Lyman Great Plains Hunter
Lyman Products Corporation · Rifle · In Production · 1994
Also known as: Great Plains Hunter, GPH, Lyman GPR Hunter
Overview
The Lyman Great Plains Hunter is a .50 caliber percussion muzzleloading rifle, a hunting-oriented version of the traditional Hawken-pattern Great Plains Rifle. Unlike the standard Great Plains Rifle with its slow 1:60 twist optimized for patched round balls, the Hunter uses a faster 1:32 (later 1:24) shallow-groove twist barrel engineered to stabilize modern conical bullets and sabots favored by black-powder hunters. It retains the classic features of the Great Plains line: a blued octagonal chrome-moly barrel, a coil-spring Hawken-style percussion lock, a hooked breech, adjustable open sights and a double-set trigger set in an oil-finished European walnut stock.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4082 g (144.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1270 mm (50.00") |
| Barrel Length | 813 mm (32.01") |
| Action Type | Muzzleloader |
| Firing Mechanism | Percussion |
| Trigger Type | Double Trigger |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Muzzle Velocity | 460 m/s (1509 fps) |
| Effective Range | 100 m (109 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 200 m (219 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 813 mm (32.01") |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Barrel Material | Chrome Moly Steel |
| Stock Material | European Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .50 Caliber Ball · primary — also known as 0.50 in lead round ball, 12.7mm round ball, .50 caliber conical
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Muzzle Loaded
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Notch
- Features: Octagonal Barrel, Hawken Style Percussion Lock, Coil Spring Lock, Double Set Trigger, Shallow Groove Fast Twist Barrel, Adjustable Rear Sight, Bead Front Sight, Hooked Breech, Oil Finished Stock
Variants
- Lyman Great Plains Hunter Flintlock - Ignition
- Lyman Great Plains Hunter Signature Series - Signature Series
Base model
Production
Production years: 1994-present
Part of Lyman's long-running Great Plains muzzleloader family; the Hunter has been offered in both percussion and flintlock ignition and, more recently, as a Signature Series model.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Lyman Products Corporation
Notes
Frequently manufactured for Lyman by Investarm of Italy. Sold factory-assembled and also as a build-it-yourself kit. Later reissued as the Signature Series with a 1:24 twist barrel.
Background
The Great Plains rifles were designed to recapture the look and feel of the mid-1800s plains rifles carried by American mountain men and buffalo hunters, while the Hunter variant modernized the concept with a faster-twist barrel so the same traditional-styled rifle could shoot modern conical and sabot hunting projectiles.