Lyman Stock

[Matabele]

Hi all,

I was hoping to get a Lyman GPR kit and build my own rifle, but I see they are only offered with the 1:60" barrels. For hunting here in South Africa I'm going to need the 1:32" barrel for conicals.

To those with Lyman Great Plains rifles is there much that can be done with the stock as it comes from the factory? I would like to add a shadow line cheek piece, is there enough wood on the factory stock to do this without it looking odd?
Anyone refinished their factory stock, any suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[cowpoke1955]

Check with 41Aeronca . He did some real nice work on the stock of his first GPR kit. He has some nice pics posted. As for the barrel twist, you could always get a Great Plains Hunter barrel seperately. This way, you have two rifles in one. Just a thought.

 

[BrownBear]

There's lots (and lots) of wood in the cheekpiece on the stock. You can do a fair bit of whittling and still have lots left. Between thinning mine and cleaning up the lines in my stock here and there, I bet I shaved close to half a pound of weight off of mine. More important, I really like the way it affected the balance and handling. Mine is a little more trim now than the original, but I think it's a much better shooter for the effort.

 

[kansas_volunteer]

I'm working on a GPR kit stock right now -- just came in for a break -- I find five problems with the stock: getting straight lines straight, getting tapers properly tapered, getting curved lines curved, getting parallel surfaces parallel and getting flat spots flat. None of those things are true of the stock as it comes from the box. Maybe I'm just being pickey, but I want to make mine right. There's plenty of wood to produce a clunky looking stock. However the good part is there is plenty of wood to carve a shadow line cheek piece and do other artsy things as you go along. Provided you're prepared to really dig into the wood and work hard at it.

The metal bits will be the hardest parts to finish. The toe plate and escutheon screw counter sinks are punched and have distinct rims around them that will need to be filed off to eleminate the burred feeling. The other metal shows casting marks and is rough textured, like being sandblasted with very fine sand. They will need a fair amount of hand labor to polish.

There's a beautiful rifle hidden under the kit parts, it's just going to take a lot of loving, patient labor to liberate it.

Plan on using a lot of very coarse sandpaper to dig away at the wood in places, as well as the usual tools.

I've made my project harder by buying from TOW the L&R replacement lock #Lock-LR-05-F and replacement trigger #TR-DST-TC. I've got to fiddle with inletting these as well. the Trigger, however, is vastly superior to the one in the kit. The lock I think superior, too, but I bought it mainly for the looks.

 

[Matabele]

Thanks for your replies gents, it has certainly given me something to chew on :hmm:

Stay well :thumbsup:

 

[kansas_volunteer]

I've just been fiddling with the barrel key escutheons on my kit stock and find the pilot holes for the tiny screws don't line up with any of the holes in the actual plates. I've arranged and rearranged the pieces and can't get a fit. When I try to start a screw it runs off at an angle, trying to follow the off center pilot hole. I'll figure out a way around the problem. Anyone got any ideas?

The kit material is probably no worse than the materials used in the finished version of the rifle. With work and thought you'll probably wind up with a nicer looking rifle building from the kit than buying out of the rack. And of course, you can add custom features you can't buy out of the rack.

I find the wood in the kit stock fairly hard and nicely colored and figured. I don't know what's popular in Africa, but it will finish well without stain if you prefer the natural look. (I plan to stain mine a redish walnut shade. I like the old American look.)

 

[AeroncaTAL]

There is enough meat on the Lyman stock to do what you want to. I took quite a bit off of the cheekpiece on mine. The escutcheon plates also sit recessed in the forearm. I took the wood down flush. Looks a whole lot better.
Scott

 

[Zonie]

Matabele: If you are after a GPR with a 1:32 twist, you really want to get the Lyman Great Plains Hunter Rifle.
This is the same gun with the faster twist barrel you say you want.

I don't know if they are available in SA but several companies like Dixie Gunworks carries them here in the USA.

zonie

 

[Matabele]

Thanks for all the information everyone, its appreciated!

 

[Titus]

Matabele: If you are after a GPR with a 1:32 twist, you really want to get the Lyman Great Plains Hunter Rifle.
This is the same gun with the faster twist barrel you say you want.

I don't know if they are available in SA but several companies like Dixie Gunworks carries them here in the USA.

zonie

Zonie, is right. The 1:32 twist is the Great Plains Hunter and not Rifle. The rifle is the 1:60 odd twist.

Ive got the Great Plains Hunter and they are readily available in South Africa. They are quite expensive here (around ZAR7000 now) but worth every penny.

This is a pic of mine with the 57SML sight one it.

 

[Matabele]

Awesome pictures Titus, thanks! :thumbsup: Is the rifle above the GPH a Lyman Trade Rifle? Can I ask which one you prefer and why?

Also how does your GPH manage with round ball? Just wondering what velocity you are getting and accuracy as it would make for cheaper practice than shooting conicals all the time :hmm:

 

[Titus]

Matabele

The top one is my Ardesa Hawken Woodsman in 50 cal. I built that one from kit a year and a half ago. :hmm:

On which one I prefer, it depends what I am going to use it for. The Lyman is much heavier that the Woodsman, but the Lyman is a lot more accurate at ranges beyond 100m. (read consistant) The Woodsman carries a lot easier in the veld and handles both conicals and PRB's well.

The GPH is not very fond of roundballs unless you keep velocities down and thus lessen the inertia on the ball thanks to less rate of spin.

I cast my own Lyman Plains Bullets and thats all I shoot out of her. The target on the pic was 80gr of Wano FFg at 70m.

 

[Matabele]

Aha the wabbit slayer :thumbsup: Nice looking rifle, good job! Thanks for the info. Too many guns and too little money...I WILL make a decision one day :grin:

 

[Titus]

Wabbit Slayer indeed... :thumbsup: What it comes down to is the Lymans are more expensive but much better quality rifles. Although the Ardesa does the job pretty fine. :winking:

 

[kansas_volunteer]

Matabele, I just put 41Aeronca into the advance search, clicking on the gunbuilders forum and all post originated buy him and came up with lots of pictures that will give you some ideas of what can be done with the kit. I'd seen these before, but found them worth a second look. I'm going to down load a couple to serve as guides for my project.

 

[d.thomson]

I would take some 5 minute apoxy and a tooth pick and fill those holes and redrill them where they are supose to go. I would also replace the screws because they seem realy soft. I have heard of some breaking off, and then you have a real problem. My opinion and you know what they say about opinions. F.K.

 

[faw3]

http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/199353/tp/1/ The 5 or 6 pics are of Aero's Lyman one of maybe three I wouldnt mind haveing at all. Fred :hatsoff: