Drop in barrel for Lyman Great Plains Hunter in .69-.75 caliber?

[Longbeard]

Everyone,

I have a: Lyman, Great Plains Hunter, Cap lock , in .54.

I was looking for a drop in barrel in .69 - .75 for hunting and
some appropriate open sights. But no fiber optics, I want
to keep it traditional. Links would be appreciated.

Track of the Wolf sells balls and patches & Cabelas sells
.75 balls because they sell the Brown Bess.

By the way, I just called down to The Gun Work in Springfield
and no one picked up during business hours or I would have
just gone there Saturday. And Suzie is horrible about answering
email.

Blessings,

Long Beard

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[Andy54Hawken]

Are you wanting a rifled or smooth bore barrel in those calibers....?

Largest caliber The GunWorks has for "drop in" ... is .58 caliber.
Drop in barrels listed by Track of the Wolf are for Thompson Center rifles...

You may have to order a barrel and have it threaded for a Lyman Breech block ...assuming someone makes a barrel with the size of the Lyman barrel.....
Colerain and Green Mountain both make excellent barrels...Just not sure if they make one that will fit.
Andy

 

[Longbeard]

Are you wanting a rifled or smooth bore barrel in those calibers....?

Largest caliber The GunWorks has for "drop in" ... is .58 caliber.
Drop in barrels listed by Track of the Wolf are for Thompson Center rifles...

You may have to order a barrel and have it threaded for a Lyman Breech block ...assuming someone makes a barrel with the size of the Lyman barrel.....
Colerain and Green Mountain both make excellent barrels...Just not sure if they make one that will fit.
Andy

Yes, rifled barrel. Its just simple physics for hunting- a thing once put in motion tends to stay in in motion. Hitting an animal with a large, heavy ball will tend to penetrate straight through rather than deflecting off bone, etc. October Country advertises an 8 bore but its $1200

Blessings,
Longbeard

 

[Roundball58]

You might have a barrel wall thickness issue in those larger calibers. I'm not sure, but I believe your barrel outside diameter is 15/16". A drop in .69-75 caliber bore might not leave enough barrel wall thickness, especially considering things like sight or tennon dovetails.

Just an added thought. I believe the general rule of thumb is a minimum of 0.2" of barrel wall thickness at the breech so whatever your barrel OD is you can do the math as to the largest caliber you're likely to find in a drop in replacement.

 

[Roundball58]

As for hunting with a RB, I've always gone by the notion its like extended range bow hunting. Stay away from heavy bone and go for double lung shots.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I know that my .54 Hawken with round ball has killed deer , black bear , antelope and elk with ease.
I have no doubt that it will do so again...

Historically , calibers in the .50ish to .60ish range in rifles , both flint or percussion have worked on all of our big game..... Most of the calibers in my antique gun collection range from .47 caliber to .58 caliber...*

Oddly enough most historic "plains rifles" , and Trade Rifles were made in those same calibers...
Ranging from .47 to .58 caliber.....*
Just something to think about.

Good points above about barrel configuration and such...
It may be that you will have to go with a custom gun , rather than a drop in barrel.
Used may be a bit less expensive than new...Maybe save some pennies and at next years black powder gun show at Monroe....you can find a rifle in that caliber....
Andy
*Yes I do know that if one looks long enough....one can find examples on either side of those ranges...
I am speaking of average or commonly found....

 

[jj500]

Stick with the .54,it will drop anything you can hunt on the North American continent.If you get a wild hair replace it with a drop in slow twist barrel,Green Mountain used to make them,or go with the Lyman Great Plains barrel which is 1-60 twist,better if your using round balls.

 

[Longbeard]

You might have a barrel wall thickness issue in those larger calibers. I'm not sure, but I believe your barrel outside diameter is 15/16". A drop in .69-75 caliber bore might not leave enough barrel wall thickness, especially considering things like sight or tennon dovetails.

Just an added thought. I believe the general rule of thumb is a minimum of 0.2" of barrel wall thickness at the breech so whatever your barrel OD is you can do the math as to the largest caliber you're likely to find in a drop in replacement.
So, I'm stick ordering a semi-custom piece. October Country pulled the web page for their sporting rifles that run up
to 8 Bore. The Gun Works in Springfield has large bores listed for $1800 - $2000 and an 8 bore for $4500 +/- but
they didn't pick up the phone the last time I called during business hours. So , once again I'm stuck in my search
for a truly bib bore. I don't want a museum peace that I'll have to baby, I want something

Blessings,
LongBeard

You might have a barrel wall thickness issue in those larger calibers. I'm not sure, but I believe your barrel outside diameter is 15/16". A drop in .69-75 caliber bore might not leave enough barrel wall thickness, especially considering things like sight or tennon dovetails.

Just an added thought. I believe the general rule of thumb is a minimum of 0.2" of barrel wall thickness at the breech so whatever your barrel OD is you can do the math as to the largest caliber you're likely to find in a drop in replacement.

I received an email from Ethan @ Track of the Wolf: There is not enough barrel there to do anything larger and the channel is too small for a larger barrel.

October Country has removed their page for Sporting Rifles up to 8 Bore.

The Gun Works in Springfield has rifles up to .69 for $1700-$2000 and an 8 bore for $4500+ but they don't pick up the phone during business hours. I may start setting aside cash and call them after the lock down.

I don't want a museum piece that I need to baby.

Blessings,
LongBeard

 

[Longbeard]

I know that my .54 Hawken with round ball has killed deer , black bear , antelope and elk with ease.
I have no doubt that it will do so again...

Historically , calibers in the .50ish to .60ish range in rifles , both flint or percussion have worked on all of our big game..... Most of the calibers in my antique gun collection range from .47 caliber to .58 caliber...*

Oddly enough most historic "plains rifles" , and Trade Rifles were made in those same calibers...
Ranging from .47 to .58 caliber.....*
Just something to think about.

Good points above about barrel configuration and such...
It may be that you will have to go with a custom gun , rather than a drop in barrel.
Used may be a bit less expensive than new...Maybe save some pennies and at next years black powder gun show at Monroe....you can find a rifle in that caliber....
Andy
*Yes I do know that if one looks long enough....one can find examples on either side of those ranges...
I am speaking of average or commonly found....

Was it Daniel Boon that used a .69 caliber? I think his son talked about his rifle using a 1 oz ball which would be .69.
Great minds think alike; knowing he was going into uncharted territory he may have gone into the gun shop and said:
"Give me the biggest thing you got..."

Blessings,
LongBeard

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Was it Daniel Boon that used a .69 caliber? I think his son talked about his rifle using a 1 oz ball which would be .69.
Great minds think alike; knowing he was going into uncharted territory he may have gone into the gun shop and said:
"Give me the biggest thing you got..."

Blessings,
LongBeard

Sorry long post.

Family lore only in regards to Daniel Boone's rifle...so here is a salt shaker.

I kinda doubt that old Daniel Boone had such a rifle...he was really into being a common man...with a common rifle.
.69 is not a common American rifle caliber in that time period.

Besides...Daniel Boone had many rifles at different times....
At least twice having his rifles stolen by the Shawnee...so just what rifle and when is important to consider here as well.
Plus .69 caliber eats a lot of powder and lead...when you are far away from resupply...something to consider then and now..

We do have a newspaper interview with Sam Hawken , where he states that he made a rifle for General Ashley in .68 caliber...
One rifle...and a special order...not a common thing to have been done.
And again...I take this interview with a grain of salt as well....
A lot of that interview reads as if there was some creative licensing involved.

Also .50 and .54 ( calibers .47-.58 ) were very popular calibers for American rifles , when muzzle loaders were the only rifles....One reason that they were so popular is that they work...with that balance of power and amount of lead and powder used.
That is why I suggest them.
Andy

Edit to add:
Remember , I am coming at this from a historic angle...
From years of study , handling , restoring and shooting of actual historic rifles.
Actual historic rifles and guns look much different at times , than their modern counterparts or even so called replicas or reproductions....
No matter what sales hype is sold with them

Case in point the Thompson Center "Hawken" rifle.
These are excellent rifles and shoot very well.
They are accepted at rendezvous and make for great hunting rifles.
But...
They do not replicate any actual historic Hawken rifle....in either looks or in many of their components.

Please note that I am not telling you to not make , buy or own a rifle with the lines of a Lyman Great Plains Rifle and in .69 - .75 caliber...not my place to do so.
But , what I am saying , is that such a rifle is not historically accurate or commonly found.
Which may not be important to you...but it is important to me.

 

[Roundball58]

There are production big bore options out there, the Pedersoli Gibbs African for example.

PR4060 GIBBS AFRICAN HUNTER RIFLE 72

Halfstock with checkered pistol grip and forearm. American walnut with satin finish. 28" length - 1 1/2" drop. Trigger pull is 14". Barrel is .72 caliber, blued 29" tapered round 1.240 to round 1.000 at muzzle. Broach rifling - .004" deep. 1 in 75" twist. 6 lands - .724 & 6 grooves -...

www.dixiegunworks.com

 

[jj500]

There are production big bore options out there, the Pedersoli Gibbs African for example.

PR4060 GIBBS AFRICAN HUNTER RIFLE 72

Halfstock with checkered pistol grip and forearm. American walnut with satin finish. 28" length - 1 1/2" drop. Trigger pull is 14". Barrel is .72 caliber, blued 29" tapered round 1.240 to round 1.000 at muzzle. Broach rifling - .004" deep. 1 in 75" twist. 6 lands - .724 & 6 grooves -...

www.dixiegunworks.com

Yeow,1850 dollars for this,I don"t hunt rhinos so not really worth it to me but glad it is available for those that do.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Not having a ramrod on that Gibbs rifle is a point worth thinking about....
Andy

 

[Roundball58]

Yeow,1850 dollars for this,I don"t hunt rhinos so not really worth it to me but glad it is available for those that do.

Yeah, it's kind of a niche rifle. Not much demand = higher price.

 

[Roundball58]

Not having a ramrod on that Gibbs rifle is a point worth thinking about....
Andy

That's what gun bearers are for. That and mixing up a proper gin and tonic.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

While I see the humor here...
I don't hunt with a gun bearer....so , without a attached ramrod , this rifle is worthless to me as a hunting rifle for how I hunt.
Andy

 

[Idaho44]

Lyman GPRs can do barrel swaps quite easily but they are .45 to .54 bore but the outer dimensions are the same to fit the stock. Pedersoli does do some interesting BP configurations. Here is a link to the Gibbs: Gibbs rifles for sale, historical Gibbs rifles by Pedersoli.

Fit and finish on their products is quite good and they are popular in Europe. BP seems to be more popular there than here....

Also Pedersoli does publish a mag that can be read or downloaded from their web site.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

While not a .69 - .75 caliber option...
If the OP wants a heavier projectile...
Maybe buy a replacement barrel in .54 caliber , that has a "fast twist" for conical bullets....
A little cheaper , than a new rifle....and a bigger projectile.
425 - 476 grain weight for a conical .54 caliber bullet vs. 220-225 weight for a .530 round ball
Andy

 

[Longbeard]

There are production big bore options out there, the Pedersoli Gibbs African for example.

PR4060 GIBBS AFRICAN HUNTER RIFLE 72

Halfstock with checkered pistol grip and forearm. American walnut with satin finish. 28" length - 1 1/2" drop. Trigger pull is 14". Barrel is .72 caliber, blued 29" tapered round 1.240 to round 1.000 at muzzle. Broach rifling - .004" deep. 1 in 75" twist. 6 lands - .724 & 6 grooves -...

www.dixiegunworks.com

Except for the lack of a ramrod to reload in the field this looks intresting.

LB

 

[Longbeard]

While not a .69 - .75 caliber option...
If the OP wants a heavier projectile...
Maybe buy a replacement barrel in .54 caliber , that has a "fast twist" for conical bullets....
A little cheaper , than a new rifle....and a bigger projectile.
425 - 476 grain weight for a conical .54 caliber bullet vs. 220-225 weight for a .530 round ball
Andy

I do have some 430 grain .54 bullets sitting on a shelf across from me and I found my lube & base wads.
I'll work up a heavy hunting load.

The thing is I've had bullets fail in the field due to lack on penetration. I did recover the animal , after humping my
sorry @ss over 150 yards, in a sub freezing snow storm at about 3,000 feet . Theron after I shifted to larger bores
and heavier bullets looking for through and through penetration. My best preference is a quartering away shot
where I can hit both lungs & break the off side hip or femur.

Blessings,
LB