I have two .50 cal Lyman great Plains Hawkin rifles. One a cap lock the other a flintlock. Took my first flintlock buck with that rifle at just over 75 yards off hand. My first deer kill was a fat little spike buck using my .54 cal Lyman Trade rifle. Half of my deer kills were with muzzle loaders, mostly custom flintlock rifles. Love living history rendezvous. Been doing them over 38 years. Nice bidio brother.
Congrats on your GPR!! It is a fine rifle, I have won many prizes (and deer) with mine. The GPR has a "patent" breech which means the back of the barrel is not flat. There is a little depression there that can collect powder residue. I clean mine with a regular jag, then I screw on a .30 bore brush and push it down. You can feel it hit bottom, and then push a little more and it goes into the little depression. I give it a couple of twists to get it clean. I do the same with a patch on the brush to dry it. Just some friendly advice to help you keep it clean. Enjoy it and I'll be watching for more videos!!
I figured that out already and also used a bottle brush to do the same. Cleaning this gun is breeze....I have a better aluminum rod coming soon to make it even easier to clean. Thanks for watching...
Hi Maniac I want to thank you ! I learned a hockey sock of knowledge you taught me on this channel! I been a shooter all my life military and civi centre fire but black powder is a new beast. I buy the products you suggested and saved a tonne in maintenance cost! I am still watching lots of fun, Ty again Gary
Thats great! Your enthusiasm is unmatched! Made my T/C Hawken with my dads supervision some 44 yrs ago, still shoots great, lots a fun. Good luck with your new GPR, many good years to come! Bless you
My Mark you’re shooting perty good with that gun ! Don’t stop when yer on a roll ! Look forward to seeing ya this spring and shooting with ya ! Nice gun thanks for sharing it with us. 👍😃
That is a really good looking rifle. I look forward to many more fun videos with it. There's just something about anything that's brand new. As always thank you for sharing these with us all Mark and have a wonderful day!
My favorite gun to hunt with is my .54 caliber Flintlock Lyman Deerstalker. It has a 1:48 twist so it shoots bullets very well. The beast groups with solid lead hollow point power belts. It hammers deer really good. They don't go far at all.
Then...you have a good one. I've never heard anything negative about the Lyman's ( Investarms ) older guns. I love shooting the one I have.Thanks for watching...
Lyman lock is like the Thompson. We have a flintlock only season the day after Christmas and lasts a little over month. I do pretty good usually get one or two deer every year. I love it, don't have to deal with the city slickers.
Such a great muzzleloader! Relatively inexpensive, high quality black powder rifle. I've always wanted one but they alway seem to be too heavy. But after watching this, maybe not! Thx Mark for another great BPMS video.
Balance is everything. A well balanced rifle can be heavy. That weight keeps the gun from waving around too much. Aiming off and with a heavy barrel is a good thing, unless you wait too long. I have about 5 seconds before my hold begins to deteriorate. That's always been long enough.
I have had my gpr in 54 flint for 25yrs. My favorite firearm. I stripped the bluing and plum browned all the metal, added a few brass accents, and have a 3/8 brass shaft for a ram rod. I use 3f goex in the barrel and pan. Just love to shoot it.
Just a great basic muzzleloader. I have two 50 cal GPRs - one a flinter and the other a percussion cap. These were my first two muzzleloaders and have never disappointed me. Played around with the "stone" chips for a while and then went to the English flints. I also have the Lyman's Plains Pistol. I think they only made that in percussion. It'll be interesting to see what Pedersoli does with this rifle. Can't complain about any of my Pedersolis as well. Thanks for a very good and informative video. Keep on shooting.
I bought my Lyman G.P. rifle over 20 yrs ago. My is left hand, percussion cap, .54 cal. And made by invest arms of Italy also. I absolutly love it. I shoot the Lymam .54 cal Minnie ball which I think is 425 gr. (Weight) with the max 110 gr.(volume) Powder.. very accurate! I've have lost a wedge on two different occasions while hunting. I paid $305. From Dixie gunworks apx 1998. 👍
WOW.....that's an awesome testimony. I absolutely LOVE mine too. If I had a choice for 1 rifled gun, this one would be my choice. Thanks for watching...
@@blackpowdermaniacshooterlast fall I took my G.P. rifle to the range for a few shots. A woman next to me saw it and said. "That rifle has lipstick" I said what does that mean? She said "it's sexy!!" Lol I really enjoy your videos.. keep up the great work!👍
My son got a Lymans Deer stalker and the cut flint did the same thing. 3 shots and went dule. After changing out to a English flint it sparked every time. One thing we found out is to pick the touch hole before priming the pan cause the vent is to small. Going to change it out for a bigger one. I will have it with me at Abe's shoot in May.
Built mine from a kit. Love it. I only wish I had gotten the flintlock instead of the cap-lock. Then again, it was my very first intro to black powder and flinters intimidated me.
I guess we should say Merry Christmas Mark!! I'm glad that I'm not the only one that buys "toys" like these and lets them sit unopened for a while. I once bought a brand new (smokeless) rifle that I didn't shoot for several years because I didn't get drawn for a tag and I bought the rifle for hunting. Once I finally got a tag I took it to the range to sight it in. That GPR looks great and seems spot on, you definitely seem happy with it. I will be checking it out right after this post, lol. Congratulations and nice shooting.
It looks like Lyman makes a pretty good rifle. I own a Lyman Deer Stalker which is very nice and quite accurate at 50 yards with 70 grains of 2F Goex. I hope you can enjoy that Great Plains for many many years.
Got my GPR 54 Flint the month before you did. The finish was too thin with open pores in the wood. I removed the furnature that was easy and put painter tape on the Ramrod Thimble and Wedge Pin Escutcheons to protect them. After 5 coats of Tried And True oil the stock went from nice to spectular. Easy Winter project that far exceeded my expectations. Only issue now the adjustable site is not ridged enough and the fixed sight was too small for the dovetail. Plan on replacing both front and back this winter.
Sweet! I've read where lots of shooters replace their sights. I'm pretty happy with the buck horns, at least I can see thru them. Thanks for watching..
I bought a Lyman GP rifle back in 1995. It was a great rifle. Very accurate and powerful. But it was ridiculously heavy. I want to say it was around 11-12 pounds. Great for taming recoil, a pig to carry all day. It was stolen from me when my house was robbed in 2017. I'm older now and I don't miss the weight so I won't replace it.
A friend of mine was laid off and needed some cash. He sold me his Dad's T/C Hawken, 1980 flintlock, 45 caliber. I like black powder traditional muzzleloader (4 percussion rifles and pistols) but never had a flint gun. There was no flint stone so I found T/C "cut stone" flints. Horrible reliability. A year later I offered to sell the rifle back but no; I didn't care for the rifle so it became a safe queen. Thought about it selling many times. Ten or eleven years later I try it again, this time with TOTW English flints and what do you know, I have a cool shooting 45 Hawken flintlock rifle. FLINTLOCK RIFLES ARE FUN.
YES, they are VERY addicting. I'm glad you stayed with it. Having good flints makes it very fun to shoot. Keep on shooting brother, sounds like you have a good gun fore sure.
Hi Mark I have one also in 54 cal. I took out the factory lock and put the L&R lock in mine along with some Davis triggers. I think you and I PMed about it. I dont care for the front site blade thickness so I changed mine. Haven’t sot mine in a while but I plan on shooting it more Congrats on your I know you told me you were looking for one.
The L& R replacement lock was selling point for me. If/when the factory lock dies after warranty is over, I know where to turn to next. Thanks for watching...
Have one I traded a double barrel shot gun for about 40 years ago beautiful gun well made beautiful wood love the brown barrel an at 50 yards I can shoot a 2 in group well back then I could
Did you clean out that red preservative Investarms puts in the barrel. It will take mineral spirits to get it out. It will load and shoot better once it is removed. You really need to get your rifles coned so you can shoot a ball that will give you better accuracy if you're not going to use a short starter Mark. But the object is to have fun and enjoyment.
I didn't clean out the barrel. I just loaded 'er up & pulled the trigger. I had the KY rifle coned recently and can't wait to get it back to try it out. I have them, but, I don't like using short starters. It is something else to keep up with shooting from the pouch. Fun is my middle name...LOL Thanks for watching.
I picked up a great plains rifle just after the first of the year. I ma having some trouble getting it to shoot. I can only make it go bang every 8 or 10 trigger pulls. I don't blame the rifle at all. It is my first go with a flint and I am trying to figure it out on my own. Still trying different stuff but I will get it sooner or later. Its fun and that's what's important
Yes...figuring them out is half the fun. Putting a sharp English flint on it and using real black powder should make it go bang almost every time. Thanks for watching...
This is the first time I've seen your videos. Interesting that Lyman has ceased production of all black powder products. I've owned a Great Plains Plains rifle years but not used it much , there is a problem in the rifling , about halfway down there is a snag on one of the lands you can feel it when loading and cleaning . That snag , I think is what gives me such erratic accuracy. Last year I purchased a hunter barrel to use conical bullets in the hope using the rifle more often. Although I have six other muzzleloaders, recently acquiring a .32 caliber Crockett from midway and having a huge amount of fun with that maybe trying for a deer with the .32 ,close range of course . I normally use my .54 T/C Hawken for such endeavors.
I've had good luck with this GPR. It is one of the few remaining GPR's left before they ceased production. 6 other muzzleloaders is pretty awesome. Looks like you're ready for any kind of hunting situations! I LOVE it! Thanks for watching...
Are you going to show me how to make your cut and rolled patches for shooting your 50 cal I want to see that and I'd also like to see how you cut your other patches once you do a show on that. Except patches for your guns
Yes, here is how I cut patches for the gun: ua-cam.com/video/oNNmCDwp8mM/v-deo.html Here is how I cut cleaning patches: ua-cam.com/video/I13tRe3FqY8/v-deo.html
I had one years ago..it was a whoosh banger. I got rid of it. I just ordered a Signature series by Pedersoli in .54. Gonna have to wait about two weeks for it to arrive.
Wonder how those Pedersoli guns are. I got an Italian made muzzle loading double barreled shot gun and found it was more rust prone than American or Parker-Hale English guns. Pedersoli may be higher quality
Hey Mark. You are my favorite black powder channel! I was wondering if you ever sight your guns in on paper? I know you don’t like shooting Paper targets but I was curious if you would be willing to do a video on how you sight in your rifles. Thanks
@@blackpowdermaniacshooter thanks Mark I’m sure it would be a great video yours always are! I would love to be able to meet you in person and shoot with you some day
Percussion caps are my choice. They were common by the 1830's I understand, and that's solidly great plains era. But that flint lock and pan are beautiful. Is that a walnut stock?
Ironically I just traded a hand made knife for a near new left handed version of this rifle: but I’m right handed lol. I remember talking to you about shooting a right handed flintlock left handed so it convinced me to give it a whirl taking this left handed flintlock.
@@blackpowdermaniacshooter that was my thoughts exactly too. If it doesn’t work out for me I could always sell it to fund a right handed version, or even trade with a left handed shooter that has a right handed version. But so far no issues with it :)
I think they're a 1" straight octagon barrel, I bet you could buy a barrel from Track or ML Builders Supply and fit a hooked breech plug to it and install the tenons. nice thing with that is you can get the length you want, could even swamp it in front of the stock to lighten it up ( a straight 1", .45 barrel would be heavy, for sure)
I'm betting there will be more homemade powder being tested soon since commercial BP is getting harder to obtain. Brand new gun..I didn't want to load it up heavy. I seldom put more than 60 grains 3F in my 50 caliber guns. That's plenty for what I shoot.
I've been wanting a flintlock. Now, with the Goex plant shut down, I'm wondering about powder supply. I've called several on line sellers.... all out. I don't want a wall hanger....I'll have enough of those if the powder is not available. Good video... good shooting, good fun!
Went out and shot my Investarms Bridger .54 cal Hawken for the first time. I used 60 grains of Schuetzen FFg. The first shot was a cap pop and the the next three went off ok. When I loaded The third shot it was very hard to go down so after that shot I ran a swab of moose milk down the bore, however I didn't clean out the nippleand most likly didn't run enough dry patches down afterward. On my fourth shot I used 4 or 5 caps but never light the charge so I packed up and went home. I have a CO2 tool and was able to un load my gun. I have since watched several videos about cleaning both at the range and at home. Let's hope that never happens again. I'm an old man that's just crazy about this S**t.😅🙃
Looks like it's a good shooter and is a pretty gun. My first gun ever was a Thompson Center flint. That hook breech makes cleaning easy. What caliber? How long is the barrel? Does it have coil or leaf springs? What kind of rifling does it have? Thompson Center made theirs with rifling fit for maxiballs not patched round ones. My guess is Lyman went for the v shaped rifling. My TC cost me $200 back in the early 1970s when I bought it. Nice gun.
I in 48 twist is best in a minie gun. Round ball rifles are best with 1 in 66 or 1 in 72. Originals had leaf springs which are easy to work on. T/C uses a coil spring too
This one is a 1 X 60 twist in 50 caliber. I wanted a 50 caliber because 3 of my other guns are 50 calibers. Less ball moulds to keep up with. I believe it has a 36" barrel. Its shorter and that helps me a lot in shooting! Coiled springs....one main reason why I got this one was...L & R makes a replacement lock. If the lock dies after warranty, I'll go with L&R. Thanks for asking...
Did you swab it between any of those shots? If not, it loaded that last shot as easy as the first. That's a nice smooth bore. I've had to lap brand new barrels to keep them from grabbing patch. I've never owned a Lyman, I might have to correct that.
I didn't swab it to see how long it would last before it was too hard to load. 25 shots is about the limit. I swabbed it well after # 25 & it was like loading a new one. Thanks for watching.....
Really enjoy your videos, thanks so much you & mike Bellevue (duelist1954) make black powder shooting look allot of fun to shoot. Then again, any day at the range is a great day.
This one is straight out of the box with a factory lock. One reason I bought it was having the option of getting a L&R lock down the road. Thanks for watching.....
I have the same in .54. I have had missfires or flash in the pans a lot. I noticed the touchhole liner can be screwed in or out which affects the distance from the pan. Could that be the culprit or too small of a touch hole?
Not sure if it makes difference or not, but, I keep the touch hole liners flush with the barrel. I did drill the touch holes out to 1/16" on both of my Pedersoli guns. That improved the ignition on both guns tremendously. Hope that helps out...thanks for watching.
Hey Mark! I have an older GPR in .54 cal and a newer GPH (Great Plains Hunter - faster twist) in .50 cal. How much do I love them? I just bought a GPR kit in .50 cal. YEP! All are percussion.
@@blackpowdermaniacshooter thanks for the reply. It is a beautiful gun and you got the pig plenty of times. More so than your trade gun lol. But it is smooth bore.
I've lost 2 wedges before trying this trick. I pulled the barrel off the GPR and laid the barrel on a table with the wedge holes/slots pointed upwards. Get a piece of 1" or 1.5" pipe and lay it across the 2 openings ( do each separately ) 90 degrees from the barrel. Slightly hit the pipe with a hammer. Not too hard, just enough to give the opening a slight dent inwards towards the barrel. Once you put it back together, the wedge will fit tight and it will not fall out. Thanks for watching...
@@blackpowdermaniacshooter veteran arms has two affordable matchlocks for sale. im planning on getting one. they also have blunderbuss. thought you might be interested. would like to see a review from you on the matchlock. hopefully one day in future :)
Mark you said a .480 ball, was that a mistake or is that what you're using? I am using a .490 in mine with a .010 patch which can get pretty tight pretty fast.
I use a .480 to shoot with 98% of the time. I can pour .490's and have a few here, but, seldom use them. I mostly plink upwards to 75-100 times during an afternoon. Whenever I get in a competition ( I seldom enter in them -- don't care for the competition ) I'll get out those .490's. Thanks for watching.....
The machined flint isn't hard enough to last long striking the frizzen like the harder English or French flints are. They are only good enough to help a new shooter get started and probably much easier to obtain to include in the box. Flint shooters realize very quickly that English or French knapped flints lasts much longer. Great question. Thanks for watching.....
Just wondering. I have seen some advice saying to do it. Since that was a new gun, I thought I would ask. I like watching the videos and have been putting the Female Flintlock Fun videos on our gun club FB and MEWE page to try and attract BP shooters.
@@DocLaw172 Thanks my friend...I have 3 more ladies ready to take on the challenge. I'm going to film 2 of them next Sunday afternoon. Those are a lot of fun to put together!
I have two .50 cal Lyman great Plains Hawkin rifles. One a cap lock the other a flintlock. Took my first flintlock buck with that rifle at just over 75 yards off hand.
My first deer kill was a fat little spike buck using my .54 cal Lyman Trade rifle. Half of my deer kills were with muzzle loaders, mostly custom flintlock rifles. Love living history rendezvous. Been doing them over 38 years.
Nice bidio brother.
Thanks...I love my Lymans too.. it definitely shoots better than I do..!
Thanks...I love my Lymans too.. it definitely shoots better than I do..!
You’ve made me decide to get a Flint Great Planes Rifle. I’ve been looking at them but couldn’t decide. I’ve decided. Lock time was very quick.
I use the Swill Null OB in the pan. it is very fast for a factory built gun. Thanks for watching...
Congrats on your GPR!! It is a fine rifle, I have won many prizes (and deer) with mine. The GPR has a "patent" breech which means the back of the barrel is not flat. There is a little depression there that can collect powder residue. I clean mine with a regular jag, then I screw on a .30 bore brush and push it down. You can feel it hit bottom, and then push a little more and it goes into the little depression. I give it a couple of twists to get it clean. I do the same with a patch on the brush to dry it. Just some friendly advice to help you keep it clean. Enjoy it and I'll be watching for more videos!!
I figured that out already and also used a bottle brush to do the same. Cleaning this gun is breeze....I have a better aluminum rod coming soon to make it even easier to clean. Thanks for watching...
Hi Maniac I want to thank you ! I learned a hockey sock of knowledge you taught me on this channel! I been a shooter all my life military and civi centre fire but black powder is a new beast. I buy the products you suggested and saved a tonne in maintenance cost! I am still watching lots of fun, Ty again Gary
WOW...thanks for those kind words & watching. More wacky fun is coming soon...
Thats great! Your enthusiasm is unmatched! Made my T/C Hawken with my dads supervision some 44 yrs ago, still shoots great, lots a fun. Good luck with your new GPR, many good years to come! Bless you
Thanks for those kind words my friend....I have more GPR videos and other wacky ones to post soon. Thanks for hanging around....
Cut agates are hard on the frizzen, and yes we all saw you flinch on that catch. Good luck with your new ole Betsy
Yes...that cut flint was removed & I won't use it again. !
The crazy uncle you can't wait to see again! Always a hoot!!!
I'm going to be traveling again soon to shoot with friends in PA, Tennessee and Texas. I can't wait! Thanks for watching.....
Mine is a .50 cal percussion. Managed to secure a spare barrel as well. Made a spare ramrod from doweling tipped with a .357 case and works a treat.👍😃
I love shooting this one. VERY reliable gun. Thanks for watching..
Enjoy! A Lyman GPR caplock .54 was my first BP firearm. Been enjoying it for about 25 years.
I like reading that...25 years is a long time. I love it! Thanks for watching.....
Looks like fun. Hope to see that rifle in more videos. 😁
You will.....I already have 2 more ready to post soon. Thanks for watching.....
Had me one i built from Lymans GPR kit...nice shooter, loved it...gifted the rifle to my Pastor...he loves it too!
Outstanding...I BET he does love it! That's a GREAT gift!
That's a great lot of fun. Thanks Mark! Looks like a fun . Love the new piece.
I'm going to love it! Thanks for watching.....
My Mark you’re shooting perty good with that gun ! Don’t stop when yer on a roll ! Look forward to seeing ya this spring and shooting with ya ! Nice gun thanks for sharing it with us. 👍😃
I'll bring that one to the May shoot. Its a fun gun to shoot. I really enjoy it!
That is a really good looking rifle. I look forward to many more fun videos with it. There's just something about anything that's brand new. As always thank you for sharing these with us all Mark and have a wonderful day!
I have 2 more videos ready to post soon with this gun. O' BigFoot gets a work out! LOL Thanks for watching.....
@@blackpowdermaniacshooter 😆 I will definitely be looking for them!
I got about 50 shots with the stock stone. Good looking rifle Mark. Hope you enjoy it. Maybe I get to see it at the shoot out hope to see you there.
I'm bringing this one to the May shoot. I was using it yesterday & put about 100 rounds thru it and changed out 3 flints. I love it!
My favorite gun to hunt with is my .54 caliber Flintlock Lyman Deerstalker. It has a 1:48 twist so it shoots bullets very well. The beast groups with solid lead hollow point power belts. It hammers deer really good. They don't go far at all.
Then...you have a good one. I've never heard anything negative about the Lyman's ( Investarms ) older guns. I love shooting the one I have.Thanks for watching...
Lyman lock is like the Thompson. We have a flintlock only season the day after Christmas and lasts a little over month. I do pretty good usually get one or two deer every year. I love it, don't have to deal with the city slickers.
@@kesleycottrell1416 Amen to the hunting without dealing with the trigger happy city slickers. Much safer too! Good luck in December my friend.
Beautiful rifle!!! May you have the best of luck with your new rifle and godgodblessless my friend!!!
I love it ...so far! Thanks for watching.....
Mark, that’s the best shooting ever!
For me..I was excited to be able to hit something! LOL.
Such a great muzzleloader! Relatively inexpensive, high quality black powder rifle. I've always wanted one but they alway seem to be too heavy. But after watching this, maybe not! Thx Mark for another great BPMS video.
Terrance they are a heavy rifle, but the balance makes up for the weight.
@@mikeclark5036 Yep........it is balanced well.
Balance is everything. A well balanced rifle can be heavy. That weight keeps the gun from waving around too much. Aiming off and with a heavy barrel is a good thing, unless you wait too long. I have about 5 seconds before my hold begins to deteriorate. That's always been long enough.
Congratulations, I hope you enjoy it for many years to come.
I'll probably wear it out just like I do all the other guns I have....LOL
Great shooting Mark you shoot that new rifle just fine.Hears to many years of Shooting fun and videos with Lyman Hawken.Cheers
I'm going to really like this gun. I've already finished 2 more videos with this model. Its warming up here and time to get out for more shooting!!!
Nice looking gun, and in my favourite caliber too! I can see this GPR featuring in a lot more videos. look forward to seeing them!
It will.....I already have 2 more videos done & ready to post soon. Thanks for watching.....
Always a treat with your videos! Love the excitement.
Thanks for watching.....
Wow you got one Mark !
That GPR is a VERY fun rifle to shoot! Wish I would have bought one sooner.
I have had my gpr in 54 flint for 25yrs. My favorite firearm. I stripped the bluing and plum browned all the metal, added a few brass accents, and have a 3/8 brass shaft for a ram rod. I use 3f goex in the barrel and pan. Just love to shoot it.
I'm going to REALLY love this one.....I can hit something with it a little more often!
Just a great basic muzzleloader. I have two 50 cal GPRs - one a flinter and the other a percussion cap. These were my first two muzzleloaders and have never disappointed me. Played around with the "stone" chips for a while and then went to the English flints. I also have the Lyman's Plains Pistol. I think they only made that in percussion. It'll be interesting to see what Pedersoli does with this rifle. Can't complain about any of my Pedersolis as well. Thanks for a very good and informative video. Keep on shooting.
I also have a percussion pistol in 50 caliber. That was my Christmas gift for last Christmas...LOL I love shooting it too. Thanks for watching.....
Have one in.54. Flintlock. Love it! Nice vid!
Thanks for watching.....I'm going to LOVE this one....
I bought my Lyman G.P. rifle over 20 yrs ago. My is left hand, percussion cap, .54 cal. And made by invest arms of Italy also. I absolutly love it. I shoot the Lymam .54 cal Minnie ball which I think is 425 gr. (Weight) with the max 110 gr.(volume) Powder.. very accurate! I've have lost a wedge on two different occasions while hunting. I paid $305. From Dixie gunworks apx 1998. 👍
WOW.....that's an awesome testimony. I absolutely LOVE mine too. If I had a choice for 1 rifled gun, this one would be my choice. Thanks for watching...
@@blackpowdermaniacshooterlast fall I took my G.P. rifle to the range for a few shots. A woman next to me saw it and said. "That rifle has lipstick" I said what does that mean? She said "it's sexy!!" Lol I really enjoy your videos.. keep up the great work!👍
@@micjam1986 That lady sounds like cool friend to shoot with! I LOVE it! LOL
My son got a Lymans Deer stalker and the cut flint did the same thing. 3 shots and went dule. After changing out to a English flint it sparked every time. One thing we found out is to pick the touch hole before priming the pan cause the vent is to small. Going to change it out for a bigger one. I will have it with me at Abe's shoot in May.
I'll workbetter
Ain't nothin smells as good as a new Rifle!
Yep...agree with Jason B. too.....
Built mine from a kit. Love it. I only wish I had gotten the flintlock instead of the cap-lock. Then again, it was my very first intro to black powder and flinters intimidated me.
You'll LOVE a flinter whenever get the chance to shoot one. I love both style BP guns.
I guess we should say Merry Christmas Mark!! I'm glad that I'm not the only one that buys "toys" like these and lets them sit unopened for a while. I once bought a brand new (smokeless) rifle that I didn't shoot for several years because I didn't get drawn for a tag and I bought the rifle for hunting. Once I finally got a tag I took it to the range to sight it in.
That GPR looks great and seems spot on, you definitely seem happy with it. I will be checking it out right after this post, lol. Congratulations and nice shooting.
It is a wonderful shooting gun right out of the box! I'm really impressed with it! Thanks for watching.....
Hold center
Hit center
That is the plan
Good shooting Mark and a very nice rifle.
Works in theory and in my mind...I just need to get the muscles to react the same...LOL. Thanks for watching...
Thanks for sharing your new gun with us mark have a good time shooting Joe security
Thanks for watching.....
Nice shooting Mark! Looks like you have a definite keeper. Thanks for sharing.
Yep...its my go to gun anymore!
It looks like Lyman makes a pretty good rifle. I own a Lyman Deer Stalker which is very nice and quite accurate at 50 yards with 70 grains of 2F Goex. I hope you can enjoy that Great Plains for many many years.
Hope so too...I'm planning on wearing it out in the next few years....Thanks for watching...
Got my GPR 54 Flint the month before you did. The finish was too thin with open pores in the wood. I removed the furnature that was easy and put painter tape on the Ramrod Thimble and Wedge Pin Escutcheons to protect them. After 5 coats of Tried And True oil the stock went from nice to spectular. Easy Winter project that far exceeded my expectations. Only issue now the adjustable site is not ridged enough and the fixed sight was too small for the dovetail. Plan on replacing both front and back this winter.
Sweet! I've read where lots of shooters replace their sights. I'm pretty happy with the buck horns, at least I can see thru them. Thanks for watching..
Nice rifle.... I noticed the faster ignition with that English flint
Yes........after trying pretty much all the different flints available...English flints is all I use anymore on the 3 flint guns I have.
I bought a Lyman GP rifle back in 1995. It was a great rifle. Very accurate and powerful. But it was ridiculously heavy. I want to say it was around 11-12 pounds. Great for taming recoil, a pig to carry all day. It was stolen from me when my house was robbed in 2017. I'm older now and I don't miss the weight so I won't replace it.
I don't blame you. Replacing it these days would be tough. Lymans & Investarms aren't making them anymore anyway.
50 caliber is heavier than the 54.
A friend of mine was laid off and needed some cash. He sold me his Dad's T/C Hawken, 1980 flintlock, 45 caliber. I like black powder traditional muzzleloader (4 percussion rifles and pistols) but never had a flint gun. There was no flint stone so I found T/C "cut stone" flints. Horrible reliability. A year later I offered to sell the rifle back but no; I didn't care for the rifle so it became a safe queen. Thought about it selling many times.
Ten or eleven years later I try it again, this time with TOTW English flints and what do you know, I have a cool shooting 45 Hawken flintlock rifle. FLINTLOCK RIFLES ARE FUN.
YES, they are VERY addicting. I'm glad you stayed with it. Having good flints makes it very fun to shoot. Keep on shooting brother, sounds like you have a good gun fore sure.
Oooo I just got this gun too!!
You are going to LOVE shooting it!
Got the 54 caliber great plains rifle it my favorite black powder gun
This one is ranking right up as being my favorite too...
You shot great with that Lyman, Mark. 👍
You might just win a few matches with that rifle. ✌🏼
Maybe so.....hope so...LOL. Thanks for watching.....
Hi Mark
I have one also in 54 cal. I took out the factory lock and put the L&R lock in mine along with some Davis triggers. I think you and I PMed about it. I dont care for the front site blade thickness so I changed mine. Haven’t sot mine in a while but I plan on shooting it more Congrats on your I know you told me you were looking for one.
The L& R replacement lock was selling point for me. If/when the factory lock dies after warranty is over, I know where to turn to next. Thanks for watching...
Have one I traded a double barrel shot gun for about 40 years ago beautiful gun well made beautiful wood love the brown barrel an at 50 yards I can shoot a 2 in group well back then I could
Awesome shooting!
have the same rifle except it's a percussion.....thinking of getting another in a flintlock....finally got out today to shoot. Great Video BPMS
Thanks for watching.....
Did you clean out that red preservative Investarms puts in the barrel. It will take mineral spirits to get it out. It will load and shoot better once it is removed. You really need to get your rifles coned so you can shoot a ball that will give you better accuracy if you're not going to use a short starter Mark. But the object is to have fun and enjoyment.
I didn't clean out the barrel. I just loaded 'er up & pulled the trigger. I had the KY rifle coned recently and can't wait to get it back to try it out. I have them, but, I don't like using short starters. It is something else to keep up with shooting from the pouch. Fun is my middle name...LOL Thanks for watching.
I picked up a great plains rifle just after the first of the year. I ma having some trouble getting it to shoot. I can only make it go bang every 8 or 10 trigger pulls. I don't blame the rifle at all. It is my first go with a flint and I am trying to figure it out on my own. Still trying different stuff but I will get it sooner or later. Its fun and that's what's important
Yes...figuring them out is half the fun. Putting a sharp English flint on it and using real black powder should make it go bang almost every time. Thanks for watching...
love your videos Mark, and this was a good one. see you on the muzzleloading forum forum,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Thanks for watching.....I'll be over there again soon...great website, I enjoy that one!
You are Legend mate! Awesome video!
Thanks for those kind words......and watching.
Great shooting and a good rifle my friend.
It is an awesome rifle. I look forward to spending a lot of time with this one....Thanks for watching...
I've learned so much from you!
Thank you. That's what keeps me going. ...sharing the fun of black powder shooting in a fun way.
This is the first time I've seen your videos. Interesting that Lyman has ceased production of all black powder products. I've owned a Great Plains Plains rifle years but not used it much , there is a problem in the rifling , about halfway down there is a snag on one of the lands you can feel it when loading and cleaning . That snag , I think is what gives me such erratic accuracy. Last year I purchased a hunter barrel to use conical bullets in the hope using the rifle more often. Although I have six other muzzleloaders, recently acquiring a .32 caliber Crockett from midway and having a huge amount of fun with that maybe trying for a deer with the .32 ,close range of course . I normally use my .54 T/C Hawken for such endeavors.
I've had good luck with this GPR. It is one of the few remaining GPR's left before they ceased production. 6 other muzzleloaders is pretty awesome. Looks like you're ready for any kind of hunting situations! I LOVE it! Thanks for watching...
Are you going to show me how to make your cut and rolled patches for shooting your 50 cal I want to see that and I'd also like to see how you cut your other patches once you do a show on that. Except patches for your guns
Yes, here is how I cut patches for the gun: ua-cam.com/video/oNNmCDwp8mM/v-deo.html
Here is how I cut cleaning patches: ua-cam.com/video/I13tRe3FqY8/v-deo.html
Yeah I have to say the Great plain rifle is pretty good gun mine's for 50 cal too pretty sure takes a 5/8 Flint
I love this one....so far! Thanks for watching.....
@@blackpowdermaniacshooter if I knew you was going to be in Ohio we could have burnt some powder 👍
@@russellbrill3721 I live 4 miles from Ohio in northern Kentucky....Thanks for watching.....
I had one years ago..it was a whoosh banger. I got rid of it. I just ordered a Signature series by Pedersoli in .54. Gonna have to wait about two weeks for it to arrive.
Wonder how those Pedersoli guns are.
I got an Italian made muzzle loading double barreled shot gun and found it was more rust prone than American or
Parker-Hale English guns. Pedersoli may be higher quality
@@thomaszaccone3960 I own a Pedersoli Blue Ridge in .32 and also had one in .54. No such problem with either.
2 weeks?? WOW...it must be coming from Italy!
@@blackpowdermaniacshooter Haha! No it's due to a backlog in shipping due to the 'wuflu' at Grafs in Missouri.
@@UncleSasquatchOutdoors Yikes.....that's bummer! Let us know what you think of it on a video sometime...
Great video Mark. I have that gun in percussion.
I bet its a shooter too!!
Hey Mark. You are my favorite black powder channel! I was wondering if you ever sight your guns in on paper? I know you don’t like shooting Paper targets but I was curious if you would be willing to do a video on how you sight in your rifles. Thanks
Aaaaagh, thanks for those kind words. I can put one together....I'll try to keep it interesting enough to watch. ...!!
@@blackpowdermaniacshooter thanks Mark I’m sure it would be a great video yours always are! I would love to be able to meet you in person and shoot with you some day
@@patrickgallagher4344 I'm all up for that!
Awesome shooting dude. Looks like a fun gun.
Thanks for watching.....
Love your videos!!!! Technical question...any crawdads in that creek????
I never look for crawdads anymore. I'm too obsessed with this black powder shooting!
Percussion caps are my choice. They were common by the 1830's I understand, and that's solidly great plains era. But that flint lock and pan are beautiful. Is that a walnut stock?
Yes..I believe that gun has walnut stock on it. Its a rugged firearm for sure! Thanks for watching..
Ironically I just traded a hand made knife for a near new left handed version of this rifle: but I’m right handed lol. I remember talking to you about shooting a right handed flintlock left handed so it convinced me to give it a whirl taking this left handed flintlock.
If you're disappointed in the rifle, you shouldn't have any problems selling it. LH guns are tough to find these days. Thanks for watching.
@@blackpowdermaniacshooter that was my thoughts exactly too.
If it doesn’t work out for me I could always sell it to fund a right handed version, or even trade with a left handed shooter that has a right handed version.
But so far no issues with it :)
@@northernironforge Excellent. I'm with you...shoot it for a while first.
Great gun and the microphone worked a treat👏✌
Thanks my friend.....I'm going to like that mic system. It makes it easier to hear dialog when its windy outside.
Awesome video!! Wish I could find a.45 cal barrel for mine its 45 years old & seen some neglect I'd like to get her on paper again
Good luck with that. There are lots of them out there, maybe you'll run across one soon. Thanks fo watching....
I think they're a 1" straight octagon barrel, I bet you could buy a barrel from Track or ML Builders Supply and fit a hooked breech plug to it and install the tenons. nice thing with that is you can get the length you want, could even swamp it in front of the stock to lighten it up ( a straight 1", .45 barrel would be heavy, for sure)
I was just shooting one of my rifles this morning. I was testing some home made powder. It was a success. I was wondering why you load so lightly.
I'm betting there will be more homemade powder being tested soon since commercial BP is getting harder to obtain. Brand new gun..I didn't want to load it up heavy. I seldom put more than 60 grains 3F in my 50 caliber guns. That's plenty for what I shoot.
I've been wanting a flintlock. Now, with the Goex plant shut down, I'm wondering about powder supply. I've called several on line sellers.... all out. I don't want a wall hanger....I'll have enough of those if the powder is not available. Good video... good shooting, good fun!
Schuetzen & Swiss are better powders in my opinion. Try the Schuetzen website to find a dealer near you: schuetzenpowder.com/find-a-distributor/
I have a Lyman Great Plains. 54 cap. For over 30 years. That old girl will drive tracks. Crow size targets at 100 yards are a breeze
I bought a Lyman GPR 2 years ago and LOVE shooting it!
Nice Rifle Mark
Thanks for watching...I'm going to REALLY like this one...
Went out and shot my Investarms Bridger .54 cal Hawken for the first time. I used 60 grains of Schuetzen FFg. The first shot was a cap pop and the the next three went off ok. When I loaded The third shot it was very hard to go down so after that shot I ran a swab of moose milk down the bore, however I didn't clean out the nippleand most likly didn't run enough dry patches down afterward. On my fourth shot I used 4 or 5 caps but never light the charge so I packed up and went home. I have a CO2 tool and was able to un load my gun. I have since watched several videos about cleaning both at the range and at home. Let's hope that never happens again. I'm an old man that's just crazy about this S**t.😅🙃
Yes, these guns can get finicky occasionally. Look like you have it under control now! Thanks for watching....
Mark a lot of people might disagree but my great plains shoots right with anything Thompson center made
I'm beginning to believe this gun is a straight shooter for a factory gun. Now...if this shooter could just aim it straight would help..!!
These guns bring out the iner Child ( gotta love it )
Amen brother...they do for me all the time!
Looks like it's a good shooter and is a pretty gun. My first gun ever was a Thompson Center flint. That hook breech makes cleaning easy.
What caliber? How long is the barrel?
Does it have coil or leaf springs? What kind of rifling does it have? Thompson Center made theirs with rifling fit for maxiballs not patched round ones. My guess is Lyman went for the v shaped rifling. My TC cost me $200 back in the early 1970s when I bought it.
Nice gun.
@Thomas Zaccone The Investarms guns have coil springs and a 1:48 twist on the 50 cal.
@@UncleSasquatchOutdoors Sounds good. Maybe I will get one.
I in 48 twist is best in a minie gun. Round ball rifles are best with 1 in 66 or 1 in 72. Originals had leaf springs which are easy to work on. T/C uses a coil spring too
@@thomaszaccone3960 1:48 is supposed to be a compromise twist to shoot conicals or round balls. Rounds balls are best at 1:60-1:72
This one is a 1 X 60 twist in 50 caliber. I wanted a 50 caliber because 3 of my other guns are 50 calibers. Less ball moulds to keep up with. I believe it has a 36" barrel. Its shorter and that helps me a lot in shooting! Coiled springs....one main reason why I got this one was...L & R makes a replacement lock. If the lock dies after warranty, I'll go with L&R. Thanks for asking...
Did you swab it between any of those shots? If not, it loaded that last shot as easy as the first. That's a nice smooth bore. I've had to lap brand new barrels to keep them from grabbing patch. I've never owned a Lyman, I might have to correct that.
I didn't swab it to see how long it would last before it was too hard to load. 25 shots is about the limit. I swabbed it well after # 25 & it was like loading a new one. Thanks for watching.....
Really enjoy your videos, thanks so much you & mike Bellevue (duelist1954) make black powder shooting look allot of fun to shoot. Then again, any day at the range is a great day.
WOW...putting me in with the same league as Mike Beliveau is very kind of you! Thanks for watching.....
I've a great plains rifle I'm in love with! Is that a L&R lock on her? I'm thinking about getting the upgrade for reliability sake
This one is straight out of the box with a factory lock. One reason I bought it was having the option of getting a L&R lock down the road. Thanks for watching.....
You got yourself a new subscriber 😀
Welcome aboard....and....hope you enjoy some of the wackiest shooting videos on the "net".
I have the same in .54. I have had missfires or flash in the pans a lot. I noticed the touchhole liner can be screwed in or out which affects the distance from the pan. Could that be the culprit or too small of a touch hole?
Not sure if it makes difference or not, but, I keep the touch hole liners flush with the barrel. I did drill the touch holes out to 1/16" on both of my Pedersoli guns. That improved the ignition on both guns tremendously. Hope that helps out...thanks for watching.
Hey Mark! I have an older GPR in .54 cal and a newer GPH (Great Plains Hunter - faster twist) in .50 cal. How much do I love them? I just bought a GPR kit in .50 cal. YEP! All are percussion.
My kinda shooter! I LOVE shooting anything BP related. They are all a thrill to shoot!
I impressed with the lock time. But, I'll stick with my capper version. Been perfect since new in 1980.
As long as your shooting something B
P related, I'm all for it! Thanks for watching...
Always nice when they go off. That gun of yours what twist it have in it. 1 in 48 or 1 in 66
Its the 1 X 60 twist. I only shoot round balls.
@@blackpowdermaniacshooter thanks for the reply. It is a beautiful gun and you got the pig plenty of times. More so than your trade gun lol. But it is smooth bore.
@@markfair7648 Yes..I was quite surprised too. The shorter barrel helps me a lot! Thanks for watching...
Looks like one of the wedges is coming loose after a few shots. Needs a little bend maybe?
Yes...I noticed that when I was editing. Its been bent slightly since then. I had to do the same thing to my Lymans pistol last year.
Mine has loose wedges. How would you deal with that issue, so they don’t fall out under recoil?
I've lost 2 wedges before trying this trick. I pulled the barrel off the GPR and laid the barrel on a table with the wedge holes/slots pointed upwards. Get a piece of 1" or 1.5" pipe and lay it across the 2 openings ( do each separately ) 90 degrees from the barrel. Slightly hit the pipe with a hammer. Not too hard, just enough to give the opening a slight dent inwards towards the barrel. Once you put it back together, the wedge will fit tight and it will not fall out. Thanks for watching...
I have that baby in 54 cal. Patched ball or Real Bullet. Both deadly. 1/60 twist.
Both calibers are awesome shooters….!!!
Awesome
It is an awesome rifle. I look forward to spending a lot of time with this one....Thanks for watching...
@@blackpowdermaniacshooter cool! You are very welcome
Maniac do you have any videos on matchlocks or Blunderbuss?
Not yet...If I had either of those...they would have been featured by now.
@@blackpowdermaniacshooter veteran arms has two affordable matchlocks for sale. im planning on getting one. they also have blunderbuss. thought you might be interested. would like to see a review from you on the matchlock. hopefully one day in future :)
@@fatman4792 Maybe someday...who knows. If I get a hold of one...I'll put it through the works...LOL
Great video looks like the great plains is a fine rifle with a reliable lock.
It does have a good lock! Thanks for watching.....
Mark you said a .480 ball, was that a mistake or is that what you're using? I am using a .490 in mine with a .010 patch which can get pretty tight pretty fast.
I use a .480 to shoot with 98% of the time. I can pour .490's and have a few here, but, seldom use them. I mostly plink upwards to 75-100 times during an afternoon. Whenever I get in a competition ( I seldom enter in them -- don't care for the competition ) I'll get out those .490's. Thanks for watching.....
Mine is the Caplock version.
Both are great shooters….
I'm calling log cabin. I'm praying they got the site I need
They probably will..that place has about everything!
That flintlock rifle or muzzloader would be good to have during a ammo shortage no disrespect sir
Absolutely! I haven't slowed down my shooting at all using BP guns! .
Eastern KY. Hmm... clues to the location?
I am 50 miles NE of Lexington KY.
So what's the difference between the English flint and what it came with? I'm a percussion shooter so I have no idea, I dont mess with rocks hahaha
The machined flint isn't hard enough to last long striking the frizzen like the harder English or French flints are. They are only good enough to help a new shooter get started and probably much easier to obtain to include in the box. Flint shooters realize very quickly that English or French knapped flints lasts much longer. Great question. Thanks for watching.....
Lock time is slow on flint rifles teaches u to hold on target
Yep.....if one can shoot flint, all other guns are easy.
What kind of powder are you priming with, FFF?
Most of the time I prime with Swiss Null OB or 4F. The only time I prime with 3F is on high humidity days. Thanks for watching....
Do you Bore Butter your barrel before you shoot?
Not anymore. I use to put BB in it. Thanks for watching.....
Just wondering. I have seen some advice saying to do it. Since that was a new gun, I thought I would ask. I like watching the videos and have been putting the Female Flintlock Fun videos on our gun club FB and MEWE page to try and attract BP shooters.
@@DocLaw172 Thanks my friend...I have 3 more ladies ready to take on the challenge. I'm going to film 2 of them next Sunday afternoon. Those are a lot of fun to put together!
Where do I get flints ???
The Log Cabin Shop, Flintlocks LLC, Track of the Wolf all carries them in various sizes. Thanks for watching.....
My dream rifle I need to get me one
You will love it when you finding one. They are VERY reliable!
Happy camper,
Absolutely....it is warming too. That makes it even better!
Where did you order from?
Abe's General Store in Oil City Pennsylvania.
Mine is cap lock but it's the shootinest rifle I've ever had
They are very rugged guns! I LOVE mine...