Great Plains rifle twist

[DirtyDusty]

Anyone here know if the GOR will stabilize a 420gr conical or would it require the fast twist bbl of the Hunter model?

 

[TechMoron]

Maxi-balls and Lee R.E.A.L. bullets have always been accurate in my Great Plains Rifle.

 

[longcruise]

Depends on when it was made. Earlier GPR barrels were 1:48. At some point they began Making them at 1:60. The 1:48 would probably work but not sure about the 1:60.

 

[ETipp]

Depends on when it was made. Earlier GPR barrels were 1:48. At some point they began Making them at 1:60. The 1:48 would probably work but not sure about the 1:60.

Mine has a 1:60 twist and it did not shoot conical very well at all. In fact, I missed the entire target and back board from 50 yards.

 

[leadhoarder]

Based on the norms that we all have been told that would be the expected result. 1:60 for patched ball only. 1:48 can shoot many but not all conicals and the faster 1:30 or faster twist can shoot long bullets.

I do not have personal experience but I have spent time studying this in preparation of trying some conical moulds and this seems to be a consensus opinion.

 

[TechMoron]

My Great Plains was a 54cal roundball twist gun and at 75yds it shot the same 2in+/- groups with conicals as it did with roundballs. YMMV

 

[longcruise]

My Great Plains was a 54cal roundball twist gun and at 75yds it shot the same 2in+/- groups with conicals as it did with roundballs. YMMV

What year was in manufactured?

I still have the barrel from my 1981 manufacture. I always assumed it was the 1:48 but I never checked it. It would shoot a Hornady bullet very well. But it wasn't anything that I pursued.

If I get a chance later today I'll check it.

 

[TechMoron]

What year was in manufactured?

I still have the barrel from my 1981 manufacture. I always assumed it was the 1:48 but I never checked it. It would shoot a Hornady bullet very well. But it wasn't anything that I pursued.

If I get a chance later today I'll check it.

I don't recall the exact year. Let's just say, 'it's been a while'. LOL

 

[gunpa]

I've had very good results with both of my 54 Caliber 1/48 twist rifles using Conicals.

 

[DirtyDusty]

So on the flip side, how fast can the twist be, and still shoot a round ball? Or does it matter?

 

[leadhoarder]

You can shoot a ball accurately out of a very fast twist barrel but you will likely need a very light load to obtain accuracy.

 

[ETipp]

My .54 GPR is an awesome accurate RB shooter, and considering it will not shoot a conical worth manure, I would like to find a faster twist barrel for it some day to accommodate concials better.

But I ain't holding my breath.

 

[longcruise]

Keep an eye on the big bay. They occasionally have Lyman Great Plains Hunter barrels pop up. Their 1:32 twist should work well.

 

[hanshi]

Yes, slow twists like the 1-60" to 66" rifling can sometimes can be made to shoot some elongated bullets reasonably well. Often this has more to do with the depth of the grooves than the twist. I tested my .54 (1-66") with the maxis someone gave me and they would certainly take down a deer at 50 yards. But since prb shot such tiny groups and killed deer DRT, prb is all I ever hunted with.

Bores with the commonplace 1-48" shot prb very precisely and did well with the maxi hunter and the longer maxi bullet. It's been decades since I fired them at paper and I was never actually impressed with the results.

 

[Winterhawk]

Is this a .54? I have used 250 grain REAL bullets with good results in a .50 rifle, 1:60 twist. Compare the length of the conical with a round ball. If standing them side by side the conical is noticeably longer than the RB it probably won't stabilize as well. That 250 grain REAL was about the same as a RB so it gave me 4" groups at 100 yards, plenty good for hunting.

 

[ETipp]

Keep an eye on the big bay. They occasionally have Lyman Great Plains Hunter barrels pop up. Their 1:32 twist should work well.

Thank you Longcruise.

 

[leadhoarder]

Keep an eye on the big bay. They occasionally have Lyman Great Plains Hunter barrels pop up. Their 1:32 twist should work well.

They pop up here on occasion as well. I was lucky to get one off here recently.