Lyman GPR patch and nipple questions...

[Breakfast Boy]

Newbie question(s) here...

I have a .54 Lyman GPR and was shooting it yesterday.  It shoots great and I have no complaints, love that gun.  However, when I bought it years ago I switched out the nipple with one that has a bigger hole.  Well, I finally needed to buy some new caps and bought some No. 11 caps like the manual said.  The caps I bought (Winchester brand from Wal-Mart) fit really loose and come off easily when I cock the hammer.  They shoot fine, but I could see a cap coming off if I have a quick shot while hunting and am in a hurry.  What size caps should I be getting, or what nipple should I get to replace the one I have?  I only have the nipple that's on the gun, so wouldn't mind getting a different one anyway.

Also, I'm currently shooting .530 round balls and pre-lubed patches that Traditions makes.  I would like to go to a more "traditional" patch.  What should I be using and where do you buy it?

Thanks in advance for the help fellas.


-Jameson

[Gordon H.Kemp]

BB , Idon"t know what thread pitch the GPR nipple has so can" reccomend a nipple I do have  two .54s both are TCs . I use the .530 cast ball  , soft lead out of a Lee mold and blue stripe pillow ticking  from WW. The ticking runs about .015 and is tight enough in my guns and it" as close to traditional as any fabric you can buy over the counter . I don"t use any special lube , usually "spit" if I"m plinking or target shooting and a grease type lube for hunting where the load will be in the breech for an extended period . lard , crisco bore butter , olive oil etc. works for me .

[Firewalker]

I have three of these, great rifles.
Look here for RLP-S
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categorie ... =25&Page=2
 Track is pretty good to deal with, maybe not always the cheapest, but reliable in my experience over the last 30 years.

As for patching. What I use is pillow ticking. You can buy cotton pillow ticking at a fabric store. Wash it and tear into strips. I don't know what thickness it is and don't really care. Its worked for me with a 530 RB for over 30 years.

You can buy Ox Yoke Wonder Lube or T/C Bore butter or make your own. I get a small brick of bee's wax from a friend, but you can buy it at a craft store.
Mix the bee's wax with olive oil. Start with 60% wax, 40% oil. Melt it and let it solidify. You may have to remelt and add wax or oil to get the right consistency. It should be the consistency of Crisco. I don't use Crisco because it gets rancid and stinks.
Take the mixture on a putty knife and smear it on a strip of ticking so it well coated and then roll up the ticking and nuke it for a few seconds to melt the wax thoroughly  into the ticking.
You can cut the ticking off at the muzzle as you load or use a loading block.
Look here
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categorie ... tyleID=978
You don't have to buy these you can make them.
And there you go.
Not the only way to do it for sure, but its the way I've done it for many, many years.
Some people use some form of liquid patch lube and there are about 2017 different recipes for it. I've found it works very well in the summer, but not well in the winter as it freezes.
So there is some info you got by coming to the TMA.
I would encourage you to become a member, its a worthy organization.
Shoot a lot, its fun.

[Sean McKown]

I didt look at the link for the nipples from Track of the wolf. BUT  Your nipple threads for a Lyman should 6 x .75,  BUT those stainless nipples from Track are awesome. Very durable, I use them in all my rifles. I have used the ampco nipples and was really that impressed with the durability.
I use a mix of olive oil and beeswax.  I dont buy lubed patches, but do use precut most of the time. I also have some pillow ticking in strips for cutting at the muzzle with spit for lube.

  You will learn that most of this is ALL trial and error. What one gun loves for powder,patch a, loads, another may not shoot worth a darn.

[Breakfast Boy]

Thanks fellas.  The help is much appreciated and answered my questions perfectly.

And Firewalker, I will be sending my dues in soon.  I really like the way the TMA seems "grass roots".

[Riley/MN]

And Firewalker, I will be sending my dues in soon.  I really like the way the TMA seems "grass roots".

[Fletcher]

I believe that the Lyman are 6 x .75 mm.  We have a couple and we use TESCO gold colored nipples.  They are a hot shot type and the metal seems to be a bit harder than other brands so they last a lot longer before deforming.

[pathfinder]

It's the Dick*** around with our guns that keep us here. Constant fiddling is important to our mental well being! "Pox",my .50 Southern gun I built years ago has changed what she likes over the years,Started with 80grs 2f,then 70grs of 3f,now 80 grs of 3f,no change in bore size or breach,same patch,same balls,go figure!

Same with my .58 Hawkins,started at 115 grs 2f,now 75 3f. Was built for the NMLRA 200yard silloutte shoot,once hit all 4 bears, MY claim to fame!

[Roaddog]

I would try a difrent brand of cap. CCI, Remington,and so on. They all can be #11 but they all will be slitely difrent size.

[Breakfast Boy]

I would try a difrent brand of cap. CCI, Remington,and so on. They all can be #11 but they all will be slitely difrent size.

I wondered about that.  It seems the Remington caps I had before were No. 11 and fit fine.

Thanks everyone for the help.  Now to get me some beeswax and pillow ticking...

[Captchee]

Couple of things
1) yes the nipple threads will be metric .
 But what a lot of folks don’t realize is that  all the measurements on the factory nipples  are metric to include the neck size .
 This excludes however aftermarket nipples which  are for the most part turned  to  our standard system then threaded  with metric threads .
2) the thing to remember  is that caps come in 2 sized #10 and #11 . . #10 caps were  normally  at one time used in revolver pistols . Most folks don’t realize this  because the #11 are the most common  seen today .
 Though I did see a  bunch of #10 for sale down at sportsman’s about a year ago
 You also can get nipples that are   different in the length of the necks .
3) going to a nipple with a larger hole does 2 things
 a) it reduces  it allows more fire through the nipple . But it also reduces the  pressure of that fire . Think of it as a a spray nozzle on your garden hose . The  smaller the hole , the stronger the stream  while at the same time  restricting the amount of water that can go through it . Same thing with the nipple
b)    the same thing happens in reverse . A smaller hole allows less bore pressure to  be vented

So with the above   I have to ask how old the nipple is that you are using . If it’s a newer nipple  recently bout it probably for a # 11  cap .
 Thus the issue is Winchesters #11 sizing .
 So  all you need to do is  lightly pinch the cap .. Then push it down on the nipple with your thumb .
 This will hold it on you nipple  and and make it far less likely to fall off.

asl to patchs and lubes
 i use only pillow ticking and cut my patchs at the muzzle .
for lube i use spit . thats it nothing more . be it for target shooting or hunting

[Breakfast Boy]

Thanks Captchee.  I'll try just pinching the caps slightly and see how that works.

[Gordon H.Kemp]

Just curious ? but has anyone here actually  caused a cap to detonate by thumb preasure , or even using a dowell to press the cap down to contact the anvil/nipple top .?? I don"t  think its a great idea to put preasure on the cap with a hard object , but I kknow of no one personally that has detonated a cap with thumb preasure alonee ? It may be that the compound used in the old corrosive caps were much more preasure/percussion sensitive then that being usede in the non corrosive caps  ?

[Captchee]

Gordon .
remember that on a revolver there is no flash cup . thus when the cap is hit you get a large flash  going all around as the cap opens up . really it shouldnt make any diffrance if the cap is crimped or not .
as to thumb pressure  i doubt that a person could generated the  lbs  per sqI  to  ignight a cap .
a hard wood dowel  might /can do that if the dowel is struck  but  a person would have to be pushing mighty had to do it by pushing .

 now that being said . i know folk who do alot of target shoot who set thier caps with the hammer  by  placing the cap on the nipple , then letting the hammer down on the nipple . then applying force aginst the cocking dog of the hammer so as to seat the cap fully to the nipple .
 again  one would have to put a very large amount of pressuer in order to give the Lb per sq inch to get the cap to go off .
 much more then could be  generated in a normal  application .
  but it could be done if one strick the hammer  with another object

 now that all being said . proper gun safty should allways be a concern . loaded or unloaded . the barrel should allways be in a safe derection

[Captchee]

PS
 i just went out in the shop and applied 300LBS to a #11 CCI cap . the cap was crushed completely flat.
 did not go off .
 taking a  bar i was able to set that same  cap off  very easly by lightly striking it even after it was flat as a piece  of paper  .
 again striking is the key