. Run a lightly oiled patch down the clean bore, load about 50 grains of powder and a conical and shoot it off (one shot). Then I clean the bore completely with soap and water, follow that with a blast of carburetor cleaner, and oiled patch, and another shot. I do that until the box of bullets is used up. I don't really know if this process does anything special to the bore, but I think it does and it makes me feel like I've done something. :wink:

 

[bucktales]

Try Brake Cleaner and Carb (remember them) Cleaner to dissolve the crud. Soak it liberaly and Brush it good. I believe Breakfree is a vegetable based lubricant.

 

[JackAubrey]

You have chosen wisely,Patrick.You will come to love your GPR.I've had mine for13 years and wouldn't sell it.One thing I had to do w/ my wedges was to give them an ever so slight bend for them to lock up tight in the keys.Before I bent them they would go through but were loose.As to powder charges,Zonie is quite right.I regularly plink with 25 grains 2f Goex,hunt turkeys w/ that load as well.I have found 50 grains to be accurate enough for target shooting and around 110 grains for deer.Zonie,If you would be so kind to explain why they put that powder chamber there to begin with?Never understood why. Best regards,J.A.