50 or 54?

[newtothis]

ok so i dont have my rifle yet, but i decided im going to buy a lyman percussion gpr, but i dont know if i should to with fifty or fifty four cal? im not familier with shooting patched roundballs, so i dont know what projectile and what patch each would shoot. can yall give me some pointers?
thanks!

 

[robtattoo]

I asked the same thing a few weeks ago & the most pertient answer I got was 'Ain't nothing you can do with a 50 that you can't do with a 54, but theres a good bit you can do with a 54 that a 50 won't manage'

I'm not sureof that just yet, but I have to say, I can't really tell the difference between the two from behind the gun, but there's a whole hell of a lot more happens at the target end with the 54! I can't see me going back to a 50 (In fact, if you wanted to try both, I have a spare .50 GPR barrel for sale. I can even give you some really good load data! :wink: )

 

[newtothis]

hey dude i met you at the blade show this year in atlanta! im Ian's big buddie, the guy you made that neck knife and fire starter deal for. COOL! :v

 

[MikeChapin]

I would go with the .54 for the reasons others have offered. The rifle will also be less muzzle heavy than the .50. The GPR is nice in that you can get other barrels in different calibers.

As far as load goes you will have to work that up yourself. Every rifle is different. I would start with a .530 ball, .015 ticking patch and 50 grains of 3F or Pyrodex P. I wouldn't worry about too much for the first 100 rounds or so. From what I've heard the GPR barrels need some break in time. After the rifle settles down then try different powder/patch/ball combinations to see what gives you the best accuracy. Try .535 balls and different loads with different patch materials.

BTW: When you first get your new GPR thoroughly clean the barrel before you do anything else. The bore preservative they use can gunk up a barrel fast if fired with it still in. Many people say brake cleaner works the best for getting it out of the barrel.

 

[William O.]

Get the .54, then you'll see which size ball and patch thickness it likes best. That's half the fun right there, getting to know your rifle.
It will shoot either a .530 or .535 diameter round ball (RB) and patches can be anywhere from .010-.020
For instance, my .54 likes a .530 RB along with a .018 thickness patch however, every rifle is an individual and it's up to you to determine which is most accurate. If it is available in your area, (you have to ask for it at the counter of the firearms section) use a traditional type black powder, such as Goex, Swiss, KIK, etc. A new barrel will also likely need to be shot in, to remove any sharp edges from the rifling left from when it was bored, these tend to tear up patches and affect accuracy. You can also smooth things out with steel wool or other methods. Hope this helps, good luck and let us know what happens.

BTW, I'm going to assume that you've chosen the slow twist barrel for shooting RB's, so no need to try conicals in it.

 

[ebiggs1]

Get the 54 and don’t look back!

But really, you can get several barrels for it and shoot different calibers and/or twists.
BTW, I would get the kit. If you get the finished gun you still have a kit!

 

[robtattoo]

Ha! Small world! :hatsoff:

I'll send you a PT about the .50 barrel

The GPR definately needs to be broken in before you start worrying about loads or accuracy. I'll give you the same advice I was given & that is to not really worry about how much powder to use, ball size or patch thickness until you've got 100 shots through it. When I re-barrelled mine to .54 I had to use a .530 ball & .015 patch to even get it to load. 150+ shots in plus a good scrubbing with green scotchbrite & I'm using a .530 ball & .018 patch & I'm considering going to a .535 ball.
Start off with 50gn of either 2 or 3F powder until you've got her broken in & then start working on your 'pet' load. Mine seems to prefer a heavier charge than I would've liked, but that could change if I try & bigger ball or thicker patch! As it stands, I'm using 90gn of FFg, a .530 ball & .018 Ox Yoke pillow ticking patch & I'm shooting 1½" groups off the bench at 50yds. Any less powder & things open up fairly significantly.

 

[BrownBear]

I've got both calibers in GPRs. I greatly prefer the balance of the 54 caliber for offhand shooting. Just a little less steel in the barrel, and therefore a little less muzzleheavy. Still plenty of weight out there for stready range shooting, yet better in my book for quicker shooting on hunts.

 

[longcruise]

If you plan to do any hunting with it, go for the .54. Even if just for whitetails cause you never know when someone is going to invite you to hunt elk or moose or some other larger animal. Then the .54 gives you that little edge that many have come to appreciate.

If it's strictly a target gun, get whichever one feels best to you. The .50 will be a bit cheaper to shoot, but not by much.

T'were me, I'd take your fellow member up on the offer for the .50 barrel and buy the .54. How can you go wrong with two calibers? :haha:

 

[ebiggs1]

The break in period isn’t true on every gun. This is one of the first targets I shot with mine.

It is 25 yards out from an adjustable bench rest. I was shooting pinecones with it right from the box. It is a very good shooting gun as is and can be made into a great gun. I bought the finished gun but would never do that again. And I recommend interested buyers get the kit. If you do buy the finished rifle you will still have a kit. Lyman does not finish what they start!

 

[ebiggs1]

BTW, this is my second Lyman and they both exhibit the same characteristics. I know that is a small sample so take if for what it is worth to you.

 

[Little Wattsy]

Definately the .54 :thumbsup:

 

[E Poffinbarger]

By golly I just scanned all the posts and sure enough everyone answered your question 100% correct. :rotf:

Thus you now know my biase too, .54's are less affected by fouling than smaller calibers, but small enough to hold good tragectory, yet will deliver very strong knock-down-power.

If there is a drawback, its that .50's stuff is more readily available. :idunno:

Osage

 

[cowpoke1955]

That may be true. For the cost of shooting a couple of months with store bought balls, you could buy a Lee mold and lead melter. After that's paid for itself, the rest of your shooting will be dirt cheap! You will never have to worry if the store has your balls in stock. Casting is fun in it's own rights. You have the satisfaction of winning matches and taking game with balls that you made. F&M Reloading has the best prices on the net: http://www.fmreloading.com/ . I agree with the rest for the .54. I have two .54 GPRs, one percussion and one flint. Very accurate rifles. Enjoy :thumbsup:

 

[Big Iron]

I have two .50's, a Uberti Hawken and a T/C Hawken. Both shoot great. But I would like to try a .54 so I'm planning on buying a Green Mountain .54 barrel for the T/C..........once I can find one.

Regards;

BI

 

[E Poffinbarger]

Cowpoke1955:

O'my yes, I have always cast all lead bullets and round balls, especially after I did a weight variation test on some commerical stuff.

Now I don't mean to cast doubt on the commerical stuff and maybe I just checked a bad batch, but as you say its a lot cheaper, but more importantly I'm very nitpicky about being exact and limiting the variables.

Sure hope you find that .54 barrel,

Osage

 

[E Poffinbarger]

Ooops, I messed that up, so sell Big Iron one of your barrels, he needs one :rotf:

Osage

 

[Handy]

WOW, look at all the .54 Cal Storm Troopers!

Hunting is a way of life for me, the freezer's have NO commercially purchased meat except for Bacon and poultry...guess what Caliber provides much of that wild meat" ' If you guessed .54 Cal. Round ball then grill yourself a Back-strap.

It took me a few years of understanding the full potential of the .54 Cal. Now it's the only rifle Caliber I hunt with.

I own three Lyman GPR's in .54 Cal., One Flint and two percussion and for hunting I don't need no Green Mountain barrels. Get me a good Trigger coupled with good Sight's and you will be plinkin with the best of them.

In my opinion you could not pick a better kit than the GPR in .54 cal. here is a pick of a kit I am currently working on for a friend It's in the white yet but it will be browned...

Handy

 

[Eterry]

As the saying goes: "Go big or go home!" I would opt for the 54, buy a mold and have a blast! They are both a little big for small game so pick one big enough for everything else.

My .02

Eterry

 

[Handy]

The .54 works just fine for giving headaches to small game down to chipmunk size out to 45 yards...if you know what your doing.

I dare not even write down on these forums my methods of accomplishing this with a breech style design like Lyman's but I have been doing it for many years.