Just got my tax return filed........hehe!

D

deerslayer303

New member
Ok so yes sir, gonna add a few to the collection. I think I'm definately gonna get a rifle that I can shoot patched round balls out of. Its gotta be a percussion side lock. I'm liking that traditions I saw linked in another post. Do you guys think I should go with a run of the mill one like that one or justify spending a few more on a fancier version. Just what is double set triggers, and how do they work?
 
If was me I'd get a Lyman Great Plains. The rear trigger sets the front trigger for a lighter pull. The rifle can be fired with just the front trigger only tho.
 
Sorry, the Great Plains Rifle. It's about the closest you're going to get to a real Hawken with a reasonably priced production rifle. I like the .54 best. I used a .50 for years, wouldn't want one now. The GPR is a round ball twist the GPH is a conical twist. A 1:48 does ok with both but isn't best with either.
 
Ok thanks for the tips, I'm gonna get one with a round ball twist, I already have a bullet shooter. Can't wait to order that sucker!
 
One bit of advice about getting a new GPR -

First, the new barrel will require thorough cleaning with a universal grease solvent like brake cleaner (NOT brake fluid), followed by soap and water and then a good rust preventative, inside and out.

Second, it will take about 100 rounds before it begins to settle down and group like it's capable of doing. Either that or you can lap the barrel to dull the edges of the grooves.

They are great rifles, well worth the money. I own two, one of which is my go-to rifle (a .54 flintlock).
 
Deerslayer, this will cost you a little more money, but you will not regret looking at Tennessee Valley Muzzleloading http://www.avsia.com/tvm/ . You must also call and talk with Toni. She and Matt are the owners and you will not find nicer people who will build you a custom gun to your specs for a semi-custom price. Ask her about their Leman Rifle with a percussion lock. For the money, you will have a gun that is unique to you and will be a real shooter.
 
Its down to waiting on the Big Brown Truck!!! Good Garden Peas!! I'm excited, when SWMBO tells me a package arrived I just may get sick at work and have to come home :eek:
 
waiting on it

While I'm waiting on the GPR, I got some .530 round ball, but I didn't get the patches because I'm not exactly which ones to get. .010"?? I know I need to slug the bore but, I wanna clean it and make smoke! yeah I'm impatient :D In theory this thing should be somewhere in the neighborhood of .540" I know they are all different but I can adjust size of the patch. I read that some of you shove Round balls in there that are way big but if you can get in there ya'll shoot em.

I plan to use Hawg's idea of an egg sinker. I'm thinking of running some 250lb nylon through the sinker then putting a small washer on there an then an anchor knot. Lube it up with some Gatofeo and drive it in there and pull it back out. Sounds like it will work in my head ;).
 
IMHO sometimes we make too big a deal over this. Most MLs, while quite accurate, aren't super duper tack drivers. I have a very similar gun to yours, a T/C Hawken re-barrelled with a Green Mtn .54. It is for round ball (1:70" twist).

Get yourself some .530s and shoot with .010-.015" lubed patch. Also get some .520s (hornady has these) and .020" patches. See which one you like best. My personal choice is the .520 rb w/.020" patch as it loads easier. Accuracy between the two is very comparable and quite good either way. I've never bore-slugged a rb barrel and been shootin' MLs for >35 yrs. Just go out and have fun...of course, if bore-slugging your barrel meets your definition of fun, by all means you should do that. :)
 
if bore-slugging your barrel meets your definition of fun, by all means you should do that.
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Oh I assure you its not my idea of fun. :D I have slugged my .303 but only because it was a mil surp and made in 1941 and I wanted to get my reloads driving tacks which it does now. Thanks for the advice though I will do just that
 
I assume you got a .54 GPR (otherwise the .530 ball is WAY too big...).

I support slugging the bore to get exact dimensions, but frankly my experience is that the Investarms 1:60 barrels are pretty consistent in dimensions. You can pretty much count on .542 lands and .558 grooves.

I use .535 rb's with a dry lubed .015 pillow ticking patch. The sweet spot is 70 grains ffg real black with that combination. I noted a .530 with .018 pillow ticking (yes, that's hard to load), same lube worked well with 60 gr ffg real black, but frankly there wasn't a lot of difference up to 80 gr with that combination. Above 90 gr accuracy fell off badly.

Oh, by the way, that's in two GPR's, on percussion and one flintlock.
 
I plan to use Hawg's idea of an egg sinker. I'm thinking of running some 250lb nylon through the sinker then putting a small washer on there an then an anchor knot. Lube it up with some Gatofeo and drive it in there and pull it back out. Sounds like it will work in my head
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That ain't even gonna work. Don't drive it in too deep and you can run a wood screw into it and pull it with a pair of vice grips. Really don't understand why you want to slug it tho.
 
That ain't even gonna work. Don't drive it in too deep and you can run a wood screw into it and pull it with a pair of vice grips. Really don't understand why you want to slug it tho.
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Dang I always overthink everything haha, I'm not gonna slug it, now that I got ya'lls expert opinions, (which I appreciate very much) I'm gonna CHOOT EM!!
 
The trick is to not make ramming so difficult that your ramrod will accidently snap and impale your hand.
For about $1, a thick, sturdy wooden dowel that's just under bore diameter can be purchased at the hardware or hobby store, or even in some Walmart craft departments. Then simply add a knob to the end of it to make a handle. A 7/16's dowel is pretty thick and shouldn't snap as easily as the 3/8's factory ramrod. Plus they're longer and will give more leverage for ramming all of the way down to the breech.
 
I got a 3/8" oak dowel from Lowe's for under $2. (Our WalMart only had poplar dowels.) I like my aluminum rod for cleaning, but there is no way to slip and scratch anything with this wooden dowel. I have the "seated" depth marked really brightly, because my wife often sits with me when I shoot and she likes to load, and I can easily see that she is seating the load completely without being too obvious that I'm watching over her closely.
 
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