Still No Conventional Muzzleloader
 

Got to get a conventional muzzleloader and have it ready for use by Ft. Sill M/L season on 15 October. Its must be a lefty. Will use conicals in the gun.

Found a left hand Lyman Great Plains rifle in .54 caliber for $389. It is 1:32 twist. Is this a good rifle at a decent price?

http://store.thirdgenerationshooting...m/4,11448.html

That's a perfect gun for what you want.

Just so you know. He was overstocked and wanted to move out all the Lyman guns he had. He started with a very long list. I bought two of them myself.

Anyway, that price of $389 is below his cost. So, yes it's a good price, and you won't find another one like it anywhere else. Most places sell that gun for around $500.

Be warned though. The gun is heavy, and weighs over 9 lbs.

I have the same gun in flintlock. It shoots some conical bullets well. If your going to shoot conicals, get a .50 caliber.

Good gun! I'd go with the .50cal 1:32 twist and shoot everything from powerbelts to REAL's in it. Hell, Thors would do amazing in that sucker for hunting. Our cabelas hawken will put them into a 1" group at 100 yards and thats with the 1:48 twist.

The problem is, he doesn't have any .50 cal in left hand, or I would have bought one. It's hard to buy a .50 cal somewhere else for $500, when you can get a .54 for $389.

Just shoot the .54 Powerbelts, or big lead conicals.

That's a perfect gun for what you want

Yep, hes out of .50 cals.

Thanks folks. Will order that .54 cal. gun next week.

I bought my .54 gpr 1:60 twist from third generation last summer. The best deal i could find and great service. Got to me in less than a week. The gpr is my first and only m/l and i absolutely love it. The gun shoots 3" round ball groups at 100 yards off a rest. Not too shabby for open sights.

Falcon - just out of curiosity why does it have to be a lefty? I'm a southpaw too and all my muzzies are right handed. Even my flintlock. And you can pick up used ones almost anywhere in good shape. Beleive me, when you're focused on your target, you never notice the rifle firing.
But I believe my local gun shop has a LH Lyman Great Plains (1:66) in a .50 that he has had for a while. If you give him a call it might even cost you less than the one at 3rd gen. I would go check it out for you but I will be away all this week. The name of the shop is Keefer's Gunsmithing and his number is 570-345-4490. They are open 4-9 pm M-F and 9-3 Sat. Ask for Dave.

I bought a lefty because the cheekpiece on the hawken style rifles screwed with me. I think i could shoot something like the trade rifle or renegade that has a straight stock in a righty. Just my 2 cents.

Yes, I always buy LH guns if they have a cheek piece. You also have to be careful they don't put some cast off in the stock.

That's why I liked the Renegade. Straight stock with no cheek piece.





Bronko....He wants to use conicals. Otherwise the GPR would be a good choice, but then he'd be better off with a .54.

i'm spoiled by left hand guns. For years i used right handed rifles. In 1966 i traded a Winchester model 1873 1 of 1,000 that likely been dug up for a nice Weatherby left handed rifle in .300 magnum. It was made for Weatherby in the early-mid 50s by a company called Mathieu. Liked that gun and started accumulating more left handed guns. All my go to centerfire rifles i are left hand including my AR-15. My Savage model 93 .22 magnum is a lefty.

Two of my inlines are right handed guns; the third is a TC Encore. My go to muzzleloader is a CVA StagHorn: its awkward because i have to use my right hand to take it off safe.

falcon - I can symphathise with your desire for left handed rifles. I also have a bunch of left hand bolt action CF rifles. And I too have a LH AR and a bunch of lever guns and single shots. The bolts are LH simply because of the easier cycling for a second shot without going through too many contortions. But even then I've (fortunately) rarely needed a second shot at game. But as for the ML - there usually ain't going to be a second shot. So IMO a LH ML has no advantage and they cost more.

Well if you think you can shoot a straight stock right handed percussion rifle.. and you need one that shoots conicals.. I have had good luck shooting T/C New Englanders and Black Mountain Magnums (1-28 twist) with conicals.

Even a GPR/GPH?

Thanks, Bronko. Today or tomorrow i'll make a run through the Lawton pawnshops and see what they have to offer.

I don't get why you're thanking Bronko? The stock does make a difference in the the gun you asked about, and the price is the same for LH or RH guns.

Yes, even in a GPR. The LH is at least $25 more.

Other than the cheek piece there is no stock difference. There is no casting on a ML stock like on a shotgun. And all the cheek piece does is elevate your cheek. If I refinish a RH stock on a ML, like a Lyman GPR or T/C Hawken, I may completely remove the cheekpiece.

Say what you want about the cheek piece. It lines up the sights better. Why should he buy a gun and have to sand off the cheek piece, and then have to refinish it? The gun is very comfortable with it.

Not to mention it's not a bad copy of a Hawken. Which as you know. Had a cheek piece.

As I mentioned earlier. The Renegade is fine shooting from either side. My Renegade was a RH gun that I shot left handed, but that stock was symmetrical. The GPH isn't.

As a side note. If you put a peep sight on the gun. It gets in the way of having to reach over with your left thumb to cock a right hand hammer.

It just makes sense to buy the GPH LH gun he can get below wholesale. I like buying from that guy, because he's had those guns for awhile, and they are the older ones with the dark stain. They seem to be a better fit and finish than the ones being made now. The two that I bought were perfect in every way.

Muley - You, me, and every other LH shooter (especially the older guys) knows that we more easily adapt to objects in this predominately RH world.

We do adapt. We have no choice. However, the LH GPR I bought fit me perfect, and it was nice to not have the cheek piece on the wrong side.

I just think he'd be happier with that LH GPH.



btw..The GPH and GPR have the same stock. :) The only difference in the whole gun is the twist.

This sight wouldn't get in the way of cocking the hammer from the left side if the gun was shouldered?

I normally cock prior to shouldering. But even with a left side hammer, cocking it with your thumb while shouldered is still difficult unless you are a contortionist! On a shouldered sidelock, cocking is better achieved using the palm of the hand on the little finger side. So whether the hammer is on the left or right is no different.

This is how misunderstandings happen. We don't all do things the same way. I have to cock the hammer unshouldered too on a RH gun. I can do it shouldered with a LH gun. Which I prefer to do.

So far, I haven't said anything wrong that tried to correct. :p

sounds like someone has those short lil stubby southerner digits :D

Plus a fat face that doesn't need a cheek piece. :biggrin:

:D i was actually commenting on bronkos post. Im double jointed so i have no problem cocking a sidelock when its shouldered.

I was doing the same thing.

Try and keep up knucklehead. :poke:

Agreed - but then again, neither have I. Different strokes for different folks.

Well, i spent almost three hours looking for one conventional muzzleloader in pawnshops: Nada.

Last place i'd look for a gun.

Actually I have very large hands - just like my dad. And you know what they say about guys with big hands? Yep, you're right - large gloves! And also, the last time I looked PA was not a southern state..

Pennsylvania Rifle/Kentucky Rifle. Same thing. :)

Blasphamy - It was a long walk from KY to Lancaster, PA to get a good Pennsylvania Long Rifle. But at least the Kentuckians knew were to get a good rifle. And Ol Daniel Boone's PA homestead was only ab out 60 miles from me. He took his PA long rifle to KY as he pioneered the area and, although not the founder, he blazed the Cumberland Trail in TN & KY.

Was talking with two friends this morning and mentioned the need for a conventional muzzleloader. My friend Chuck said he had a TC New Englander .50 and would sell it for $150, what he paid for it. He had gotten the gun second hand in a its original box. His wife threw the box away, but thats ok.

I bought the gun; its very clean and looks new. i'm not crazy about the tupperware stock; may try to find a wood stock. The ramrod is not the right one; its too short. i'll make an aluminum ramrod. My bullet problems are solved: There is a big box full of Maxi-Hunter and Maxi-Ball 320, 350 and 370 grain bullets bought cheap at Wal-Mart cheap after BP season was over. Also have lots of Winchester #11 magnum primers bought cheap at W-M. Sometime hoarding does pay off.

Bronko, you are right there is no problem cocking the gun with my left hand. Any recommendations for loads using Pyrodex RS?

Falcon, congrats on your purchase. Now as for powder charges, don't go dumping large amounts of powder down the bore. Be methodical in your load development. Start with one bullet weight and 70 gr of powder (by volume not weight). Work your way up in 10 gr increments. Take lots of patches and alcohol and swab between each shot for consistancy. Shoot 3 shots with each load. You should see your groups possibly start out large, tighten up and then begin to open up again. Keep a log so you will remember what the best load is for that bullet. Do the same with each bullet weight. You may want to measure your groups to go back later and try to duplicate.

Congratulations on your purchase and good luck with your new rifle.
I look forward to seeing how it shoots. Do you know the twist rate of the barrel?

Thanks, Bronko.

i think its 1:48"

Definitely 1:48. The .50 New Englander I had really liked Hornady 410 grain Great Plains flat point conicals over 70 grains of Pyrodex RS. Unfortunately, Hornady no longer makes them. It did almost as well with the 385 grain Great Plains hollow points.