Lyman Great Plains Pistol barrel change

[TruthTellers]

A while back on this forum somebody had said to me if I wanted a single barrel smothbore pistol with a large bore, reaming out a .54 Lyman GPP barrel would do the trick.

I thought about that and it is something I would be willing to do and have kept my eyes out for a used .54 GPP, but the issue is that .54 calibers are not as common as the .50 calibers are and often, the .50 caliber pistols sell for less.

But I just had a thought: What if I bought a .50 cal and a used or new .54 barrel, could I swap out the .50 barrel and just drop in a .54 barrel?

 

[Model12Win]

Probably. I know you can on the Great Plains Rifles.

 

[Hawg]

If they're the same across the flats. Most .50's are 15/16 and most .54's are an inch.

 

[rodwhaincamo]

This is precisely something I've considered as well. However, if you were intending on using shot, most people claim it isn't useful past 10-15 yds at best.

According to Lyman a drop-in barrel (rifled) can be had, although it doesn't show up in their drop down menu:

https://www.lymanproducts.com/media/catalog/product/p/l/plains_pistol_p2.pdf

I figured I would buy a .50 cal and have it reamed to a 28 ga.

 

[bedbugbilly]

While a spare barrel would be the ideal way to go -figure up the cost of the complete spare barrel as opposed to finding a section of barrel the same size across the flats, reaming it and fitting with a Lyman breech plug. Track of the Wolf may have spare breech plugs - they are pricey but still, a comparison with a complete spare barrel would show if it was the way to go or not. Or, if you could find a rifle barrel the correct size and a spare breech plug, the rifle barrel could be cut in to probably at least three barrels that would give you the option of reaming to smoothbore in different sizes. Just a thought.

 

[4V50 Gary]

I think so. Commonality of parts makes for easier parts inventory.

 

[TruthTellers]

I think so. Commonality of parts makes for easier parts inventory.

That's what I was thinking. I saw Hickok recently did some videos on the Pedersoli double barrel shotguns and he took the long barrel off of one and put the Howdah barrel on and it worked.

So Pedersoli does it, I don't see why Lyman wouldn't.

Also, it would be pretty cool to have a 20 gauge smoothbore and a .50 caliber rifled pistol.

 

[rodwhaincamo]

24 ga is about as big as one can get with a 15/16" barrel. It's as far as Bobby Hoyt has taken one, though many have said they felt it was unsafe and no one would do such. I've asked...