Looking for opinions & knowledge 😁

[AdamRM]

Hello all, long time lurker finally registered.

I’m a long time cap n’ ball revolver shooter but I don’t have a lot of experience with black powder rifles. I recently purchased a percussion Lyman Great Plains rifle in .54 as I want to give the next black powder deer season a go.

My rifle was used but unfired, it has the Lyman aperture sight already installed. After a bunch of reading I’ve purchased some .530 ball and some .018 lubed ticking. I was wondering if anyone with some experience has any tips, insight or advice to give. I always appreciate hearing from those in the know. Thanks!

 

[tenngun]

Is it percussion? In that case you can use pyrodex or triple seven or such. But I like black.
Try seventy grains by volume of three F or pyrodex p. Or eighty of two F or pyrodex R.
Take your range and shoot a string from a rest,, go up by five grains, and so on till you get your smallest group.
Swab between each shot.
You don’t always have to do that but I like to for a few reasons. However when your looking for smallest group you want a clean rifle to test.
Take your cleaning rod and a patch and check the rate of twist in your gun. The GPR comes in a round ball twist and a conical twist.
.530 will probibly be your best size, but buy some .527 or .535 and a little thinner patch for your .535
I like a little smaller ball and thicker patch for me, but it’s not always the best load.
Do not wait to clean, clean the day you shoot
You got a ton of fun ahead.

 

[AdamRM]

Yep, she’s a percussion 1 in 60” twist, I already have a bunch of Goex 3F, so I’ll follow your advice on working up the loads.

 

[1950DAVE]

I see you are new ro the forum. Welcome. I know you will enjoy it here. I have a GPR .54 flint I built from a kit and love it . I shoot .530 ball, pillow ticking patch of unknown thickness, lubed with live oil, with 80 grains 2F. Works for me.
Dave

 

[AdamRM]

Hi Dave,

Everything I’ve read so far seems to say 70-90 grains 3F is where I’ll find the sweet spot of hunting power and accuracy I’ve read of a few guys going to 100gr for hunting, but no accuracy info

 

[appalichian hunter]

Not a Lyman but C.V.A. mountain 54 cal. -- 80gr. 3 f, 530 round ball and 15 thousands patch, my home brewed lube of bees wax, crisco, olive oil, very accurate load.

 

[gabedard]

I built one for my son - very accurate with 75 grains 3F .490 RB .10 patch

 

[gabedard]

Sorry RB was .530 with .10 lubed patch

 

[EC121]

The next time you buy patches look for the unlubed type. The lube will degrade the cotton over time.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Hello all, long time lurker finally registered.

I’m a long time cap n’ ball revolver shooter but I don’t have a lot of experience with black powder rifles. I recently purchased a percussion Lyman Great Plains rifle in .54 as I want to give the next black powder deer season a go.

My rifle was used but unfired, it has the Lyman aperture sight already installed. After a bunch of reading I’ve purchased some .530 ball and some .018 lubed ticking. I was wondering if anyone with some experience has any tips, insight or advice to give. I always appreciate hearing from those in the know. Thanks!

In my opinion, the Lyman Great Plains Rifle is one of the finest representations of a Mountain Man era firearm.

Load Developement:

With the .54 you can start with something around 50 grains of powder. I usually start load development at 50 yards. On each target write the load, primer used, etc.

Shoot a 3 shot group. Then setup a new target, increase your powder charge by 10 grains and shoot another 3 shot group. Continue in this fashion. At some point your groupings will get noticeably tighter. At some point after this you should have a load where the groupings open up precipitously.

When the grouping opens, that is your end point...go back and look at the targets just previous to the end point. Find the target(s) with the tightest grouping and drop to a load 5 grains lower and then start again using loads that increase in 5 grain intervals. Eventually you will find the magic load for your gun.

 

[smo]

My GPR .54 cal flint gun liked 100 grns of ffg or 75-80 grns of fffg, with a .530 roundball & .018 pillow ticking patch.

 

[AdamRM]

The next time you buy patches look for the unlubed type. The lube will degrade the cotton over time.

Good to know - thanks

 

[GAHUNTER60]

Try 80-90 grains of 3f; 80-100 grains of 2f. My be bet is your rifle will like the heavier load of 2f best.

 

[AdamRM]

Try 80-90 grains of 3f; 80-100 grains of 2f. My be bet is your rifle will like the heavier load of 2f best.

I hoping it will shoot 3F good enough, I still have about 10lbs of goex 3F and only a partial container left of 2F. But I’m sure if need be a 3F shooter will come along for sale eventually haha