Lyman .54

[FlatTire]

Check this out guys... holy crap it was just posted a bit ago.

They are giving away a .54 Lyman Kit

http://www.tradrag.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=1097

:Fire:

[waksupi]

Welcome aboard, FlatTire. I'd probably give one away, too! :-D

[FlatTire]

Welcome aboard, FlatTire. I'd probably give one away, too! :-D

Are they worth the trouble? Would I be better of with a different rifle. Really like flinters but still new to this.

[Charlie Sometimes]

I'd take it if I won- good trading material.
I never win anything though, but I will enter, just in case my luck changes!

[JeffinNZ]

First thing you do upon getting the kit is remove the breech plug and drill the nigh on useless .38cal breech out to .54 cal. PITA to clean that lil chamber thingy. Stupid idea.

[waksupi]

First thing you do upon getting the kit is remove the breech plug and drill the nigh on useless .38cal breech out to .54 cal. PITA to clean that lil chamber thingy. Stupid idea.

Jeff, I fully agree on the recessed chambers. A bad idea. The theory was that the powder would burn more efficiently in the reduced chamber. While it may do so, as you say, it does create a cleaning problem. A hard cement-like substance can and will form in these, causing ignition problems. This can also form on a flat breechplug, but this is easily remedied by a breech scraper. Not quite so easy to deal with in the recessed types. Something I really like with my fowlers, the bores are large enough to use a flashlight and see the breechplug to know if any build up would be occurring. It seems to be more common in smaller bore rifles, as my Beckwith Pennsylvainia in .43 caliber seems to get build up rather frequently.

[FlatTire]

If I win then I will consider it my Tax Stimulus. :drinks: Only way I'll come out ahead.

[waksupi]

FlatTire, nothing really wrong with them, and are about the only commercial ML I would recommend to a beginner. As was stated in Jeff and my previous posts, there are potential management problems with them. I have never seen one that wasn't very accurate.

[mooman76]

Should be a great little kit and a good starter gun for ML. Nothing like the pride of building one and taking it out and shooting it afterward.

[Sven]

This is the exact muzzleloader that I use, except I bought mine ready made. I agree that the breach plug is a pain to keep clean. Wish I had heard about drilling it out when it was new. I think it's a great gun for a factory made muzzleloader.

I do keep dreaming about building a flinter from Track of the Wolf.

[Dean D.]

Sven, I am currently building a Lancaster flintlock rifle from TotW, I have the hardware but the stock is still on backorder. I'll try to post something in the future showing my progress. I am pleased with the kit so far.

[Sven]

I'm looking at a trade gun to start -- something that would have been found up here a couple hundred years ago. If that goes well, maybe a full stock Hawken flinter for me second.

First I have to find some spare time. . .

[FlatTire]

I'm looking at a trade gun to start -- something that would have been found up here a couple hundred years ago. If that goes well, maybe a full stock Hawken flinter for me second.

First I have to find some spare time. . .

spare time.... does that happen anymore? Same here. Hardly do much for myself anymore. Honey-do's and chasing kids keep me busy.

[FlatTire]

Just hopped over there and it ends this week (Friday).

[Jeff H]

Jeff, I fully agree on the recessed chambers. A bad idea.................

I read a comment on this in another thread a few minutes ago and would like to offer one solution to anyone who has one of these rifles. I bought a .32 cal. jag and rounded the end and filed four straight flutes up the sides all the way around the newly rounded tip to meet at the top. I filed the flutes so that the jag looked like a coarse rotary cutting tool to work against the threads on on the rod. I place a patch over the muzzle, push it all the way down until the reshaped jag stops and I twist clockwise (as viewd from the top) with the breech standing in hot, hot soapy (Dawn dishwashing liquid) water. A couple patches and it's clean and I have never lost a patch on the way back out with the rod.

I know the design in a pain in the butt, however, this is an inexpensive way to have a tool that prevents the design from causing corrosion problems. I have been cleaning it with this tool for over twenty years and I have nothing growing in the breach to date.

Hope that helps.

Jeff H

[Marvin S]

T/C used the same patent breech and supplied a double ended jag with their guns to clean this area.