Lyman GPR...or not?

[Del Gue]

I was about to order a Lyman 54 cal percussion GPR but then ran across some posts on here (one I saw was made in 2017) indicating that Lyman/Intrarms quality control had deteriorated.

Has that situation improved and the problem(s) been corrected, or is it still an issue?

I was wanting something that looked pretty close to an actual Hawken. The Pedersoli Hawken is listing at 9.91 lbs, which is a bit on the heavy side, me being 62 and such.

I suppose the other option would be for me to change direction and pick up a Pedersoli Pennsylvania or Kentucky rifle.

I have a T/C Hawken (actually, 3 of them) but was looking for something less modern looking and more original looking. I also considered a Pedersoli Tryon but I was kinda wanting a .54. Obviously, if I diverted to a Pennsylvania or Kentucky rifle I'd prolly go .45.

So, what's the consensus?

 

[Howie1968]

I bought a new GPR this year no problems looks and shoots great mine is a .54 I also would like a Kentucky in 45

 

[longcruise]

I have been shooting a gpr that I built from a kit over 30 years ago it has seved very well. Since then I've built othgpr kits for friends and family. Quality seems to be pretty consistent.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

I’ve owned a GPR for close to two decades and it’s never failed me.

 

[Walkingeagle]

Get the GPR, they are very good.
Walk

 

[lwscrim]

I love mine, easy to load for and very forgiving on components!

 

[Griz44Mag]

I was about to order a Lyman 54 cal percussion GPR but then ran across some posts on here (one I saw was made in 2017) indicating that Lyman/Intrarms quality control had deteriorated.


So, what's the consensus?

First, what are you going to use it for?
Target, hunting? (Hunting what?)
I too have one and it is my mainstay for hunting (deer mostly)
.54 with patched round ball is economically available with all the stuff you need for it.
Accurate cold or hot, clean bore or dirty from a day at the range. Easy to maintain.

93 yards. 54 cal, round ball, complete pass through, 2 seasons straight, one shot drop both years.

 

[springfield art]

I was about to order a Lyman 54 cal percussion GPR but then ran across some posts on here (one I saw was made in 2017) indicating that Lyman/Intrarms quality control had deteriorated.

Has that situation improved and the problem(s) been corrected, or is it still an issue?

I was wanting something that looked pretty close to an actual Hawken. The Pedersoli Hawken is listing at 9.91 lbs, which is a bit on the heavy side, me being 62 and such.

I suppose the other option would be for me to change direction and pick up a Pedersoli Pennsylvania or Kentucky rifle.

I have a T/C Hawken (actually, 3 of them) but was looking for something less modern looking and more original looking. I also considered a Pedersoli Tryon but I was kinda wanting a .54. Obviously, if I diverted to a Pennsylvania or Kentucky rifle I'd prolly go .45.

So, what's the consensus?

I find it hard to believe that the quality deteriorated. They've always been built like tanks.
The GPR's are heavy; I went to a lot of trouble and expense to have the bbl. shortened and re-work the stock to remove lots of wood. You may be better off with some of the other choices you mentioned. (My GPR is left-hand perc.) You always need to check the source of information when you hear something, good OR bad! Good luck, don't make a hasty choice!

 

[springfield art]

P.S; My recently found Uberti Hawken, from around the 1990 period, is heavy, too. At least ten pounds with the 34 inch bbl. If you like a lighter rifle, and who doesn't, go for a Penn/Kentucky type.

 

[Griz44Mag]

I find it hard to believe that the quality deteriorated. They've always been built like tanks.
The GPR's are heavy; I went to a lot of trouble and expense to have the bbl. shortened and re-work the stock to remove lots of wood.

GPR Heavy???
Hmmm... I'm 66 and find the GPR very comfortable to haul afield and hunt in the woods with it.
The 54 will harvest anything we have here in Texas, from cottontail to whitetail. (shot placement is important, especially on a cottontail.)
I carry a small pouch with a small brass flask and a 6 ball board. I also carry my Lyman Plains pistol in a .54 for followups, but never needed it.
HEAVY is dragging a big chested older 8 point to the road where I can get it into a pickup bed.

 

[longcruise]

@Griz44Mag

Same thoughts here. I'm 73 and carry my .54 GPR with a brass ramrod with no problem. That includes some long all day hunts in the rockies for elk.

It's going to be a little heavier in a .50 cal.

 

[Grenadier1758]

The very nature of traditional Hawken architecture means a heavy barreled 10 pound rifle. Lighter rifles in 54 caliber will have stout recoil. I know this by the bruising on my arm and shoulder. I have an 1803 Rifle Shoppe Harper's Ferry rifle. It is a light weight easy handling rifle with a nice flat butt plate. Even with a relatively light 65 grain 3fg load pushing a round ball, recoil is something to be aware of and there is need to practice to become proficient.

 

[TFoley]

A shooting pal of mine here in UK bought a .50cal GPR that had been owned since it was bought, new, in 2007. The old boy was giving up shooting at age 85, saying his arms didn't reach that far any more to load it. It was in excellent condition, having been kept in a beautiful buckskin fringed gun case since new, bought on a trip to Montana in the same year.

This lovely rifle was his for an even $120.00 including a few pounds of ball, bags of Ox-Yoke patches, about a thousand cap and a nice fibreglass range rod

 

[Del Gue]

I think some of y'all mebbeso misinterpreted what I said. The weight concern was ref the Pedersoli Hawken, not the GPR.

So far I'm not seeing anything to confirm any current
issues with the GPR, so I'll ponder on which I want and let'er rip.

 

[Grenadier1758]

If the 9.91 pound Pedersoli was a concern, then the 11.6 pound GPR might require some pondering as well.
https://www.lymanproducts.com/brands/lyman/muzzle-loaders/great-plains-rifle

 

[Zonie]

That 11.9 pound or 11.6 pound weight (depending on where you look) is the shipping weight including the box.

Dixie Gun Works catalog says the GPR weighs 9 1/4 pounds for the .50 caliber gun and 9 pounds for the .54.

There's no denying the GPR's are fairly heavy but they are lighter than the original Hawkens by several pounds. Of course, the Mountain men usually were riding horseback so they didn't mind a few extra pounds.

 

[Del Gue]

Track of the Wolf is saying 9 lbs.

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/492/3/LYMAN-GPR-54-PL

 

[springfield art]

GPR Heavy???
Hmmm... I'm 66 and find the GPR very comfortable to haul afield and hunt in the woods with it.
The 54 will harvest anything we have here in Texas, from cottontail to whitetail. (shot placement is important, especially on a cottontail.)
I carry a small pouch with a small brass flask and a 6 ball board. I also carry my Lyman Plains pistol in a .54 for followups, but never needed it.
HEAVY is dragging a big chested older 8 point to the road where I can get it into a pickup bed.

Ha! There's a reason they call us Easterners "tenderfoot"...

 

[Rat]

Weight is something to consider. I can pack my 10 pound Springfield around all day, but really prefer my 8.25 pound Jeager.

I like the GPR, built one from a kit for friend's son's birthday present. (or was it Christmas?) I think that if I was interested in one, I'd start with a kit, shorten the barrel a little, (just a little, nothing crazy) and have the barrel re-bored and rifled in .58" or .62" to shave some more weight. That would be a nice rifle.

Recoil is so subjective. I have no trouble with 110 grain loads in my .62", 140 grain loads in my Bess, or 100 grain loads in my .58's...wearing a T-shirt.

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

I have owned three Great Plains flintlocks (left handed.) I have sold three Great Plains flintlocks. I have two Great Plains cap locks which I will likely be buried with. All had rough, sharp barrels that tore patches to hell for 100 rounds. After breaking in, they all shot better. The flintlocks were each sources of much frustration, being "almost dependable." I shoot lots of flintlocks; I own 9. I expect a flintlock to go off, crisply, every time. Lyman flintlocks to me were not up to that standard. They were not dependable, and often shattered flints after a few shots. Once you become accustomed to a Chambers large Siler, you can't go back.

ADK Bigfoot