I'm wanting to purchase a traditional muzzleloader for hunting out here in the west but have a dilemna: I cant decide between the Lyman great plains hunter or the pedersoli frontier. I am wanting to check my research before I proceed. Knowing that both rifles are stylistically different, in terms of function if both are .54's, my understanding is that conicals and roundballs are going to both be maxed out for game at 125 yards, with conicals holding a slight edge in terms of knock down power, correct? This leaves me to my final question about the 2 and that is: which rifle is going to be more accurate? I know they are stock rifles and require load development but are both going to be equal, on average, in the accuracy department? I love the look of the frontier but if the GPH is going to shoot better I want function over aesthetics. Thank you in advance.
The following are my observations and opinions...
You don't want the Great Plains Hunter..., you want the
Great Plains Rifle.
As mentioned above the Great Plains Hunter will force you to use only conicals as it is a shallow grooved 1:32 twist barrel. Also as mentioned above the conical will not necessarily deliver any more "knock down power" at impact, but it will likely arrive with more foot pounds of energy.
It Will, however, deliver more recoil to your shoulder. The conical bullet was not developed to improve hunting results. It was developed to allow soldiers faster reloads while using a rifled barrel, so for many North American game applications, it is not necessary.
So now we are talking .54 caliber, round ball rifles, with twist rates of 1:60 or slower.
Advantages of the Pedersoli
Frontier..., longer sight distance means easier for the eye of the average user to be accurate. Lower price than the factory finished GPR. Large lock that facilitates using the same powder for both the main charge and priming powder keeping things simple (not applicable to caplock versions) It weighs 7.5 lbs, and does come in kit form.
Disadvantages of the Pedersoli
Frontier..., to get the most out of the barrel accuracy, swapping out the front sight post with a thinner front sight post tends to produce better results. It's an easy fix. The lock is held in with a single lock bolt, AND a small would screw (located next to the frizzen spring). One must be careful not to strip out the hole for that small wood screw. The factory wooden ramrod sucks, and needs to be replace with a proper ramrod (common problem on factory rifles). Pedersoli's patent breech needs a little more attention when cleaning to ensure good ignition.
Advantages of the
Great Plains Rifle..., It's shorter than the
Frontier, so some folks find that handier when in the woods/brush. Left-hand versions are available, as are kits (a kit saves some money). It's a .54 round ball rifle, and will take plenty of deer, and the large lock will also work when using the same powder to prime as well as the main charge.
Disadvantages of the
Great Plains Rifle..., Cost for the factory finished rifle..., also the sight distance is shorter than the
Frontier, but in truth, that likely won't matter, and it too can benefit from a thinner, after market, front sight post. Both it and the
Great Plains Hunter weight 4 lbs. more than the Pedersoli
Frontier. Something to consider if you are doing a lot of foot travel with the rifle.
Now there is a third option, that is the least expensive of the three, especially in caplock version... the
Lyman Trade Rifle, with a 28" barrel and a 1:48 twist. Disadvantages...it's a short barrel so the sight plain is shorter. It's about 1 lb. heavier than the Pedersoli. Like the other two it does need (imho) a thinner front sight post than the factory installed front sight. Advantages..., it has a good sized lock so like the above two, a single horn and powder will work fine for main charge and prime if one buys the flintlock version. It's the shortest of the three so if the shooter likes the shorter GPR, this is 4 inches shorter still. It's a 1:48 twist barrel, which will not only shoot round ball well, but will also shoot conicals IF the shooter decides a conical is really needed.
LD
