I am looking at a Lyman Great Plains Hunter from The Possibles Shop. Definately percussion. I will be using it to hunt whitetails here in Indiana and whitetail and mulies in Wyoming. My hope would be to also end up going for elk and black bear, maybe antelope. What caliber will be best? Do I need the .54 for the larger game?
Simply because of what you want to hunt... a .54 is the way to go. There are lots of conicals on line that will or should work in that Great Plain Hunter. The 1-32 twist will shoot most of the Great Plains Conicals real well and should shoot Lyman maxiball excellent. You can get them in bulk on line very reasonable.
Also like frontier gander said, you will never be under gunned. That .54 shoots a larger, heavier, more energy producing conical that will put a world of hurt on what ever you shoot.
Also you might want to get a new hot shot nipple for the Lyman when you order the rifle. The Lyman nipples sometimes give people problems for some reason. Good luck with your selection.
And Outdoorslover is right.. a .50 will also work, but I like big bores in traditional rifles....
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One more question along this vein. With the traditional gun would I be better served with actual black powder like GOEX or is a modern sub going to shoot as well? I know the Hunter has a faster twist than most traditionally styled guns so I was unsurewhat would be best.
O.K. I'm indecisive, I know I said definately a percussion...but a friend made the argument that if I am going to shoot a traditional I should go all the way and buy a flintlock. And well...
While there is nothing wrong with a flintlock, it does take a lot more special considerations/learning to make the rifle shoot. Percussion caps I would always suggest to new shooters. Later, when you are comfortable with the percussion cap rifle, then a flintlock would be the next step. A lot of the stuff you learn as a percussion cap shooter will help you later when you go into flintlocks.
ALTHOUGH - if you want a real challenge, a flintlock would be a way to go and really make you work to be a proficient with a traditional rifle.
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One more question along this vein. With the traditional gun would I be better served with actual black powder like GOEX or is a modern sub going to shoot as well? I know the Hunter has a faster twist than most traditionally styled guns so I was unsurewhat would be best.
If your shooting a percussion cap Pyrodex RS will work just fine for you. If you're shooting a Flintlock then yes, go to a black powder like Goex. One thing to mention about Goex, it goes off "easier" then Pyrodex. I mean, it has a lower flash temperature so it fires very easy. Also Goex is a very consistant powder and usually provides some outstanding accuracy.
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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, a total wreck, screaming Yahoo, with a big smile on your face."
With all the help you can get on this forum I would buy the flintlock if I were you. You have a whole year to get ready. But I suggest that you only go with the flinter if you are willing to put in the time and effort. Shooting a flinter is much much much more satisfying.
As far as caliber, I like the 50 caliber. I know alot of good shooter's on this forum like a 54 caliber. I have always found the 50 caliber hole to be big enough. The 54 caliber may have an advantage in round balls, but you pay for that advantage in recoil.My roundball limit is 125 yards, andthe 50 caliber has never let me down. I think the 54 caliber is a disadvantage when it comes to conicals. IMO the 50 caliber conicals will outshoot the 54 caliber conicals. There is no weight advantage with conicals like there is in round balls when you compare 50 to 54 caliber. I can cast up to a 600 grain bullet in a 50 caliber. And I would surely hope that is big enough. Tom.
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You could always do what I did. I have a percussion Great Plains with a 54 GPR barrel and a 50 GPH barrel. That way I can shoot the larger PRB if I want or shoot conicals or sabots in the 50. I just got the GPH barrel and hope to shoot it in the next week or so and start working up a load for it. I got the extra barrel from Midsouth Shooters Supply for under $130. They also have good prices on the whole gun. D&R is another good source for the gun.
Good luck with what ever you decide.
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.50 or .54?
