Lyman Great Plains rifle barrel question

[siegehammer63]

After going on a guided bear hunt recently, my dad expressed some interest in going boar hunting with the same guide (Full Boar Outfitters in Saskatchewan, it was a great time). He wants to take a wild boar with blackpowder, so for his birthday I found a used Lyman great plains rifle for him. That said, it has a .50 caliber, 1:60 twist barrel, and every bit of advice I have seen is to get the replacement .54 in 1:32 or :36 so we can shoot conicals, to penetrate better.
Does anyone here know where to get that barrel?
I'll have more questions on the basics later, thanks for any help!

 

[infideleggwelder]

I don`t know if you need that. at black powder hunting ranges, a .50 PRB will go through and through a boar easily, the softer the lead is the better. its all about shot placement.
brother in law was dismissing my plan to go moose hunting with my .50 flintlock, so we took the moose he got, laid both antlers over the fresh skull, and put a couple of leg bones behind that. clean shot with a patched round ball over 80 gr FFF at 75m went thru both antlers, destroyed the skull, smashed one of the leg bones, and cracked the other. we did not find the ball. he asked if he could borrow my percussion .50 for this years upcoming moose season.
if I can find the photo of the damage, I will post it.

 

[gunsaholic]

I also think you would be fine with prb. As already mentioned, shot placement is always an important factor.

 

[Alex McKr]

Track of the Wolf is one possible source for a replacement barre, if you wish to go that route. Though not necessary. I've taken several wild boar, using .50 caliber(490"), pure lead, patched ball. Powder charge: 90-100 grains, Goex Ffg powder. No problem putting one down. As others have mentioned, shot placement is key.
Note: Wild boar(males in particular) have a thick cartilage shield that covers most of the chest area. This can be upwards of 1/2" to 3/4" thick, and hard to penetrate. So, frontal shots can be dicey. A quartering shot from the rear, right behind the shoulder, is ideal. As a matter of interest, 3 out of 4 balls were recovered, lodged in the cartilage shield, just ahead of the animals' off shoulder. All had flattened out to about .60 caliber. None of the boar ran more than 30 yards, after being hit.
By the way, wild boar is very tasty. Has its own unique flavour. Not at all like domestic pork. Good luck.

 

[siegehammer63]

Thanks guys!
I had heard that a lot of serious guys up gun and go with a conical, my big worry was being presented with a straight broadside shot. I also have never used a pure lead round ball, so I dont know what penetration is like. Yeah, we are probably going to limit shots to 50 to 75 yards max, as the guide has some 600 pound hogs and I'd like to get dad a monster.
As for shot placement, I just took a black bear with a 6.5x55, I hear you. Having a quarter bore only counts if you can place the shot.
I'm still interested in a .54 barrel but you guys have given me some confidence, thank you! I'll be coming back looking for starting equipment soon.