GPR trouble!

[Gametracker]

I'll give ya'll a shot at this before calling customer service. My GPR arrived today. I cannot get the barrel to seat low enough into the stock to slide the back key all the way in. When I push it through the right side of the stock and the barrel slot, it's not flat and doesn't align with the left, and that's with putting a serious grip on it, too. Any suggestions?

 

Not sure what the misalignment is without seeing it but I am aware that some folks have a bend in their barrel wedges. You can accomplish this with a little judicius use of heat and a vice. Don't over due it; just go slow. If that doesn't work perhaps the inletting in the stock doesn't let the barrel underlug sit properly in the channel.

 

Try back'n the "tang bolt" out a few turns, and see if thet will let the barrel go all the way down!!

If it does, then install the wedge-keys, and "snug" the tang-bolt back up a liddle!!

YMHS
rollingb

 

[harryo]

Not sure what the misalignment is without seeing it but I am aware that some folks have a bend in their barrel wedges. You can accomplish this with a little judicius use of heat and a vice. Don't over due it; just go slow. If that doesn't work perhaps the inletting in the stock doesn't let the barrel underlug sit properly in the channel.

You don't need any heat to bend the wedge keys of a GPR. Just lay one on a hard, flat surface and tap with a hammer.

The wedge keys on my GPR were also a tight fit, which I fixed by a slight bend in the front one. After then inserting it, the back one went in rather easily. Also, one of the wedge keys is just a bit shorter than the other. The short one goes in the front.

 

[leslie]

Sometimes the hook that fits into the tang is the culprit.Another problem can be that the tang is inletted too deep not allowing full engagement of the hook into the tang.Loosen the tang screw and see if that lets the barrel go all the way into the stock.If it was me I would send it back,let Lyman fix it,at least call them before you slice dice or bend something.

 

[greenneck]

Gametracker, I am new to this as well. Received my GPR two days ago and had to do some head scratching before I finally was able to put it together. The first thing to do is to back out the front tang screw as rollingb suggested (right next to the hammer on the top of the rifle) by a turn or two, because the hooked breech will keep the back end of the barrel too low to mount it in the stock without breaking anything. At least if your rifle fits as "well" together as mine. :curse:

Then take a good, close look at the wedge keys. The shorter one (if yours are of different length, that is) should go in front, as has been mentioned here. Also look for a bend in the keys; if there is one, orient that towards the barrel. If not, they just might show a bend after you tried to put things together a couple of times.

I took out two of the metal pieces that hold the keys on either end (escutcheons?), carefully and with a jewelers' screw driver, to turn them around such that the thinner side faces the barrel.

You probably will have trouble getting the keys all the way into the escu-thingamajiggers on the left side, once they at least go through the rest most of the way. I used a few taps with a mallet or plastic screwdriver handle to get them to seat, but make sure that they are not skewed to one side or the other before you tap them.

My gun is together now and I can easily take it apart and assemble it again. Just needs the tap with the mallet, but the keys should be snug and tight, so needing a tap is a good thing, I believe. While you are at it, you might want to use some kind of degreaser to clean the barrel inside and out to get rid of all the packing grease that smells so funny. From what I have read here, cleaning this off gets a lot more difficult once this is mixed with BP and cap fouling.

The manual is not very helpful; for instance, it says nothing about how I can survive the next days before the weekend until I can actually fire this gun and sight it in. Maybe I should try to court my wife until she says I can have "anything" in bed and then take the gun to bed with me. :redface:

One question for the pros here: The "yellow" manual says that max. load for .530 roundball in this .54 sidelock GPR is 80 grains of FFFg, yet the "white" manual says 100 grains. I suspect that the yellow manual is Investarms' attempt at an English user's manual and the white thing comes from Lyman, but who is right?

Keep that round stuff flying straight,
Steve

 

I suspect that the yellow manual is Investarms' attempt at an English user's manual and the white thing comes from Lyman, but who is right?

I suggest use'n Lyman's manual, the rifle will handle the 100 gr. charge without any problem.

While yore wait'n to shoot yore rifle, you can look for a longer adjustment screw for the set-triggers (the factory one, is liable to be too "short" for a light trigger-pull).

May I also suggest put'n a thinner front sight on yore GPR, I never cared much for the "thick" factory sight thet comes with the rifle. My favorite front sight is from TOTW,.... stock #FS-G-77-I
This sight allows for some real "fine shoot'n"!! ::

You will find lots of good info 'bout develope'n "loads" fer yore GPR on this web-site!! :thumbsup:

Take care, and good luck!!
YMHS
rollingb

 

[HardBall]

One question for the pros here: The "yellow" manual says that max. load for .530 roundball in this .54 sidelock GPR is 80 grains of FFFg, yet the "white" manual says 100 grains. I suspect that the yellow manual is Investarms' attempt at an English user's manual and the white thing comes from Lyman, but who is right?

According to the Lyman Instruction manual for the GPR, available in PDF format from Lyman's website, the .54 cal with a .535 round ball is allowed 120gr 2F or 100gr 3F. The .50 cal with a .495 round ball is allowed 110gr 2F or 90gr 3F.

 

[jtmattison]

One question for the pros here: The "yellow" manual says that max. load for .530 roundball in this .54 sidelock GPR is 80 grains of FFFg, yet the "white" manual says 100 grains. I suspect that the yellow manual is Investarms' attempt at an English user's manual and the white thing comes from Lyman, but who is right?

I contacted Lyman on this question and they stated the loads in their manual(the white one) are tested safe loads.

Huntin

 

[greenneck]

Thanks to all for clearing this up.

Steve

 

[RussB]

One question for the pros here: The "yellow" manual says that max. load for .530 roundball in this .54 sidelock GPR is 80 grains of FFFg, yet the "white" manual says 100 grains. I suspect that the yellow manual is Investarms' attempt at an English user's manual and the white thing comes from Lyman, but who is right?

I contacted Lyman on this question and they stated the loads in their manual(the white one) are tested safe loads.
Huntin

Dontcha just love them lawyers gettin in the game. If Lyman is "safe", then InvestArm must be double "safe". I laugh, and throw a lot of nonsense at these boys, but I for one am glad they are there.....no different than comparing smokeless powder loading manuals.
Compare any of them from today, with manuals published 20 or 30 years ago, and you will think somebody is certainly off their rocker...big time.

The problem being discussed with the barrel not fitting flush can also be the fitting of breech lug to the tang...this is covered on page 35 of the "white" manual. This is the problem I had with one rifle a while back.
The rifle I'm putting together today has the same problem, but it's somewhere other than on the tang....So, as someone mentioned. I would call Lyman, possibly even sending it back, depending on your skill level in repairing such things.

Russ

 

[Randall Smith]

I had the very same problem with my new GPR. After posting here, i put my pin in a vise and put a slight bend in it. Problem solved!

 

[TexasMLer]

Hi Gametracker,

I had the same problem with my GPR when I received mine - couldn't get the rearmost key all the way through. To solve this, I simply grinded a 45-degree downwared-slope on the "end" of the key and I grinded a 45-degree upward-slope on the inside upper rim of the wedge plate. Now it fits perfectly. I thought about loosening the tang, but the wood-to-metal fit between the tang and the surrounding wood was absolutely perfect and I did not want to change that.

I know I didn't explain the grinding very well, and if you don't understand what I meant, please let me know and I will post a picture of the grinding I did on the key and the plate.

 

[Gametracker]

The first thing to do is to back out the front tang screw as rollingb suggested (right next to the hammer on the top of the rifle) by a turn or two, because the hooked breech will keep the back end of the barrel too low to mount it in the stock without breaking anything.

But my problem is the barrel is sitting, too high, not low. Does this make bending the wedge key the only option?

 

When first assembling a new GPR fresh out of the box, the barrel is inserted into the inletted tang. When lowering the barrel into the barrel channel the barrel "bed" is flush with the bottom of the hooked breech and causes a "camming action" thet can put extreme (upward) stress on the hooked tang.

In order to relieve this stress, it is often required to "loosen" the front tang bolt a couple'a turns. Once the barrel is in "place" re-tighten the tang bolt and install the wedge-keys.

Shoot'n the rifle and disassembly fer "clean'n" will often "work" the area of "camming" enough thet everthin "smooths out" and assembles without anymore problem!! ('specialy if the barrel is removed fer clean'n without first re-loose'n the tang bolt)

Sometimes the wedge keys do require a "hump" (up or down) in order to fit snug enough to keep from falling out when the rifle is handled at the range or while hunt'n.

YMHS
rollingb

 

[Gametracker]

I made the tang bolt adjustment and put a slight bend on the rear wedge key and.......I'm ready to shoot! Thanks for the instruction!