Lyman GPR Kit

[RickK]

My Lman GPR Kit was wasiting for me when I got home from work last night. Opened the box and found that the hardware bag was damaged and the hardware was all over the inside of the box. Was missing a few Escutcheon screws...they could be in between the cardboard dividers but just ordered a few from Lyman Customer service. Very nice to deal with, said they would mail a few out today. All the other parts seem to be accounted for. The Grain in the Stock is very nice, should finish well. Didn't play around with it much but noticed the Tang dosen't line up with the pre rilled holes and there is a gap in the back of the inletting. Looks as if the Tang has to be set back a little more. Has anyone had this problem. Will check it out more this weekend.

Thanks
Rick

 

[rootsy]

It isn't a simple screw together kit. It will require some fitting of components. Including but not limited to, the lock mortice, tang mortice, tang shape, escrution mortices, etc. More than likely you'll also have to tweak the butt plate in order for it to fit properly and clean up the inletting to get it to fit tightly. That stock also have about 1/3 too much wood on it... Especially in the butt area.

Last one I did I had to spend some time fitting all components. Only the rear trigger guard mortice was too large, everything else was undersize.

Toss the tiny screws you found and the replacement when you get them. They are very fragile and prone to fracture upon insertion, which can really ruin your day.

Start by cleaning up all of your components (butt plate, trigger guard,etc). Then worry about getting the barrel and tang to fit into the stock properly. Get the lock in place, then the triggers and lastly the furniture. Then go to whittling on the stock, after everything else fits and goes together properly.

 

[longcruise]

Looks as if the Tang has to be set back a little more. Has anyone had this problem.

That's the problem with many kits. The more they do for you the more likely something will be not quite right!

Specific to your qwuestion, before you move anything around make sure that other parts relationships do not get fouled up. For instance, if you move the tang back to far, you may end up moving the barrel back as well. Then you may end up with your hammer not hitting the nipple correctly or the flash hole on a flinter being out of place in relation to the lock. On those kits your lock movement options are limited to the extent that the pre inlet mortice is under size. If the sizing is perfect, you can't move the lock without using fillers.

Not trying to discourage you, just saying go slow and think ahead.

 

[Zonie]

Maybe the missing screws is an attempt by Lyman to help you.

The little escutcheon screws are perhaps the worst thing in the box!
Almost everyone who builds one of these rifles breaks off at least one of them and then goes to the hardware store and buys some good screws to replace them. :rotf:

As for fitting the parts, go slow and easy.
Study each part and try to find what is keeping it from fitting into the stock.

Sometimes, just a tiny sliver of wood will stop a part from fitting like it should.

More than once while making a mortice for a part I've worked and worked to try to get the part to fit and after removing just a small amount from a small area.....presto! It falls into place just like it should (with no gaps I might add).

You mentioned the tang screw hole not lining up and this is an example of what I'm talking about.
It may be that just a tiny area is keeping the tang from fitting into the mortice like it should.

Yes, there may be some areas in the mortices that need more wood removed but go slow and easy.

 

[Goldhunter]

Maybe the missing screws is an attempt by Lyman to help you.

The little escutcheon screws are perhaps the worst thing in the box!
Almost everyone who builds one of these rifles breaks off at least one of them and then goes to the hardware store and buys some good screws to replace them. :rotf:

Save yourself the heartache and order some small screws from TOTW. :thumbsup: I used This screw when I redid my GPR. I broke two when I built it the first time. I didn't have any issues with this slightly bigger screw.

You could probably use this one as well. Buy both and see which you like better, they're inexpensive.

 

[RickK]

Thanks Goldhunter
Will be placeing a order with TOTW this weekend.
Thinking about getting a Fancy Adj. rear sight and perhaps some inlays to dress up the stock a little.

Rick

 

[Goldhunter]

Rick, there are a lot of possibilities with this kit(inlays, nose caps, reshaping some, etc). Look at some of the GPRs on here for examples/ ideas. Or if you like, look at pictures of original plains rifles to get some ideas.

There is a little extra wood on these stocks, so you can slim them down some if you choose to.

good luck and have fun with it!

 

[the11]

My Lman GPR Kit was wasiting for me when I got home from work last night. Opened the box and found that the hardware bag was damaged and the hardware was all over the inside of the box. Was missing a few Escutcheon screws...they could be in between the cardboard dividers but just ordered a few from Lyman Customer service. Very nice to deal with, said they would mail a few out today. All the other parts seem to be accounted for. The Grain in the Stock is very nice, should finish well. Didn't play around with it much but noticed the Tang dosen't line up with the pre rilled holes and there is a gap in the back of the inletting. Looks as if the Tang has to be set back a little more. Has anyone had this problem. Will check it out more this weekend.

Thanks
Rick

My GPR .54 flinter kit is laying dormant at the moment (stupid job :wink: ), but mine also has the problem of the tang inlet being too far back. I will probably try to glue in a sliver of scrap from the stock to fill it in. Unless someone has a better idea??

 

[ffg]

Mine has the same problem with the tang, send it back there is nothing you can do, if you try to fill it it will look like crap, you can"t move the tang back, you will throw off the alinment on your barrel, touch hole, barrel wedges. I think they are rushing the production of these guns because they are on backorder everywhere

 

[RickK]

Well I worked on my GPR Kit, trying to get the Tang to fit. Took my time and finially got everything worked out. I was trying to post some pictures but can't figure out how to do it. Anyway I have just a slight space at the back of the Tang 1/32 on an inch. I can live with that.
Once the finish is on it will be fine.

Rick

 

[RickK]

Figured out how to post pictures. Here are two of the Tang.

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Rick

 

[Finnwolf]

Not bad at all, Rick. Looks good. Hope you didn't have to move so far back that alignment is not great. A good shooting rifle beats a perfect looking rifle every time.

An old trick I learned a long time ago - when the tang mortise is bigger than the tang - if you hammer on the tang carefully, you can make it somewhat longer and wider. You can then file it to shape, It will be slightly thinner but you can put a shim or some epoxy under it.

 

[RickK]

I put everything together checking for Fit. Looks like everything goes together OK. Should finish into a fine Rifle. Now the Fun Starts :thumbsup:

Rick

 

[MikeChapin]

I generally leave a little space at the back of the tang. That area takes some of force from the barrel when a shot goes off. I want the force to be spread over the end of the barrel channel rather than have any of the force transferred to the back of the tang. Heavy loads can split the stock at the back of the tang if it is too snug.

 

[engevold]

I got my kit today and the stock was covered with oil overspray from the barrel. any recommendations on how to remove it so I can stain the stock properly?

 

[50cal.cliff]

I got my kit today and the stock was covered with oil overspray from the barrel. any recommendations on how to remove it so I can stain the stock properly?

It probably has not soaked deep into the stock. Most of the time a little wood has to be removed to achive the proper look your after on a stock anyway.
Also you will want to sand the entire stock when you are done with the fitting process. This will remove any residue and hand oil from handling of the rifle while ftting everything. This will more than likely remove the oil residue that you are talking of.
On the other hand if you feel that it may be to deep to get out by sanding, by all means contact the dealer. Lyman stands behind there rifles with a great warranty!

 

[engevold]

Many thanks. I thought that sanding would work but i wanted to double check. I didnt want to sand and then have to return soemthing to Lyman that had been modified.

 

[Zonie]

Perhaps your not among them but, a lot of people who haven't worked with bare wood are quite disappointed when they see their Walnut stocks.

They pictured it a nice dark rich brown typical of Walnut and they get something that is a very light brown or even tan colored piece of wood.

The first thing they think of is, "I've got to stain this. It doesn't look right at all."

Bare Walnut is like that.
Sanding or scraping just seems to make it lighter in color.

When you get to the point that your think you want to stain your wood, that is, fully filed and sanded so that all of the wood surfaces match up with the metal surfaces of the nosecap and buttplate, get a wet washrag and take it and your stock outside during a sunny day. (If this isn't possible, use a very brightly lit room).

Thuroughly wet the wood with the water in the rag and take a good hard look at the color and darkness of the wood.
What you will see is a MUCH darker surface perhaps with some darker grain patterns showing.

This is exactly what your UNSTAINED stock will look like when the clear finishing oils are applied.

Many people, when they do this realize that their finished stock will look exactly like or perhaps even better than they expected.

As for the wood that is slightly oiled for shipping, don't worry about it right now.

Most of these stocks should have quite a bit of wood removed before they are ready for finishing and that wood removal will also remove any oil the factory may have put on it.

 

[engevold]

Thanks for the confirmation of my idears Jim.