fast twist barrel for Lyman great plains hunter

I am thinking of getting a fast twist barrel for my great plains hunter so that I can up the projectile weight for elk hunting. I also have no idea what projectile to use. Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Frank

54 cal patched round ball should do fine.

I use a Paper patched 500 S&W bullet. The Lee C-501-440-RF is an outstanding big game bulllet. Ron

Mr. FRJ,
Perhaps I am mistaken but doesn't the GPH have the fast twist barrel?
The GPR has the RB (slow twist) barrel.
In our .54cal GPH we have had good luck with both the Improved Mini and the REAL with max or near max charges. Using a PRB, we have found 40gr 2F to provide excellent accuracy in the GPH.
Best Wishes

The Great Plains rifle comes with either the slow twist RN barrel for the GP Hunter-fast twist barrel. A .54 sized RB is plenty good medicine for elk but as you probably know, nothing makes up for a badly placed shot, no matter the caliber. I have a .50 fast twist barrel that groups REAL bullets well, and shoots the maxi types conicals almost as good too. If you use a conical for big game make sure it is made from pure lead and has a wide meplat (frontal area).

Just a thought here. If it's a .54, a round ball will be plenty good for taking an elk. I would think twice about using a .50 round ball for elk, especially if you've never hunted elk with a muzzle loader.

I personally like the round ball better than a heavy bullet because it's faster and flatter shooting, and bullet manufactures will disagree with me, but it's usually more accurate than most (excluding paper patched) conicals under 100 yards or so. A conical will give you a gain in range, but you really need to be familiar with the trajectory, since there is more of an arc.

I've taken six elk with round balls, five of which were with a .54. A good broadside shot to the chest will zing right through them. They usually trot a short ways, stop, then fall over. With a good lung hit, the lungs ooze out in the form of purple jelly.

I don't want to talk you out of using a heavy bullet, I just thought I'd add some personal observations in case you thought a .54 round ball was too light for taking elk. I personally have no experience with taking game with conicals, but I've seen two elk and a deer taken with maxi's and sabots, and I just wasn't very impressed. They just didn't match all the hype that was written all over the box they came in. Hope this helps, Bill

Yes I was worried about not getting a clean kill with the round ball. Also concerned that accuracy may be better with a bullet rather than a ball. I'm going out right now and retest my load for accuracy (I havent shot it in several years) and then decide if I need to spend the money on a new barrel.I've been bowhunting (longbow) for 15 years now and its getting too crowded so I'm going ML for elk. Thanks for all your comments. Frank

Observation:
I have hunted elk with Hornady's Great Plains bullet in my Cabela's .54 Hawken, and have had good performance. I shot one bull at about 50 yards, he whirled around and gave me enough time to reload, and I shot him again. Both bullets criss-crossed through him, and stopped in the skin on the opposite side. Then he ran 100 yards or so down hill and my truck was uphill. His heart and lungs were mush. They're tough! If you have to hunt with a bullet, I highly recommend them. I have them both here in my hot little hand.

OK I went out and shot several groups starting with 70GR of pyrodex and moving up to 80 and 90 these three loads were cloverleafing at 50 yards.When I went to 100 gr the groups opened up to 2 3/4". While this is fine for elk size targets I would prefer to shoot the 90gr load and get more accuracy. What do you think of 90gr ffg bp with a round ball for elk? Or should I go with the 100 gr load for more velocity? Yes my rifle is the great plains rifle with the slow twist barrel. And thanks for the info on the round ball and elk. I'm long on elk hunting but short on muzzleloading killing abilities. Hope to be correcting that this next season. Frank

I know several guys that use 90-95 grains of 3f in their .54's I think that would kill an elk. I use 110 grs. just because that is what I ended up with working uo loads. The more powder, the more accurate. Sounds like your gun wants 90grs.

FRJ said:

OK I went out and shot several groups starting with 70GR of pyrodex and moving up to 80 and 90 these three loads were cloverleafing at 50 yards.When I went to 100 gr the groups opened up to 2 3/4". While this is fine for elk size targets I would prefer to shoot the 90gr load and get more accuracy. What do you think of 90gr ffg bp with a round ball for elk? Or should I go with the 100 gr load for more velocity? Yes my rifle is the great plains rifle with the slow twist barrel. And thanks for the info on the round ball and elk. I'm long on elk hunting but short on muzzleloading killing abilities. Hope to be correcting that this next season. Frank

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Your chosen powder load will need to depend on how tightly it groups, so if 100 grains is giving you 1.5 inches over 3 shots but 110 starts opening things up you've found your hunting load. You are used to being up close on elk so your arrows carry as much energy on impact as possible, so inside of 75 yards using 90 grains of 2f is plenty of power if accurate. If you can obtain it in your area you really need to try traditional BP such as Goex though, it can make quite a difference in the accuracy of your rifle.

Lyman makes the "plains bullet" mold in 50 and 54 cal for their fast twist barrels. I have both molds and use the bullets in a wide variety of rifles. It is one of my favorite designs with a bore diameter base band to aid in loading it without tipping the bullet. I always use a wool felt wad over the powder as recommended by barrel maker Ed Rayl. The bullets work best if sized to bore diameter.

And Ed's gonna tell ya straight. Love my fast twist 40 GPR.

Well I went out again today and shot out to 75yrds.90Gr FF BP .435 Hornady patched round ball. Remington #11 cap. And .015 bed ticking for a patch lubed with hoppes #9 plus.Groups (3 shot) at 75 yards were consistantly running under 1.750".For a guy with only half of my shooting eye and that part preety blurry I feel thats probably good as I'll get. If I can't kill an elk with that I give. Now its just a matter of LOTS of practice in field conditions with all kinds of weather and fatigue and hopefully I'll be ready for next years opener. Now if they can just get my heart working again!!!!! Thanks for all the help. FRank

Stay in your 75 yd range and you'll do fine.

Go hiking everyday with your gun to get in shape. Try and hike in the same kind of terrain you'll hunt in.

Even if I don't hunt (which is rare). I'll hike in the mountains with my dog. It keeps me young and my dog happy. :grin: