Lyman GPR

Howdy! I’m fairly new to the forum, been here about six months or so, and have never posted before. Usually I can find whatever I need in other threads. Anyway, I traded an 1858 Navy Enfield yesterday for a Lyman GPR in 50. I couldn’t be happier, and I’m pretty sure I got the better end of the deal. I want to get this rifle out for hunting (deer/coyote) and to do some shooting at rondys and some local gatherings. I would like to call on the vast amount of knowledge and experience. Any particular tricks or tips I should be aware of for this rifle?

TheDegenerateBarber said:

Howdy! I’m fairly new to the forum, been here about six months or so, and have never posted before. Usually I can find whatever I need in other threads. Anyway, I traded an 1858 Navy Enfield yesterday for a Lyman GPR in 50. I couldn’t be happier, and I’m pretty sure I got the better end of the deal. I want to get this rifle out for hunting (deer/coyote) and to do some shooting at rondys and some local gatherings. I would like to call on the vast amount of knowledge and experience. Any particular tricks or tips I should be aware of for this rifle?

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Hi there Barber. I've been shooting A Lyman deer Hunter rifle for some 15 years and I really think they're pretty swell gun. Minds left-handed Flintlock, I don't know whether yours is CapLock or Flintlock, but I'd sure be willing to answer any questions for a Flintlock. My flints don't last as long as some of these other shooters claim there's do, but I'm satisfied and they're not too hard to Re-sharpen a little when you're shooting.
Squint

Is yours a flint or a caplock?

My apologies. Mine is a caplock. I don’t have a flinter in the quiver...Yet. As soon as I got this rifle home the wheels started turning. The gun is in great condition, but it’s still tempting to drop a flintlock and new barrel on it.

If the previous owner of the GPR didn't take the time to sight it in, expect the point of impact of your shots to be very low.

The GPR comes from the factory with a front sight that is intentionally left too tall so the owner will need to file it down to raise the point of impact before it can be expected to hit anywhere near the point of aim.

If the previous owner did file the front sight down, you should be all set to do some shooting.

Although the common suggestion when sighting in a new gun is to start with a powder load that is the same as the bore size (without the decimal point), I suggest starting with a powder load of 60 grains and working your way up from there.
Most of my .50's like powder loads of around 70 grains to do their best shooting.
A powder load of 70 grains under a .490 diameter roundball patched with .015-.018 thick patches should work very nicely in your new gun.

Thank you Zonie. I’ll have to look at the front sight tonight when I get home. I did notice that the rear sight screw was loosened up quite a bit to raise the point of aim. I might consider putting a brass sign up front so I can see better. I’m a younger guy, but my eyes aren’t getting better, and my favorite times to be out and about are lower light conditions. Any particular file you would recommend?

Some guys here use "white out" the stuff for correcting typing mistakes to put white on a front sight to see it better in some conditions. I've used just a piece of white chalk to lighten a black sight to get it to show up better in dark conditions. I have also used a black magic marker to darken brass sights so they work better in bright conditions. Neither is permanent and easily changed.

I like the look of the Lyman GPR, I'd like to get a "Hunter" and put a traditional Tang sight on it.

We should mention here that the GPR's come outfitted with a very thick Fred Flintstone front sight. That was the reason I replaced mine.

Got the Lyman out this morning to see how it shot. Since it’s new to me, but not new, I didn’t touch the sights. Shot two inches high with zero drift at 50 yards. Front sight is definitely thick, but wasn’t a problem. Today at least. It started raining pretty hard so we had to wrap it up before we could stretch our shots out farther. I can take a wild guess where it should be hitting at 100 yards, but I’ll have to wait until next week to be find out. I used 80gr 2F and went with a .490 ball since I mostly use 15 patches. This rifle is quickly becoming a favorite.

Howard Pippin said:

Hi there Barber. I've been shooting A Lyman deer Hunter rifle for some 15 years and I really think they're pretty swell gun. Minds left-handed Flintlock, I don't know whether yours is CapLock or Flintlock, but I'd sure be willing to answer any questions for a Flintlock. My flints don't last as long as some of these other shooters claim there's do, but I'm satisfied and they're not too hard to Re-sharpen a little when you're shooting.
Squint

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I always liked that rifle in a flintlock. Always wanted one, back when I was still bowhunting and such.

You have to watch that adjustable rear sight doesn't move on you. It is kind of loose fitting on the adjustment.

The rear sight screw on mine was known for moving. A real creeper. I ended up memorizing how far to unscrew from all the way down so it would be for dead on at 50 yards. Checked and set it before every trip out, so no surprises.
Don't want to use thread locker on it, but I may consider a bit of bees wax to help hold it where I want it.

In general, the GPR is a well thought of rifle in its price range. I’ve owned two, both since sold.

The bore on mine was rough. It cut even the thickest/best ticking with many different loads and this was after a couple hundred shots. Duelist1954 on YouTube had the same problem and he has a video where he lapped the bore with a Scotch Brite pad.

Two other glaring flaws I could never bring myself to ignore where the patent breach and grain or rice sized clean out nut. The patent breech, if you don’t know, is basically a small anti-chamber that accepts fire from the percussion drum. They can become clogged and lead to ignition issues, but they are mainly just a nuisance to clean since you need a smaller sized brush or jag to really get in there vs a standard setup where one jag will do.

The clean out nut that was on mine had an Allen key for removal and like I mentioned is roughly the size of a grain of rice. It’s TINY. Not only that, it can be easily overtightend which can damage the threads on the actual nipple. Just a horrible setup and whoever in Italy came up with the bright idea needs to get their head checked.

The guns follow the general shape of the original J&S Hawken guns, but the fit and finish, wood type, metal finish, are just nothing like an original. The GPRs have proud wood and sloppy metal fitment throughout and inauthentic choices as far as materials and cosmetics are concerned. It is a $500 rifle of course, and these things may not matter to those wanting a cheaper gun.

Again, they’re a solid rifle and it will probably serve you well. Many of us started on the Lyman and CVA rifles but I predict if you really have the bug, a true custom or semi-custom rifle will be in your future! If not, the GPR will still get the job done at the end of the day.

Mine, which I bought in 1995, has great wood, good finish, and is very accurate. I replaced the adjustable sight just for authenticity's sake. I browned mine, not a museum quality, but good enough and I like it a lot. I could never get what it's worth to me, so I'm stuck with it...a pretty good situation.

2" high at 50 paces should put you on, or close to on at 100. I like a silver front sight best. On a bright sunny day I "smoke" it with a bic lighter, or match. Then when the light fades, a quick rub of the thumb brings it back to bright. Copper front sight is my second choice, and works much the same.

I personally would not want an adjustable rear sight on a muzzle loader. I'm not PC, but they sure don't look right. And, of course, they can go catty-whompus. Once I get a good accurate load, file and drift them them to match POA to POI. Of course then you can't blame the sights if you miss. Future small adjustments in powder charge, or patch material should not change POI much if at all, and you can still drift a fixed rear sight left or right. Changing from 100 grains of fg, to 30 grains of ffffg, (or visa-versa) might bring about big changes.

I built a GPR kit gun for a friend's son once, and thought it was a pretty nice rifle.

TheDegenerateBarber said:

Got the Lyman out this morning to see how it shot. Since it’s new to me, but not new, I didn’t touch the sights. Shot two inches high with zero drift at 50 yards. Front sight is definitely thick, but wasn’t a problem. Today at least. It started raining pretty hard so we had to wrap it up before we could stretch our shots out farther. I can take a wild guess where it should be hitting at 100 yards, but I’ll have to wait until next week to be find out. I used 80gr 2F and went with a .490 ball since I mostly use 15 patches. This rifle is quickly becoming a favorite.

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Two inches high at 50 yards sounds good for a 6 o’clock hold sight picture. That is my preferred sight picture when target shooting. Greg

TheDegenerateBarber said:

Thank you Zonie. I’ll have to look at the front sight tonight when I get home. I did notice that the rear sight screw was loosened up quite a bit to raise the point of aim. I might consider putting a brass sign up front so I can see better. I’m a younger guy, but my eyes aren’t getting better, and my favorite times to be out and about are lower light conditions. Any particular file you would recommend?

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That screw adjusting rear sight is a weak point for this rifle. It isn't very stable. I recommend using a buckhorn type rear sight. Then start the sighting in.