GPR vs Mountain Rifle

[morehops52]

I've owned CVA's (meh), T/c Hawken (V.Good), and various Lymans but no Browning. A good used Lyman GPR or Investarms will last you many years and probably beyond as will a T/C. While there are many more accessories and ammo types for .50 cal I'd still opt for .54 if you can find it. As I say "Why shoot soft balls when ya kin shoot bowling balls?"

 

[Harmonica Bob]

Having owned all three, in terms of fit and finish, the Browning is heads and shoulders above the other two. Accuracy wise, they’re all good.

Of course! It was made by Browning! I love the 5 muzzleloaders I own, but I would love to find a JB Mtn. Rifle for a fair price

 

[Y2GREY]

Trying to decide on gun for deer hunting. Have looked at 50 and 54 in GPR and CVA Mountain Rifle and Browning Mountain Rifle. All seem to be okay for that purpose. Any thoughts?? Thanks.

I have all three and love shooting them. Of the three listed the Browning is my favorite although it's also the heaviest. Truth is though it's not my all around knock them down when the shot counts rifle. That choice is my Missouri River Rifle Works Hatfield Mountain Rifle in .54cal.

 

[Dale Lilly]

I have all three. Each is very capable and accurate. I really like my CVA Mountain rifles [2] but the Browning is superior. BUT ... no parts and it is heavy. I made my GPR from a kit and it has lovely wood. Aw shucks.. they are all good. Buy all three, still cheaper than a nice custom build. Polecat

 

[Tasbay]

I have the GPR in .50 & the CVA in .58. The GPR is a better gun and parts are more available though I do like a 58cal. If I had to choose between the two it would be the GPR.

 

[Boomerang]

I have the .54 GPR and I get extremely good accuracy out of it and it isn’t finicky on the load either, but unless you find a used one, at the present time I don’t know where you can find a new one in stock.

 

[Mike in FL]

I recently bought a new Pedersoli /Lyman GPR. I have had many, no not many, but several, custom flint lock rifles, but the Pedersoli is by far my favorite. It lacks a bit in authenticity, but not much. The improved lock and barrel makes it all the hunting ML I will ever want. I have found the lock time to be as fast as Siler or L&R. The fit and finish is impeccable; however the gorgeous bluing is not a thing you'd see on an original, but it is too pretty to change. All that said, I am prejudice; never owned, felt, or seen a Pedersoli that wasn't a perfect gun.

 

[BriR]

Actually, Mike, original Hawken rifles were blued. It just wouldn’t have taken long in the elements for the metal to turn brown.

 

[Snydly]

2 years ago I put together a kit of the Great Plains rifle by Lyman. Fantastic rifle. Extremely accurate....54 caliber cap lock. Only downside is... it is quite heavy. Still Highly recommend it!! Picture below.

 

[rafterob]

Availability is more of a factor right now. Browning Mountain Rifle is the top of that pack. I love my CVA Mountain Rifle but it does have it's weaknesses. None of them affect it's great accuracy.

 

[Crockford]

I have the GPR in .54. It shoots very well and one can be had at a good price point. Parts are available, if you should need any. I think for practical purposes it is hard to beat. If wanting one that will have a better collection value, go with the Browning. CVA should be the cheapest in cost to get started if cost is an issue. All three are good hunting rifles.

 

[rkg1]

I have used a CVA with some modification since 1978 and never been sorry. It was what I could afford back then. I have other flinters now but still use the CVA.

 

[1:66 twisted]

Don’t do what I did! I thought I had to have a CVA mountain rifle. So I started buying parts. Could have bought a GPR and saved money! That project is now on hold! Spend time searching, save more money up. The buy a quality rifle ready to go. I ended up buying a nib old model 54 cal Trades rifle for less that I have in this CVA MR.

 

[Crew Chief]

Trying to decide on gun for deer hunting. Have looked at 50 and 54 in GPR and CVA Mountain Rifle and Browning Mountain Rifle. All seem to be okay for that purpose. Any thoughts?? Thanks.

I am back into muzzleloading after being away from it for many years. Now retired, I have time to play with different rifles. I have tow Lyman GPRs. One in .50 percussion and the other in .50 flintlock. Like them both and they both shoot better than I can hold them. I bought a left handed T/C Renegade for the wife and she shot it and didn't like it much. That will be up for sale soon. I bought a Traditions Crockett for her which she likes. The rifle shoots well but I don't like all the brass and the cheap wood. She likes it and that is all that matters. My latest acquisition is a custom made Hawken in .54 I had made by John Bergmann. Still breaking in the barrel and enjoying every minute of it.

My choice for production rifles is the Lyman GPR in .50. You can load it up or down depending if you are hunting or plinking. There are some good used ones out there. Let someone else take the new hit on the new rifle and you can buy for less than a new one. I did that on both Lymans. The percussion had some light rust in the barrel and the lock. The seller returned part of my money which worked out great. The rust cleaned up easily.

Good luck.

 

[Urban Coyote]

About that Browing Mountain Rifle thing, the ones I've seen are nicely made. The one guy I knew who owned one, a .50 he decked a moose with, and loved it. All good however I'm certain I've recently read replacement main springs are impossible to find. I don't know how often they fail but I believe one person recounted breaking two of them.

Might be worth a bit of research before investing in the Browning, they usually sell for a pretty fair chunk of dough.

I'd like to find an older cherry Lyman GPR in .54 for the right price.

 

[Tacitus]

I have shot but not owned the GPR and the CVA. My admittedly brief experience with them gives me the impression that they are both good rifles and would serve well. However, I do own two Brownings. A JBMR, in .50 and .54. I was so pleased with the first that I bought another. They are very high quality rifles. Materials, fit and finish are excellent. Some claim they are heavy, and I guess so if compared to a SMR or Trade Gun, but that is the nature of an authentic plains style rifle, the original Hawken are also heavy rifles.
They do balance very well and are much more accurate shooters than I will ever be. Of all of my rifles the JBMR gets

more use than all of the others combined, it's just such a sweet shooting rifle.

 

[Eutycus]

By thumbing through this thread it appears the Browning is the better quality rifle of the 3 choices. But how is it cost wise? I'm guessing you get what you pay for.

 

[Tacitus]

Eutycus, The MSRP in the early 1980's was $449.95 USD, adjusted for inflation that would be about $1400.00 today. Price point was likely why Browning had limited success competing with TC, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, etc offerings. It certainly was not because of quality. Browning had all other mass manufacturers beat on that account.
They typically list for around $900.00 USD on average with the .54 with steel furniture going for a small premium listing around $1100.00. Of course listed prices vary quite a bit with used firearms and list and sell price aren't necessarily the same. These prices are not excessive when compared to offerings from current manufacturers.
The adage "you only cry once when you buy quality" still holds true.

 

[JohnnM257]

I have the .54 GPR and I get extremely good accuracy out of it and it isn’t finicky on the load either, but unless you find a used one, at the present time I don’t know where you can find a new one in stock.

The Investarms Gemmer Hawken, is the exact same rifle as the Lymen GPR. Investarms made the GPR for Lymen. You can still buy a new Investarms Gemmer for around $600-$650. I recently was very torn, between getting the Gemmer and Bridger Hawken by Investarms, & ended up buying the Bridger Hawken 50 instead. I wanted to shoot RB & Conicals, the Gemmer has the RB 1-60 twist & the Bridger has the 1-48 twist. I just got the rifle in the mail al few days ago. I haven't taken it out of the box yet. But I still want a GPR pretty bad, so I'm probably going to end up buying a 54cal Gemmer next month.

 

[ETipp]

If you're going to be hunting big game using a RB, you would be wise to choose a .54 caliber. Brand is personal choice. All I can add to this is I have a .54 GFR and it is a very nice ML. It holds on target like no other even though it is tad on the heavy side.

Good luck on your decision.