C-Sharps 45-70 Pyrodex

[Chill Wills]

Is this the Lee bullet you have? If so it will work to get you going and it does carry enough lube. I will admit it is not a great design but not bad if you own it now and want to see your rifle shoot groups. This bullet is up to the task.

You have available resources that will meet your needs. Spend money after you know what you want. Until then you can use what you have and make a very good load for that rifle.

[Papa Jack]

Thanks for the Load Data.... I'll work on getting some new bullets cast Thurzday and see if I can put some loads together.
I may try some of the 5744 loads too, Just need something to get us on the paper. I hate running out of rounds when I get real close to dialing something in.....
It's storming pretty good here tonight so we may wait for better weather , I'll be ready.
YES, the 500 Lee I have is the 3R, They beat me to death in my handi-rifle.....LOL...
Thanks again Guys ! PJ

[Don McDowell]

23 grs of 5744 with that bullet (no crimp) should shoot pretty fair, if it's at or above .458 diameter. I don't think it would be much of a hunting bullet, but I know it'll shoot wowserwoo type groups out to 300.

[bigted]

cant resist an answer here...i was in your shoes just a short time ago and i know the overwhelming amount of advise and the dificulty of sifting thru it all to find a starting place so ill add this for a suggestion.

start with 1 good boolit...[lyman # 457125]...this is a middle road boolit that has done very well for itself and most that shoot it.....

then drive to the nearest town...not that far away if your on the west side of oregon...and purchase 2 pounds of goex 2 f powder...[black powder]...

now get hold of 100 remington or winchester cases and keep them with this rifle only...

i find that the cci 200 large rifle primers work well for starting out and maybe for the long haul as well

follow the rules for black powder loading to wit...allow the powder to continue to trickle into the case till it is going to be compressed into the case around 1/8th inch to 1/4 inch...top this with a heavy cardboard wad to protect the base of your boolit.....use your belling die for now to compress your powder charge and wad so it is down to the point that your boolit will not have to do the compressing...[remember here that ANY air gaps will not be tolerated...bad medicine] so meassure carefully the column before seating your boolit....spark it with the afore-mentioned cci #200 primers and go forth and have a ball.

as for shooting and getting fair to good results...i shoot 1 round with these blackpowder loads and then take the spit infested patch from your mouth and scrub the bore back n forth then out the front it goes...i follow this with a clean dry patch doing the same...up to the muzzle then back to the breech then out the front it goes as well...now load another and after the shot...repeat the scrubbing procedure.......the end results will make you grin and the final group for hunting will be there....im sure.

finally for the cleaning there is nothing better to cut the blackpowder fouling then plain ol warm to hot water. there is plenty of brews that are here and out there ...[ and i have my own as well] but the real solvent for the powder fouling that works best is WATER. leading is another question and there are plenty of brews for this as well...[such as good ol fasioned terpinetine of which there is an abundance where you live] ...follow your swabbing with a good oil for perserving and life is groovy.

im from the west side and i know that where ever you happen to be on the west side of the cascades ther is probably blackpowder in reach to you within 150 miles or less....as for the rest you should have what you need in your own yard prolly...the moulds will be handy from mid-usa...track of the wolf....buffalo arms... kinda on-line places and the mould n handles should come in a bit under 100.00 dollars or thereabouts for a lyman settup. sounds like you already have a furnace of some sort to melt n cast so this investment is already down for you.

finally i do know about your elk there on the west side and id want a 400 + grain boolit to shoot em with. got one one year that had reverted to a very tall spike and he weighed in at 760 gutted. so i know the size ability of those rosevelt elk and even the cows can tip a hefty scale at times. WATCH THE VINEY MAPLE ...ive had to crawl thru those groves on such steep ground that your nose rubs the ground when your climbing uphill.

have fun and dont get discouraged friend...it will work out and when it does just thumb yer nose at em when yer doin yer jig with happiness.

[Papa Jack]

Today I cast up more of the Lee 3R 500 boolits....Used the rest of my 30:1 alloy. The Boolits came out not too bad, I used a new Lyman Mini-Mag melter (had it for several years never opened the box) , so today I dedicated it to the Sharps so I don't have to empty my other pot .
I had cases ready to load, so I hand lubed the boolits with NASA and my fingers... I got out a Volume measure from by B/P box and set it for 65 grains Vol.... I loaded 3 rounds and got to thinkin about that measure..... So I took another look. Then I put on my glasses !!!!
I hate those things, all those little lines stamped in there, It looked like I had it set on 70 Grns Vol instead of 65...
So I adjusted it again and loaded a few more til I ran out of time today....
Maybe Friday I will try to shoot those I loaded today in my Handi -Rifle ( I don't have the Sharps here..) just to see if they go boom , if I blow up the Handi ,I'm out a couple hundred bucks, cheaper than the Sharps....
I loaded 65 grains Volumn 3FG....500 grain Lee 3R ( As Cast ) used a .025" card over the powder, compressed the powder with the bullet....(About 1/8" or a little more).
I have dedicated WW cases for B/P, and I use a 50/50 mix of Vinegar and Water to soften up the fouling before I clean. I usually squirt the bore and run some patches thru it before I drive home.
I have been to every gun shop in this county and other places I visit in this state and I have yet to find ANY shop that sells B/P.....I ask and they look at me like I'm some kind of Terrorist.....
I'll keep looking but I always get the same answer....NO ! No Black Powder ! Because the BATF requires a MAGAZINE to store it and they don't have a magazine....
I;ll keep you guys informed !! Thanks for the Help ! "PJ"

[Papa Jack]

Big Ted, Thanks for your Help !
I killed a nice bull Elk about 26 years ago.....It was a 3 point ( Forked horns with eye guards) I shot that bull with a borrowed .338 Min Mag. at about .....40 ft. Two bulls standing side by side, the BIG bull behind the smaller one on my side. The big bull had a rack that laid back to his hind quarters ! I took the shot at the smaller Bull as I couldn't shoot the bigger one.... I made a lung shot, he died in his tracks, the big bull turned and ran up the hill behind me. Later as I was taking the hide off the big bull came back down the trail on the run like a freight train !! Ran right past me not 20 ft away....
That bull I shot was about 150 ft from the truck !! A nice mossy trail to pack him out, slightly down hill.
I had it butcherd and boned out , I got 386 lbs of meat no bones... So tender you could cut it with a fork.
All my friends said I'd never get that lucky again.....I guess they were right so far I haven't taken another shot at a bull......Been close but that don't count. I do love to chase em around ..... "PJ"

[405]

I hear ya. It's frustrating when you have the gun that should shoot well, everyone around is showing targets that they shoot with that same gun and your results leave you scratching your head!

That Lee bullet looks good to the eye BUT I tried a very similar Lyman bullet... over and over. Looks can be deceiving. I kept thinking long range ballistics trying to make a square peg fit in a round hole. Never got the bullet to shoot for beans!

I went back to basics, forgot about the ballistic efficiency thing and started loading for my rifle instead of my brain. The only thing I can figure is while those aerodynamically slick looking designs may be slick they may have a design weakness. I think it is the high ratio between unsupported nose and supported shank. Compare the design of the long nose bullets with something like the RCBS 405 FN or 500 FN. Exactly the reverse- high ratio between the supported shank and the unsupported nose.

In your Sharps, I'd almost guarantee fine results, to gain confidence in the rifle, try a bullet like the RCBS 405 FN loaded on top of a mild charge of 5744 loaded to BP type velocity. Then try the same bullet with BP. Then maybe work up to the big 500 grainers. But, you may find the 400-425 types shooting so well no need to get into the bigger bullets.

[bigted]

pappa you gotta not do that anymore...its been so long since i had a mug full of elk roast that i nearly drowned my poor computer with the slobbers i got reading bout the best elk you coulda gotten...good choice with the small bull!!! our moose are the same here...id rather have a skinny 2 year old bull with an embarassing rack then a 80 inch rack and meat ya gotta hack with an ax to cut the gravey.

sure hope you can come to grips with your sharps and if ya ever get an elk with it we would sure like to see photos of it and naturally we lust after photos of your sharps as well.

good shooting to ya and i really dont think you will ever blow up any sound rifle when stoked with black powder...cant get enough powder [black powder that is] in a 45-70 case to harm it in any way.