"... my GPR took me close to 50 shots till i was satisfied ..."
I take it we are speaking of working up a good load, not how long it takes to pour the powder, ram the ball and prime the pan?
I think a lot of people, when switching from a precussion gun to a flintlock, think "I'll just hold it steady and shoot it like I do "ole deerbuster"."
With this in mind, they go out to work up a good load for their new flinter, but like you have indicated, they are, like you, frustrated with the early results.
With this in mind, I will say it may take more shots for you to find the best load because although a lot of people here swear a flinter is as "fast" as a precussion is to fire after pulling the trigger, they aren't always right. Sometimes, a flinter will be slower. Sometimes, much slower to fire.
That fraction of a second can make a world of difference in how well you hit the center of the target even if your load is perfect.
Even if you have nerves of steel, and you aren't distracted by the flash in the pan like most new flintlock shooters are, there is what I call "the Art of Follow Thru" and it is an absolute necessity with a flinter. The slightest movement of the gun after pulling the trigger can send your shot wide of the mark.
I tell myself before pulling the trigger to "hold steady for at least a second after the shot". This seems to help me.
It takes a lot of practice to develop the "follow thru mind set" required for excellent shooting and if you develop this, all of your shooting, with any type of gun, will improve.
And before you get too frustrated, just remember, there are a lot of people shooting flintlocks who can outshoot the precussion shooters every time.
They have mastered the Art of Follow Thru, so can you. :thumbsup:
