First day Lyman flinter
 

I snuck out this morning to try out the new LH Lyman .54 GPR flintlock. Even before I left I called the gun shop yesterday and told him to get me two RMC vent liners. I knew I was going to need them.
The weather was about 70* and about 90% humidity.
All shots were made using a Hornady .530" ball and .018" pillow tick patch. Swabbing between each shot with T-17 patch/dry patch.
I shot the first target using 80 gr of FFg at 25 yds. As you can see the very first shot just caught the bottom of the paper. After a sight adjustment shot #2 about 1 1/2" below the bottom of the bull.
Then after another sight adjustment I shot #3, 4 and 5 and they grouped really nice. I thought I had this rifle figured out already.
Target #2: I shot the same 80 gr load at 50 yds. As you can see, 2 shots hit paper. Don't know where #3 is?
Target #3: I bumped up the charge to 90 gr and shot a 'decent' group with a new rifle. But I have to admit, the stock vent liner along with the humidity was giving me fits.
Target #4: This time I went up to 100 gr. The first 2 shots were touching. Then I had a long delayed hang fire which I discounted. I loaded up the third shot and shot just above the other 2.
All in all it was a decent shoot. Rushing to try and beat what looked like impending rain.
It does appear though that this rifle is going to be a powder hog.
I have the rear sight raised up as high as I dare without losing the screw/spring. Looks like I will be filing the front sight down about 1/16" - 3/32".

Awesome!!!

You will really like the RMC vent liners as ccomparded to the stock liners. I am to the point that I even believe the allen wrench insert in the vent liner helpd focus the pan han and sparks through the vent liner.

I think Dave has suggested the same thing about the need for powder when he is shooting his rifles...

That's darn good Bronko. Fun, aren't they? (And frustrating if you're getting a pan flash with no BOOM.) The RMC liner will fix that. While you waiting, drill out the stock liner a little.

I wouldn't file the sight until you get a few dozen more shots out of it. Or even better, get the Lyman 57 peep and live happily ever after. You will know true joy when you take your first deer with that .54 flinter.

No guarantee it will fix it. It didn't on mine. I'd still get slow ignition now and then. Even when I did everything exactly the same.

I guess the stars weren't lined up just right.

or BEAR!!!!!

I know all about the RMC liners. I've been using them for years in my other flinters. As soon as I saw the liner in this I was going to change it when I got home. But it must have went with the other .50 cal GPH I had.
I've taken several deer with a .50 flinter and one with a .45 flinter but none with a .54 yet. I hope that changes come this season. As for bear - I have a .54 GM 1:70 caplock for those guys. Along with a .54 Lyman Plains pistol as back up.
I may just get the #57 sight. But I wonder how it will work with the LH lock now that I think about it?

My two Lyman Flintlocks are powder pigs also. The Trade Rifle for some reason wants 90 grains of 2f and NOT 3f. When I tried 3f it sprayed all over the place. My Great Plains Hunter shoots sabots and I usually shoot 90 grains with them depending on the weight of the projectile.

For a first day on the range.. that is darn good shooting. Also try moving your pan powder around. My Trade Rifle likes it on the outside edge of the pan the the Great Plains likes it up near the touch hole. My T/C Flinter wants just a little powder on the outside edge. Its all learned with time. I would shoot that a little more before I start to file. But since you're at the top of the ramp already a little filing might not hurt.

That RMC vent liner is the only one I will use.

That is very good shooting, especially for a new rifle.

What sort of accuracy are you getting from the GPH? What bullets did it shoot the best? Leaving out heavy lead conical, because they have too much recoil for me.

Dave I never thought of moving the pan powder to the outside of the pan. I had it in the bottom but it would just flash and no boom. I had to fill the pan and tap the opposite side of the stock to get the powder right up against the touch hole. That is the only way the rifle would fire. I had 4 flash in the pans before the first ball even went downrange.
I ordered the Lyman 57 sight. I was going to get the #17 globe front too but I am going to wait an see how it is with just the #57GPR sight. I got it from Optics Planet. Good price - free shipping for any orders over $29. I just hope the sight doesn't get in the way of the hammer.

Muley..

Since the rifle has a 1-32 twist I found that 295 grain Powerbelts shot really good out of the rifle. And I mean real nice groups out to 50 yards. Since its open sights I seldom shoot further. Also the 240 grain T/C Cheap Shots did a real nice job of grouping. But the go to bullet is the .452 300 grain Hornady XTP in a HPH24 sabot. They shoot real good with 90 grains of 2f powder. I use 4f for the prime powder.

Bronko.. I dislike peep sights do I use the primitive sights on my rifle. I still have to drift the sight and take a little more off the front sight. Its a terrible thing to admit, but since I got that Sig Sauer 522.. it seems like that is all I want to shoot anymore.

Cayugad - I have gotten very use to peep sights. I have them on 3 of my T/C Hawken caplocks and I can shoot as good with a peep as a low power scope. I've even proved that to myself with my AR switching from peep to scope and back again. The cat's meow would be a reflex sight with a 3 MOA dot. But that would almost seem sacreligious putting a 21st century sight on a 18th century rifle....:eek2:

The Lyman 57 mounts farther back then the hammer at least the one that came installed on my Lyman is that way. I also use RMC vent liners work great put a little antiseize on them like a breech plug they come out much easier.

Had some bear meat again the other day and it still tastes bad to me. I love all wild game, but bear. It just doesn't taste good to me.

Must be something in my past. Maybe I was a bear in a previous life?!?!? :cool2:

My old eyes can't focus in low light. And I hunt a lot, so peeps are out for me. Open I can see!!! :arms:

Bear meat tastes bad for a couple reasons...

Bear was a garbage eater. Never shoot a dump bear and expect to eat it. They can be fine or really funky tasting.

When you make bear, be sure that every tiny bit of fat is removed from that meat before cooking. All the fat has a rancid taste if you cook it. Remove it, and have just pure meat.

Try to cook bear over an open fire on the grill. If you want to roast it.. sear it good first. And then add such things as onions and potatoes. Did you know potatoes will absorb flavors from other foods. And mushrooms should only be added towards the end as they can impart a flavor of their own if cooked for long periods of time.

I like to take a bear steak, cook it over an open wood fire. Nothing better then that. If you ate bear and had a greasy rancid taste in the roof of your mouth, all the fat was not removed.




That was the first time I shot my Lyman Trade Rifle Flintlock. The first two pan flashes kind of startled me. But then I calmed down and got to business. Now this is off a bench rest, at 30 yards.





This was I believe 25 yard shooting with the Lyman GPH. And I was working on learning loads. I found that the T/C Cheap Shots did not do bad. I figured that would be a good deer load.

reafsob - I make bear roast in a slow cooker or pressure cooker adding onions, potatoes, and carrots and also add 3 beef bullion cubes to add flavor. And Cayugad is right. You must reomove all the fat (same as with deer) or you will get a rancid taste. Otherwise it is excellent. Maybe the meat you had wasn't properly cared for prior to processing.

Mine eyes cannot focus close without cheaters. This state prohibits the use of optics during the muzzy season. I am forced to use a peep sight whilst hunting our muzzy seasons, because i cannot hardly focus on the front sight let alone the rear sight.

The peep sight doesn't require one to focus on it. One looks through it. Perhaps your aperture are too small. My rifles have the largest available aperture, 0.150".

I found a full buckhorn sight can be much easier on my eyes and sight picture. Peeps don't give me enough light. Buckthorns don't stop light.

I like my bear burgers on the grill over a nice bed of coals. Roasts I like to do in a Dutch Oven on a grate so the juices are below the meat and the meat is not resting in the juices. They make grreat sausages too!


You'll actually like the peep on the GPR flinter. It sort of hides some of the flash in front of your eye and cocking the hammer is no problem.
I have them on my .50 and .54 GPR's and on the .50 Deerstalker flinters.

HA