Post by: RobD on June 04, 2015, 06:51:50 AM
Yep, in the world of flintlock rifles it's a bottom feeder of offshore parentage. Not rock bottom, as I've borne witness to some really terrible flinters. I just bought another one, for the princely sum of $439/delivered direct. Of course, no FFL required - one of the best perks of flintlock long guns.
Cheap" Yeah, but the LTR works well, one way or another.
It has a pleasing late 18th and early 19th century look, with some nice brass furniture. The fit and finish of the build is quite nice. The wood and metal are of good quality. The hooked barrel makes cleaning a breeze. Besides my pair, I've shot four others that friends own, and all the triggers had a decent let off that wasn't all that hard/stiff, nor too light. It even comes with an extra, adjustable rear barrel sight if the fixed one already on the barrel needs tweaking. The barrel itself is quite short at 28", but that makes for good offhand pointability and its 1:48 twist is good for both balls or maxies.
If anything, its lock and supplied cut flint might be an issue. The flint fix is easy - just replace it with one of your faves. The lock is a different story, with it's coiled main spring. L&R RPL Locks has a leaf spring lock replacement (#05) that'll set one back a good $150, but is s'posed to be a near drop-in replacement that's a good improvement over the stock lock. I might try one out.
Georgetown chert in an LTR stock lock ... click the pic for the vid ...
(http://i.imgur.com/5AI95nD.png) (http://https)
Post by: greyhunter on June 04, 2015, 07:00:34 AM
Post by: RobD on June 04, 2015, 07:18:39 AM
Post by: Roaddog on June 05, 2015, 07:43:41 AM
Post by: freddy on June 17, 2015, 06:14:14 PM
The LPR hammer throw is about half the distance of the Lyman, resulting in a faster lock time ... and maybe better accuracy. My sense is, granted this is just my opinion, the lock time is faster with a flat spring rather than a coiled. Coil springs energy is reduced as the spring relaxes, far more than a flat spring. And I sure like the crisp "snik" sound when cocking the hammer more than the muddy "phlunk" made by a coil spring.
Bottom line, be happy with the original lock if it works OK. Get an LPR if you want. Very few persons could tell which you are shooting.
Post by: Hanshi on June 19, 2015, 04:46:37 PM
Post by: Uncle Russ on June 20, 2015, 04:26:46 PM
FWIW; and it ain't worth a lot......
I have owned a GPR Flinter for many years now, and I've owned a few "custom" guns over the years, so I do feel to be at least a little bit qualified to speak about such things.
There's good and bad in just about everything I have ever owned!
Some muzzleloaders may be a bit 'gooder' in one respect while not so good in another respect.
Other guns may be so gawd awful ugly to look at they actually smell bad, while that same gun just might shoot circles around several others, and the comparison goes on and on and.....you guys. know all to well ' perzactly' what I'm talking about.
Guns are all pretty much individuals, with their own personal little quirks.
And, there's times, when it takes a long, long time to get to get know that riflegun.
I currently own a lot of muzzleloaders, at least by some standards, but not so many according to others.
Without looking, or actually counting, I suspect I own 15 or 16, at least, perhaps even more.
Still yet, hands down, every single time I'm doing some deep thinking on a new hunting trip, or perhaps a new area where I've never hunted before, one rifle comes to mind, so I pick up my old Lyman GPR Flinter in .54 cal.....it's that good!
What made that old rifle special?
Can't say I can rightly describe that reason....I have hunted with many, if not most of my other guns, taken Deer or Elk and some years both with a few of the others, the few smoothbores I've not hunted with I have shot clays with them.
I've had the other rifles at the range, many times, as I never take just one, and they all fall in that just OK bracket...yep, they'll work and they'll get the job done.
In my own personal opinion, you can pay a ton of money for a new gun and never develop that warm fuzzy feelin' that you would expect while you're carrying it.
Other downright mediocre guns feel right, but you just can't count 'em, but with that old GPR it ain't that way.
When it comes to that old GPR, there ain't no fleas on that dog!
Even right out of the box, first trip to the range, as a rule with most Lyman products it's not going to take you no week, or sometimes even months, to find out that puppy is user friendly, very forgiving, and eager to please. I've seen it time and time again.
I personally know rfd has been through several rifles since he has been a member here, I have hopes this gun treats him right, and gives him that certain feeling that can only be found when a man has the right gun in his hands.
Uncle Russ...
Post by: RobD on June 20, 2015, 04:50:24 PM
russ, i don't have nowhere near as many ml's as you, but when it's time to get dirty in the woods, bushwacking and crawling around hog country, it'll be an LTR .54 flinter for me, too. it's rugged and too easy/fast to clean out when i get back to camp or home all tired 'n' hungry, thanx to the barrel wedge. i prefer the long guns of the early to mid 18th century and the LTR is basically very early 19th century, but when there's a hunting task at hand sometimes function trumps form. and that's ok by me.
Post by: mossie on October 23, 2015, 05:29:36 PM
Post by: Fletcher on October 26, 2015, 10:01:43 PM
Post by: RobD on October 27, 2015, 07:19:06 AM
Post by: tuscarora on January 19, 2016, 10:45:18 AM
Post by: RobD on January 20, 2016, 07:50:12 AM
Post by: MacRob46 on January 25, 2016, 09:20:20 AM
Post by: RobD on January 25, 2016, 09:26:06 AM
Post by: dromia on February 01, 2016, 05:10:22 AM
"31/12/2015
Well I thought I would take advantage of the glorious weather we are having to try out and zero the .54 calibre Investarms Flintlock "Hawken" I bought in the spring.
I picked this one up new in box from Krankies bin end sale for well under £200 so I didn't expect much from it.
Fit and finish isn't too bad just some places where the generic nature of the wood and metal are compromised for the different versions that they assemble for the yankee market.
The lock is a generic one taking a 3/4" flint, I binned the bit of slate that came with the gun and fitted 3/4" flint from Dysons.
I had the gun out shortly after I got it to try for function and shot it at 100 yrds. I had put around a dozen rounds through it. I was shooting it mainly to see how the lock did, what the pan liked and the loading regime needed to give consistent ignition. I was easily hitting the target at 100 yards but wasn't looking for groups or working on loading combinations. That is what I decide to start work on today.
The lock sparks well with a good, set up flint and the frizzen seems well hardened. Lock time isn't the fastest but not bad for a cheapy gun, there is just a slight pause 'tween squeezing the trigger and ignition. Interestingly this gun likes a full pan of priming powder, stacked away from the touch hole, which is bushed.
The barrel looks good nice and heavy, octagonal with the ubiqutous 1 in 48" twist, it is smooth with no rough patches when pushing down a cloth.
Sights are of a modern style with the rear sight adjustable for elevation and windage.
There is set trigger with a set let off at around three pounds.
For todays shooting I set the target up at 75 yards, shot standing using a tree stump as a rest.
I was using .534" cast lead balls and 0.012" Tanner patches dry lubed with Aquoil
I started with a load of 40 grains of Swiss fffg taking a six o clock hold on the target and they are the two bottom holes on the target.
I then moved up to 45 grains and shot the next four holes, I pulled the last one to the right as I had a hesitant ignition, the flint needed knapping and easing forward. These were shooting to point of aim just slightly to the right.
After fettling the flint the last two in the black were with 50 gns and showed promise but I had to pack in there as I was loosing the light.
I will start there again tomorrow weather permitting.
I am very pleased with this little flinter, it promises to be a lot of fun, seems to be quiet well behaved and nicely painless to get to shoot.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/adamsutherland/FL%20Hawken%20Dec%202015/IMG_7561.png)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/adamsutherland/FL%20Hawken%20Dec%202015/IMG_7557.png)
10/1/2016
After the days of strong east winds we are back to glorious weather again, so the day before yesterday I had another session with this little flinter.
Moving on from the 50 grain fffg load with a dry lubed Tanner 0.012" patch and a 0.534" ball I upped the load to 55gns and shot this 75 yrd six shot group standing rested taking a six o clock hold at the bottom of the black.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/adamsutherland/FL%20Hawken%20Dec%202015/IMG_7609.jpg)
I then tried the same load with a 0.014" linen patch taking a centre hold on the bull and got this.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/adamsutherland/FL%20Hawken%20Dec%202015/IMG_7610.jpg)
Looking at the fired patches they were blown, the 0.012" patches were showing some piercing at the lands so I suspect that with this being a new gun the rifling has some sharp edges that are cutting the patches when I an sending down the ball, a few passes down the barrel with a steel wool wrapped jag should fettle that.
I also suspect that the openness of that group was also due to the foresight floating in the black with the centre hold, even although the light was excellent the sight picture wasn't as sharp as the six-o-clock hold.
All in all this is one of the best shooting, value for money, acquisitions I have made in a long time and I am getting around 30 shots to a Dyson flint not bad and should do better with some better quality sparkers.
These eytie repro houses are turning out some excellent kit that definitely doesn't break the bank. Accurate, challenging, satisfying and fun shooting doesn't need to cost a lot."
Post by: RobD on February 01, 2016, 06:02:11 AM
Post by: dromia on February 01, 2016, 08:33:10 AM
I have been a reader here for a long time but to my chagrin this is my first post.
Post by: RobD on February 01, 2016, 09:13:47 AM
Now to your rifle depicted above - with double set triggers and rounded patch box, that appears to be an InvestArms model 130B. Very nice, indeed sir!
Wish we could readily get that model (and others!) here, but only Lyman is carrying InvestArm rifles, and just 4 models.
(http://www.investarm.com/media/img/zoom130b.jpg)
Post by: dromia on February 01, 2016, 01:57:28 PM
This is the only new Invetsarms I have seen in this country for a long time no one advertises them.
This one came from the UK importer of Italian repro guns and suspect that this just came in as padding in a batch from Italy.
The eyties are going full tilt, well as full tilt as they are capable of, producing stuff for the yankee market that we just get the left overs.
I had near a dozen outstanding orders for 1851 Navies for customers last year when the order from Italy arrived just before Christmas there were a total of three Uberti 1851 Navies all London models, I got one of them. I have had a customer desperate for a Pedersoli flinter Frontier model any calibre for the past few months the only Pedersoli Flinter they had in was one Brown Bess. They were expecting to get a Pedersoli deliver in March but when I was in last week I was told the shipment was put back to June. The importer has all models on order but never knows what is coming 'till the shipment arrives.
I was onto the Lyman importer about bringing in Lyman guns as it seem it would be easier to get Italian guns from the states than Italy despite that abomination of the EEC but the importer didn't want the hassle of importing firearms.
So we have to take what we get when we can get it, I would sell a lot more guns if I could just get them.
Anyway I came across a nice looking second hand Pedersoli Mortimer .54 cal target rifles flinter at a very reasonable price during my Hogmanay travels so I am hoping to give that a try out tomorrow at the range.
Post by: RobD on February 01, 2016, 02:54:02 PM