Lyman Plainsman
 

The wife of a coworker of mine gave me her late husband's 1970's vintage Lyman "Plainsman" muzzle loader. It looks to be in excellent shape. In fact it looks dang near brand new. All the experience I have is with in-lines.

This is a 54 cal., 1:60 twist. She included some accessories. I am looking for advice on loads for this rifle, hints on how to best clean, effective range for hunting white tail deer mostly. And I plan on doing some fun range shooting. Thanks.

Can you post a picture or two of that rifle.... I can't remember what they looked like??? Is it flint or percussion? It's definitely a round ball shooter with that 1:60 twist. Further, you will have no problem finding all the info you need here and from the most reliable of sources.

BPS

Being a Lyman, if its like my four... they can take a bigger ball so you can shoot the .530 or .535 obly the patch might be different. I shoot both depending on what box I grab and they both shoot excellent. 90 grains of 2f is my .54 caliber's magic number, and a patched round ball.

Cleaning is easy.. remove the pins and just water bath it. Sometimes you have to swab between shots so if loading gets hard, just swab the bore of the rifle before reloading.

Does it say Plainsman, or Great Plains Rifle on the barrel?

It would be a great plains rifle i would imagine and if from the 70s it should be a 1:66 instead of 1:60 like they are nowdays .

is it a flintlock or percussion. If its a flinter, I would be interested it you plan on selling it. My friend has been looking for a .54 flintlock round ball shooter for a while now but can't locate any.

HMMM.... not so sure about that 1874. I don't believe the "Great Plains" rifle was in production yet in the 70's. The name "Plainsman" rings a bell... but I can't remember what they looked like.

BPS

The GPR came out in 1979 . I remember because i bought a kit that year and it was my first blackpowder gun . Maybe there was a plainsman but im not familiar with it .

1874...

I believe what they called the "Plainsman" rifle looked very similar to a Hawken style with a large (and a bit elaborate) patchbox and had brass furniture, but not like the "Trade rifle" with no patchbox but with brass furniture. I've found pics but had trouble posting them.

BPS

Mojotex,

Does it look like this???

http://picturearchive.gunauction.com...37748b14ac.jpg

Or this?

https://s.yimg.com/fz/api/res/1.2/0F...523/523082.jpg

BPS

I seem to vaguely remember a Plainsman too, but wasn't sure. Not that it matters too much to his question about a load. Just curious.

The only two "Plainsman" I can find on the internet are from Pedersoli and CVA.

The early Lymans were called Plains Rifle as per Backpowdersmoke's first picture. The one have was made in 1977.

stude283,

I never meant for anyone to think that there was a rifle called the "Plainsman" made by Lyman... but I knew there was somewhat of a Hawken style they put out that they did not call a Hawken, and I'm thinking it was the first pic I posted as you say. Waiting to hear from Mojotex on which one he has...

BPS

Muley,

Once we know what he has, I'm sure we'll all jump in on what he needs to know. We already know it's a round ball twist barrel, but it would be nice to know (for our sake, and his) what rifle he has and what ignition it is.

BPS

Sorry guys that I have not replied to the questioning. Been in the woods past few days doing some post deer season scouting and pre turkey season scouting as well. I hunt SE Alabama. I cannot believe the number of freshly worked scrapes I came across.

I pull out the rifle tonight and see if I can come up with the info you all have been asking about.

PLEASE... post a picture of it if you can.

BPS

Its a Lyman "Great Plains Rifle 54". Made in Italy with S/N - - 0119. It is a cap lock, has and double set trigger. Stock has a nice cheek rest, with a steel butt plate. Showing my ignorance ..... I don't know the style of the iron sight. I like it but .... rear sight looks sort of like a fat cow-horn with a vertical slot in the center. I tried attaching a photo but got an error message that said I was using up too much text .... something like half million ??? Looked like line after line of code .... gobblety-gook. Anyone interested in a photos , e-mail me and I'll try sending them that way. Seems to me to be in very good shape.

So .... there is all I know about it.

That's what I thought . Made in 1979 by lyman(invest arms) a great rifle , it is a 1:66 twist then later they switched to a 1:60 twist . A really good gun for sure

There may be a square on the barrel that has two letters in it, the first will be an "A"(at least in mine) the second letter indicates the year it was made. Mine was made in the 1980's and has "AN" in the square. I am sure that someone has that list of letters and the dates that go with them.

I like my .50 cal. Investarm Hawken better then the T/C model. It has better wood and is finished very well.

That low of a serial number im betting its AE which is 1979
Your AN is 1985

code
1945 = 1
1946 = 2
1947 = 3
1948 = 4
1949 = 5
1950 = 6
1951 = 7
1952 = 8
1953 = 9
1954 = X
1955 = XI
1956 = XII
1957 = XIII
1958 = XIV
1959 = XV
1960 = XVI
1961 = XVII
1962 = XVIII
1963 = XIX
1964 = XX
1965 = XXI
1966 = XXII
1967 = XXIII
1968 = XXIV
1969 = XXV
1970 = XXVI
1971 = XX7
1972 = XX8
1973 = XX9
1974 = XXX
1975 = AA
1976 = AB
1977 = AC
1978 = AD
1979 = AE
1980 = AF
1981 = AH
1982 = AI
1983 = AL
1984 = AM
1985 = AN
1986 = AP
1987 = AS
1988 = AT
1989 = AU
1990 = AZ
1991 = BA
1992 = BB
1993 = BC
1994 = BD
1995 = BF
1996 = BH
1997 = BI
1998 = BL
1999 = BM
2000 = BN
2001 = BP
2002 = BS
2003 = BT
2004 = BU
2005 = BZ
2006 = CA
2007 = CB
2008 = CC
2009 = CD
2010 = CF

I am hoping to shoot it some soon. A good friend of mine shoots a similar ML , a Hawken style, and has volunteered to help me learn. Only experience I have is with in-line ML's. If I can feel confident in making a 50-75 yard shots with this set up, I'll be toting it come fall ML days. I am a bit concerened about open sights. Eye's are as old as I am unfortunately !! Thanks for all the input. I really appreciate it.

Thanks, Sharpshooter. I had forgotten the year. My serial # is 2023xx, a whole lot more then #119. I wonder if that low of a number would be of interest to a gun collector.

A very nice rifle indeed and it should be a great round ball shooter. I've always thought Lyman's fit and finish was better on their earlier guns as well. The best part is the fact that it belonged to a friend of yours and was given to you as a gift.

BPS

Thanks for those date codes 1874!

So my .50, bought as NOS, is AE xxx564; the 564th produced?

BPS ---- Definitely #2.

Question .... I started looking for info on the rifle and found the Lyman manual. Mostly general stuff. In this manual was the description of a rather detailed process that could be (should be?) used to determine the true caliber, the purpose of which was to be able to select the proper diameter ball and the thickness of the patch. Is this truly necessary or can I use the Lyman spec on the rifle bore to determine these.

I am plsnning on using this rifle for hujnting white tailed deer, and limit myself to the distance that the rifle groups well enough .... and that I can manage using open sights.

Any advice appreciated ....

This thread offers some advice on your question:

http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/blac...pr-54-cal.html

Mojotex...

Sounds like you've got a pretty good handle on things. You don't need to jump through extra hoops... it's a production, not a custom rifle. That said, experiment with different loads, patch thickness', and yes even cast VS swaged lead (absolutely pure lead) balls. Try FFg and FFFg powders.... I say this because I prefer black powder, but you may find Pyrodex P or RS will work well for you seeing as how you have a percussion rifle. Triple7even may work for you as well, but I'd try Pyrodex first if you're going to try sub powders. Not to mention that you should try several brands of percussion caps ( CCI, Remington, RWS) just to see if there is any variance.

Take your time... shoot, shoot, and shoot some more!! You're gonna love muzzleloading, especially after you harvest your first deer the way our ancestors did!! Good luck and let us know how things are going!!

BPS

Thanks all --- I have ordered some stuff and plan to head to the range as soon as I can find time off work when it is not raining !!!

I want to thank all those who chimed in on my original post. I finally got to the range. Realize that my eyesight is not all that great and about 100 yards is as far as I can manage open sights. I set up at 50 yards. I decided to start with 90 gr. of 777. I also tried 95 gr., 100 gr. and 105 gr. I was thrilled with the groups using 100 gr. and have decided to hang with that. I did learn a lot about "patch and ball" seating. For sure I really had to think about the force I was using tom pack. Took me 5-6 shots to "center" the group. I shot the 100 gr. load 25 times and almost all hit a circle of about 4" in diameter. Most on the right hand side of center. I had three shots that were way, way out of that group .... low 4" - 6". Not sure why. Not bad for an old man. I had to clean after about every 3 rd. shot due to difficulty seating the ball. Is 3 shots - then clean about normal?

Better to keep the PRB to 100yd max anyway, so you're good.

Just my personal opinion. The round ball loses energy fast.

I like to clean every shot, but I don't use T7. My powder has more fouling.

That is good shooting! Nice work, I'd be real happy with that at 100yds - especially since you say your eyesight ain't what it used to be :D

Personally, I've always just used a spit patch between shots when using real black powder, pyro, t7, etc. I don't do a full clean until I am done. I know some folks like to swab with alcohol or windex between shots.

Spit patch is what I use between shots. Soap and water at home.

OK tell me about this "Spit patch" deal ? And if not T7 then what other powder should I try.

By the way, I am probably going to limit my shots to 75 yards or less.

Buddy of mine has a Hawken style. His eyesight is far worse than mine so he uses a scope. Not sure what brand but supposed to be a high quality reproduction of what was used way back when. Neat looking.

Some guys put the patch in their mouth to wet it. I think that gets it too wet. I just lick one side 2-3 times, and put that side towards the bore. Then follow that with a dry patch on both sides.

T7 is ok if you like it, and it's working for you.

Nice job Mojotex!! I know you used 777 with good result but I would pick up a pound of black powder sometime and give it a try. You may find your groups tighten up so it wouldn't hurt to try it. If your sights are adjusted properly and your still printing right of center, it could be that you're "pulling" rather than squeezing the trigger providing you're a right hand shooter. You could lighten the set trigger a bit and see if that helps.

BPS