I finally found out (i think)
 

Ok.. So my lyman .54 "trade rifle" is actually a lyman plains rifle, not the great plains rifle. I've had so many conflicting ideas on what it was. My dad bought it off a private seller in the 90's who didn't know the exact model. He just said it was a lyman.

I've had people tell me at the range it was a trade rifle, then i'd have other people tell me it was a GPR. I tried multiple times to do research on it and find out what exact model it was. It looked like a trade rifle except for the brass on the stock, which holds cleaning gear.

Today i decided to try to find more about it. I found a forum where someone posted a pic to help identify it. Everyone said it was a plains rifle. It was before the GPR and is now discontinued they said. I can't find hardly any specs on it. I would like to know the twist rate on it. I've been shooting PRB (90 gr 2f goex) out of it and it will hold baseball size groups at 50.

is this a plains rifle? It says nothing on the barrel except

-.54 cal
-BP only
-made in italy
- serial number is 71775
- LYMAN~MIDDLEFIELD.CONN

I would think a plains rifle would have two wedges.

hmm. do you know what model is i then?

Looks like the Lyman Trade rifle, and the Cabelas Hawken with a nicer patch box.

How long is the barrel?

the barrel is 29 inches

Just like the Cabelas.

could you post a link to it

If the barrel says Lymans it is an old trade rifle as the new Trade Rifles have no brass hardware in the stock. It is not a great plains rifle. The Great Plains Rifle has two wedge pins, never used brass and also have a 32 inch barrel. The Trade Rifle has a 28 inch barrel. Also the GPR and old one mind you, has a 1-66 twist. The Trade Rifle has a 1-48 twist. That is an old rifle. But what throws me the curve is... the double trigger. The GPR has a double trigger while the Trade Rifle has a single hunting trigger. I almost wonder if that is not a Cabela's Hawken stock and trigger with a Lyman Trade Rifle barrel in it. Same company, interchanging parts. So that really would be my guess.

Someone purchased a Cabela's Hawken which has the brass hardware, and the double trigger. And then might have picked up a Trade Rifle barrel and put that in the stock. Either way, that is a very nice rifle.



That is my Lyman .54 caliber Trade Rifle Flintlock.



That is a .50 caliber Lyman Great Plains Rifle with a 1-66 twist.



That is a Lyman Great Plains Hunter in flintlock. The difference between the Great Plains Rifle and the Great Plains Hunter is the barrel.



that one is a newer Great Plains Rifle in Flintlock. I think that is the .50 caliber model and not the .54 caliber.

thank you cayugad, so this is a trade rifle? or at least can i call it that haha

Cabelas isn't showing one, because they're probably out of stock.

Your gun is a bit confusing. The Lyman version uses a 28" barrel. The Cabelas is 29" which you have. The patch box is a Cabelas deal. I'm not sure what you have, but it's not a plains rifle.

The plains rifle was a style of gun. Hawken made a plains style gun. As did others. You don't have that style.

maybe im measuring the barrel wrong. I took it off an measured the whole barrel except the hook where it connects to the stock. I don't know the term but i think im including the breech? where the powder sits and there is no rifling. if i didn't include that it would be 28"

Yeah, you measured the breech too. Ok, that makes sense now.

I'm guessing a trade rifle that someone put a big patch box on it. Unless one was offered at some time. A call to Lyman might get you the answer.

plains(not great plains) rifle
 

Your gun definitely is a lyman plains rifle.I have one in 54 made in 1977.It has 1 wedge and a different patch box than the GREAT plains rifle.The barrel will interchange with the trade rifle,or so I've been told by others who I do trust.A super rifle just a little older than the great plains.

What do you think makes it a plains rifle compared to the trade rifle?

http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fu...hp?tid/263905/

that is where i got my info from, mine looks identical.

close serial numbers too

mine is 71775
that guys- 71794

Ah ok. That looks like what it is. I never saw one before.

You can determine the twist using a tight fitting patch on a jag. Be sure to use a rod handle that allows the rod to rotate. Insert the rod/tightly patched jag fully, then put a mark on the rod right where it exits the barrel (a vertical line would be best). Slowly remove the rod from the bore and watch the rod rotate. Estimate the amount of rotation of the rod (example - 1/2 of a full revolution). Measure the length of rod you had inserted between your reference mark and the end of the jag.

If you withdrew the rod 32" and the rod turned 1/2 revolution - your twist is 1:64 or very close.

Length of rod divided by fractional number of revolutions turned.

Edit: I suppose you would need to subtract the section that isn't rifled from the length of rod.

Looking at the barrel.. I would guess it is a Trade Rifle barrel. That means it has a 1-48 twist. My .54 Flintlock shoots a .535 roundball with 90 grains of 2f black powder very very well. It also shoots Powerbelts 405 grain .54 caliber. And my .50 caliber Trade Rifle shoots sabots real good.

So you can call it a Trade Rifle, but with all that brass I might be called a Hawken rifle also. Or you could call it ... "Bob." It is still a fine rifle.

You need to read the other posts. It's been identified.

Muley I did not see his link. But did see a question he asked me and thought it might be rude not to answer. So I am glad it was discovered what model it is. I had never seen a "Plains Rifle" but I would still guess it shoots well with a .535 roundball and around 90 grains of powder. At least that is where I would be looking.. if the Plains Rifle was mine.

A Plains Rifle was new to me too. I agree it's probably the same as a the Trade rifle barrel.

Companies take a lot of liberties. It doesn't have much in common with the original Plains rifles, but it's probably a better hunting gun for us, because we don't want to lug around a 10-11lb gun.

ive been shooting that. i get about 3inch groups at 50yds and about 6 inch group at 100yds off a bench. I'm going to give lyman a call and see what i can find out about this. I haven't been able to find anything about it on the internet except that link, which is very little.