New .54 'Hotrod'

[54bore]

As many of you know i have been on a Quest for a Fast Twist .54 Cal for quite sometime now, i thought about a Knight MK-85 inline in .54 but after some thought i just can't get the 'bug' for an inline, i really like the Sidelocks. I ended up getting a New Lyman Great Plains 'Hunter' .54 Cal 1:32 Twist, I removed the stock sights from the Dovetails and installed a Lyman 17AEU Globe front sight and put a Lee Shaver fine post bead insert in it, hopefully i will get the Lyman 57GPR Tang Peep for it today, since i will be using Peep sights i fashioned a sight blank to fill the rear sight dovetail and installed it. I thoroughly cleaned the rifle (the barrel was factory NASTY with Goop/Grease!!) i read about Simple Green for removing such gunk, i gave it a go and it worked AWESOME! I have the barrel clean down to steel, i even have it loaded and ready to shoot, so im commited LOL! I weighed out some old cast Maxi balls and kept 10 that weighed within 1 grain of eachother, Ran them through my .539 sizing die, added 2 wraps of 9# onion skin paper and then a trip back through the .539 Sizing die, i am using .58 Cal Oxyoke wool over powder wads to create a good seal. My powder charge is 90 Grains of Swiss 2F, i weighed each charge on my beam scale, (i set my volume measure to 90 and then check weigh 2 or 3 charges in grains to get an average, then weigh my charges by grain with my beam scale, put the charges in little vials for the range session) The Maxis i am gonna try today look kinda rough from rolling around together, but they all weigh out the same and obviously sized the same, i plan on having a steel/iron mold made soon to my specs by Accurate molds, gonna go .532-534 with it. These Maxi's are just something to try for now. This rifle is TALL standing beside my TC's! Here is a Pic of it along side my others. Hopefully have a target to ad to this thread today!
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[GunnyJohn]

Nice looking rifles. Have fun at the range today. I have to work...again. Haven't shot a gun in so long, almost forgot I own them.

[johnson1942]

i had one of those in 50 cal. it shot sabots or paperpatch very very accurate. i did things to it to make it more reliable. shot gun primer nipple, better wood screws where needed, better back sight, cryo treated the barrel, recrowned it. i cut off the hooked butt plate and put a real nice straight shot gun butt plate on it. then i put a high quality lace up leather butt pad over that. then i gave it to my son in denver and he takes very good care of it. also made a nice aluminum ramrod for it. i cant leave any gun along, i have to up grade them as much as possible. i see your collect guns also. a couple years ago my wall wouldnt hold any more down stairs and every corner of the house had one in it. decided which ones i really wanted and sold the rest off. let us know how the 54 goes with paperpatching it. it can be done and done very well. i taught a shooter out of denver a couple years ago how to pp a 54 and he got 1 inch groups at 100 yards with it. you 54 has 5 thousands deep grooves and not 4 thousands like most fast twist. shouldnt make a difference, may even help.

[54bore]

I didnt get the Lyman 57GPR peep til this evening so didn't get to shoot today, tomorrow is the plan! The Lyman 57GPR comes with a Shim and is definitely needed, but stil wasn't to my liking so i tinkered with it and eventually got it where i want it. I picked up a Box of Hornady Great Plains Bullets today so i will have something else to try besides these old beat up Maxi Balls, i cleaned the lube from 10 of them, ran them through my .539 sizing die, added 2 Wraps of onion skin paper and sent them back through the .539, if these end up shooting good they are readily available around here so will come in handy! I stil plan on having a mold made to my specs through Accurate Molds. Here is a pic of the bullets, and the 57GPR Peep and shim.
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[54bore]

I shot this new rifle yesterday and it shot really good! I had enough stuff to shoot 6 times, it was COLD here yesterday, -4 at my Folks in the am so wasnt the most comfortable setting. Instead of shooting a Group i opted to Sight in, This being the first time firing this gun i had no idea where it was gonna hit, ended up being about 16" or so low, and about a foot to the right, i shot 6 times total, 4 were sight corrections and the last 2 were just above the bull, 50-60 yards is all i can get at my Folks place. I have a BUNCH of testing to do with this new rifle, and a few others, but its gonna wait til spring time when its more enjoyable to shoot.

[54bore]

187024

This is the bullet design from Accurate molds i am looking at having a custom mold made for this New Fast Twist .54, I plan to go .534 in Diameter, 2 wraps of 9# onion skin and ran through my .539 sizing die, will give a decent pinch on the paper, tightening it up good on the bullet.
Johnson1942, If you dont mind running the numbers can you tell me the optimum Length for this 1:32 Twist?

[Saxtonyoung]

600 + plus grains - That is a serious chunk of lead. That has BIG GAME written all over it.

[triggerhappy243]

that looks alot like the lyman 450 gr. bullet

[Fly]

Those big bore most never get the accuracy as smaller ones do. But I will keep up with your success. I love guys trying to get
the most they can from a given rifle. I have a 54 GPR but it has slow twist round ball barrel. I bought a GRH 50 cal to build
my Hot rod as to Rons advice. I shoot the same bullet & it shoots fantastic. Better than me. Hope the best for you & keep us posted.

Fly

[54bore]

that looks alot like the lyman 450 gr. bullet

Trigger, I think they are REALLY close, Lyman makes a Great Plains bullet mold but im skeptical of Lyman molds, at least the newer ones.

[triggerhappy243]

i HEAR YA. i HAVE A 429421 AND IT CASTS .003 TOO SMALL FOR MY BORE AND CYLINDER.

[Fly]

i HEAR YA. i HAVE A 429421 AND IT CASTS .003 TOO SMALL FOR MY BORE AND CYLINDER.

Paper patch that bad boy & then size.
Fly

[triggerhappy243]

Paper patch that bad boy & then size.
Fly

For a 44 mag revolver?

[charlie b]

Congratulations! I love my .50cal GPH. It is even working with round balls now that I reduced the load some more. Probably not good for hunting but at the range it works. So far have 1" groups at 50yds.

I do need to order some PP bullets from Buffalo Arms.

[54bore]

There are 2 different Paper Patch molds on Accurate molds that i have my eye on, i am waiting for a reply from Tom on them, They are 50 Cal Molds, if he can open them up to .532-.533 i will be placing an order for a 2 Cavity Iron Mold with each design.
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[jtaylor1960]

I am anxious to see how you make out.I have the same rifle and want to have a load/bullet combination worked out before next years muzzleloader season.