Old Lyman
 

Hey guys, this is my first post. I have read alot and got a lot of info from you guys. I shoot a Knight Disc rifle and have had good luck with it. My girlfriend loves to hunt and her Dad gave her his old Lyman. He said he got it the year she was born so she's excited to hunt with it. My question is, what type of bullets should we buy for the gun. She was born in '79 so that'll let you know how old the gun is. I'm not sure what the twist is but I'm assuming it doesn't have much. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks and keep the good info coming.

RE: Old Lyman
 

Welcome to the forum. It's nice to have you here.

Guessing by the age of the rifle it is probably a Lyman Great Plains rifle. Check the rifle and see if the barrel is not 32" and it has two wedge pins. If it is an old GPR it would have a 1-66 twist. They are roundball shooters. If it is a .50 caliber it will shoot a .490 or .495 grain patched roundball. Load about 90 grains of powder and it should shoot just fine. The older GPR's were kind of powder hogs as I remember. If it is a .54 caliber, then it will shoot a .530 or .535 grain roundball and again, with 90 grains of powder it should shoot well. Do to their length and weight the recoil with them is not bad at all.

If it is a shorter rifle, it would be their Trade Rifle with a 1:48 twist. Again the same loads apply, or you can try some Lyman Maxi ball. Although with maxi ball cut the load back to about 70 grains and work your load up.

RE: Old Lyman
 

Thanks cayugad, I checked the rifle and the barrel is 29". It is a .50 cal. I'm not sure what you mean by two wedge pins. It does have the two triggers which I have seen before on the older guns. I've been hunting with black powders for about ten years so I kind of know the basics. I kind of figure this gun will shoot balls better but wasn't sure and didn't want to buy a bunch of balls if we weren't going to shoot them. She was worried about the recoil and the brass butt plate wasn't helping any. I told her it wouldn't be too bad. Thanks for the info.

Rodburner

RE: Old Lyman
 

Along the side of the stock towards the middle andfront, you will see brass or steel pins that hold the stock to the barrel. Those are the wedge pins I am talking about.

RE: Old Lyman
 

brass buttplate wont hurt her at all if you make sure she holds it correctly. I took a .50and .54 with 110 grains fffg and the 54 with 90 grains fffg and its just a kiss to the shoulder.

RE: Old Lyman
 

With set triggers, it's almost certainly a Great Plains model, although current GP's have 32" barrels and steel butt plates. (Could be wrong about the butt plate.)

The Lyman Trade Rifle has a brass butt plate, but never had set triggers.

Great Plains rifles are usually 1 in 60" twist round ball shooters. The GP "Hunter" model has a 1 in 32" twist suitable for conicals (and maybe sabots). You can buy 32" hunter barrels for current guns, but I have no idea if they would fit your older model. You could probably find out from Lyman customer service (1-800-22LYMAN) or Dixon Muzzleloading in Kempton, PA (Lyman's warrenty repair shop) at 610-756-6271.

RE: Old Lyman
 

I have a 1:48 twist TC Flintlock, and I shoot Sabots in it. If the twist of the gun is 1:48, it will shoot round balls, conicals or sabots. I shot roundballs for 1 year in it, I didn't like the performance on game. I only shot 70, with round balls, since they are lighter there is NOT much recoil. I would get a SIMS recoil pad for her, to fit the gun, they have them that fits most models. If you use 70g instead of 90g and a round ball, then you have a good 50 yard gun, not much over that however. If you shoot conicals, then it will be effective to 100 yards. I signted mine in at 13 yards dead on, then adjusted at 50 yards. That worked quite well. Is it a percussion or FL? Chap Gleason

RE: Old Lyman
 

Semisane is right about the new Great Plains having a 1-60 twist. Although the older ones did have a 1-66 twist and then in the 80's changed for some stupid reason. Then old rifles were and still are a very accurate roundball rifle.

With that 29" barrel I am starting to think it might be a very old Trade Rifle. I am not certain but I thought the very early trade rifles had double triggers then they changed over to the single hunting trigger. The Trade Rifle is 1-48 twist and will shoots lots of stuff. I have a Trade Rifle in Flintlock that I shoot all the time. An excellent rifle.

RE: Old Lyman
 

Hey Chap, thanks for the info. Hers uses percussion caps. We'll probably just get some round balls and she can use them. She got her first deer last year and has the fever now. She shot a buck that had fourteen points and two broken ones. Everyone told her she'd never get another deer like that one and she says she's going to prove everyone wrong and I hope she can. Thanks again for the info.


Rodburner

RE: Old Lyman
 

I told her not to worry that it wouldn't kick that bad. It just scared her that there was no cushion there and the gun is so much bigger than she's use to shooting.

Rodburner

RE: Old Lyman
 

Caygad, there is only one wedge pin. Thanks for all the info.

Rodburner

RE: Old Lyman
 

One wedge pin makes it a trade rifle then... the same thing I have. They have a 1-48 twist. They shoot roundball excellent.



That is my Trade Rifle. Try it with 80 grains of Pyrodex RS or any other powder for that matter since this is a percussion lock, and a patched roundball. That is all that would be needed to take a deer, out to 100 yards. They really are a nice shooting rifle.

RE: Old Lyman
 

A good boyfried would let her shot the Knight. Or buy her a new TC and shot the Lyman every once in a while.

RE: Old Lyman
 

I guess that means I'm not a good boyfriend.. lol

RE: Old Lyman
 

At least you take her hunting. What about your brother and nephew? Do you ever take them hunting?

RE: Old Lyman
 

Start her out with 50 grains of powder, let her get used to the gun...
70-80 grains is plenty for deer at ranges that you use open sights for, round balls are great killers, mushroom pretty easily, don't need a lot of velocity to help mushroom...

RE: Old Lyman
 

Sometimes I take my brother and nephew. I feel more like a guide than a hunter but we always have fun and everyone usually gets a deer. She just gets bigger ones than everyone else. Thanks for butting in okiejaco, wish you had some good info!!

RE: Old Lyman
 

I am short on info, sorry. These other guys now a lot more than I do. I just got a blackpowder this year and am still learning. I need to get down to Willow and shoot it some.Theweeds where I usually shoot areabout 8'tall. Let us now how your girlfriend likes shooting her new old blackpowder.

RE: Old Lyman
 

I've got a Lyman Great Plains Rifle. It's one of the newer ones with 1:60" twist, and it's definitely a roundball only shooter. Not to say that's bad...I took my first blackpowder deer a couple years ago with it, and it did the job quite well. My load is 67gr of FFF Goex with a .490 roundball (pillowticking patch). Not sure if that will match up well to a shorter barrel with a faster twist, but it might be something to try.

Regarding the brass buttplate...I was taught that with that style gun, it was designed to not go directly on the shoulder. Rather, when you bring it up, it would go in the crook between your shoulder and your upper arm. The reasoning behind that goes back to the original design, which the GPR is a pretty good replica. It was designed for shooting while wearing heavier clothes, and allows for a more comfortable, faster, and more repeatable firing position. Make sure that when she starts out with it that she starts with some lighter loads to get used to the gun before building up the powder. Also, she'll take much less beating if she's shooting it from any position other than at a sighting bench. At a sighting bench, the tendency is to not pull it as tight into the shoulder, and the body tends to not move with the shot to soften the recoil some. I remember the first time I shot mine off a bench I had a black and blue for a few days from only shooting 15-20 shots. Since then I figured it out and it's been much less painful.

RE: Old Lyman
 

Thanks RiverOtter. We're going to try several loads before we go hunting. I'm pretty sure she can handle the gun. I told her not to worry about it that it didn't kick that bad. After reading some of the good info you guys leave she's not worried anymore. Here's a picture of her with her first ever deer. She shot it with my .243. I told her she's going to have to hunt rifle season with her new blackpowder..lol

RE: Old Lyman
 

Better put a ring on that girl before you lose her, she's a keeper...;)

RE: Old Lyman
 

I'd hold onto that girl if I were you...oh, and great buck too!;) You'll definitely have to throw up another pic if she tops that buck. I've been trying to top my first buck as well. Mine was with a shotgun on the opening day of the first deer season I ever hunted 4 years ago. It was a heavy 7 pointer, not including both of the brow tines that had been broken off by fighting. My first (and only) blackpowder deer was with that Lyman. I've gotten a couple deer with the bow, and with the shotgun. So far my only rifle deer was with my grandfather's .243 that he passed on to me as well (Rem 700 built in 1967). Good luck to both of you this season!

RE: Old Lyman
 

WOW!! that is a great deer. Load her rifle with 80 grains of Pyrodex RS or Pyrodex P and a patched roundball and I bet it will be a good shooter. I got my deer last year with my flintlock Lyman Trade Rifle, but nothing near what she has in that picture. And I wish her the best of luck, although from the picture it looks like she has better luck (or a better place to hunt) then I do.

Speaking of women hunting.. Many years ago, I took my wife deer hunting with me. We parked the truck on the field edgeand walked into the hardwoods on our property. Sat down in a stand I built, knowing she wanted to come and sit with me, and got comfortable. It wasn't twenty minutes andthat's when I saw a nice little buck coming my way up the trail towards us. I pointed it out to her and she was just fascinated watching it. As I took the safety off, she suddenly stood up.. yelled "Run for your life he's got a gun." She then turned around with this shocked look on her face, apologized to me for what she did and told me perhaps it would be better if she went home and left me to hunt alone. I agreed with her. Later that afternoon I shot a much bigger buck so maybe it was fate she did that.. but I never told her that.

RE: Old Lyman
 

Shot placement will be critical, so she should practice a lot with that gun, especially with open sights. 14 points, wow,she will have to hunt a lot of years to better that. Best wishes. Chap Gleason

RE: Old Lyman
 

She is a great girl, butI thought this forum was supposed to be about blackpowder guns. It doesn't take much to get you guys off the subject...lol Thanks for all the great info and she got a kick out of you guys. She really is a wonderful person. And another thing, she can cook GOOD!! My brother picked us up some round balls and patches at Bass Pro and should be here with them tomorrow. I'll try to keep you guys posted as to how she does when we shoot. Thanks again.

RE: Old Lyman
 

"Off the subject"...We are all men!!! What she has doesn't ever go out of style...
No bathroom tapping in this bunch....Heck, I've been married 28 years, have 3 beautiful daughters, one is 25 and married....But I still appreciate a beautiful lady...I ain't dead yet...:D

RE: Old Lyman
 

She is beautiful and I know I'm a lucky man. Only thing is, she usually out fishes and out hunts me. She hasn't got the shotgun down yet so I can still get her on that one.
My brother got here with the balls and patches today and I can't wait to get her out there and let her shoot the gun.Thanks guys, it was a pleasure chatting with you!