So I poke my muzzle into a pawn shop the other day, and there at the far end all by itself is a Lyman GPR, percussion, .54, looking NIB, for $349. I have had three or four GPRs over the years, all fine shooters and as we all know, not quite "right" but not as "wrong" as a lot of other mass-produced so-called plains rifles.
Being totally without a rifle appropriate to our period just now, I am tempted to go back, confirm the bore is sound, and offer them $275. If I drag it home, I will make some mods: take out the perch belly, give the metal some mustard treatment, mebbe even whang on it gently to give it some handling marks and character. I know, done wrong this leads to an unsaleable mess, but I am old enough now that I don't much care. I'll try to avoid the temptation to add Ind'n tacks, but that's the only promise I will make. Just don't want no shooter what looks like 5,000 others, if you get my drift.