"Can't make a decision" rant

[Jon K]

Razor,

I know this is not what I said in my earlier post, all I can say is OOPS.........I just bought a CPA 44 1/2, add 1 more to the single shots.

Jon

[e15cap]

Do not look at arizonasharpshooters.com. Steve Rhoades always has some nice stuff for sale and is a very nice guy. You will get a severe case of chase your tail looking at his site. Best Roger

[NickSS]

Start buying them one per year when you get your tax refund and in 20 or so years you will have less choices to worry about and a lot of nice shooting Irons like I have. Oh I just got this years gun its a nice C. Sharps High Wall in 40-65. Last years was a C. Sharps 1874 9n 50-70. Oh what fun.

[badgeredd]

Razor Have you looked at these? http://www.peabodyrifles.com/

Just tryin to help.


Exblaster

You are a mean person! Now I have to try to figure a way to go through SWMBO to get one! You are rotten I think. Thanks for the help, I needed it even if Razor didn't!

[Razor]

Jon K... That's another one I'd like...someday

e15cap...You KNOW what I did don't you ??I had to look... Wow.. nice guns

NickSS...$2300 tax refund..split with the wife.. she blows hers.. I'm looking at rifles, $700 med bill shows up !! Wife wins $2500 at a casino... we split..she blows hers..I go looking for another rifle..a $435 bill shows up !!!
I get the BUSH BUCKS ..comin'soon.. Now she's talkin' 2 wks in CA to pick up a grandson for the summer !!!

exblaster...SURE you are !! (trying to help) NICE.. and cheaper than a SHILOH too.

With friends like you guys eggin' me on.. who need enemies...

But I do appreciate the help.. seems I jus' can't manage to get into enough trouble by myself anymore...


Razor

[Dan4570]

Hi,

I know the feeling,

I might can offer you some help if you have not decided yet.

Here is what I ended up with,

A used 1874 Shiloh Sharps, 45-2 4/10 (45-90 for the winchester fans) it was a Bridgeport model with the Schnabel fore arm, (I prefer the other style of fore arm) It had the caliber I wanted, and a target front sight, a hunting tang, and the millitary stock/but plate (It fits me, so minimal kick, the shotgun style but plate is a bit too long for me in a standard length of pull& that = lots of kick when it don't fit) The bbl was 32"?? Still wondering why any one would want that?? OK, my buddy has access to a machine shop and he is a gunsmith so we can deal with bbl later, and I can live the forearm, it had most of the things I wanted. so, LAY-A-WAY !!! and several months later I got my Christmas, birthday, Easter, anniversary (I know, I for got several holidays) present....and I was not in the doghouse for it!!!

I kept fouling out the bbl in about 5 to 8 shots!! and that is with Vigilante Bullet Lube products in the bbl and on the bullets! (VBL is designed especially for use with BP) Modern bbl twist is 1:18 ( eats lube, handles/requires heavier bullets , and eats a little velocity) originals were in the 1:20 range, and it handles the fouling better. I noticed the fouling starting to grow after 3-5 shots depending on current humidity.

I am shooting a 560 grn Creedmore from a Brooks mold that I was told was designed for 45-90, and larger for the 1,000 yard game. (it has 5 grease grooves!) It is backed with 85 grns of Kik FF, and kicked out about 1,250 fps (no slouch it will toss a 500 grn gov bullet at 1,400 !!) The recoil is mild with the heavier bullet, and 485 grn-ers kick out about 1,440 and they hurt ! ouch !!! any way I was still growing fouling.

I started researching and found that the original bbl lengths offered by Sharps Company in the 1870's when they introduced the cartridge was 26 and 28" bbl's only,,,you could get any bbl weight you wanted. The 30" was not offered untill almost 5 years later, and as a special order target bbl, (19th Century target shooters swabbed every shot, <I have never read about them using modern Snakeoil--aka the blow tube> no offence to those who use them, I wont own one & the day I have to have one, I will use the Shiloh as a fence post!!)

I know some one will cry, here it comes.....3"+ of fouling.....We removed 4" of bbl. the 32"bbl was way out of balance, and a pain to deal with unless you only intended to shoot it off cross sticks, I wanted to use mine, deer, elk, bear, buff, moose (if I ever draw a tag), coyotes and heck, gopher season is starting now !! I got to get her to shoot!

The 28" bbl offers a clearer sight picture (front sight is much sharper!), it is a historic bbl length, offers some extremely fine ballance to the gun it's self. (it ballances just under the rear bbl sight, the 32"bbl balanced way out at the end of the forearm, yuck) Recoil is a little different, it is quicker, and less p-u-s-h when you shoot it. OH yeh, after 8 consecutive rounds, no dry hard fouling at the muzzle, it was soft fouling at the muzzle and the lube star on it was the full 1" of muzzle !! (not a waste of lube, if your shooting bp your lube should lubricate the bullet, and soften fouling. The best lubes of the era (19th Century) were somewhat self cleaning! VBL offers that with the proper bp bullet and bbl length) I only got 2 rounds through the crony before our few min of spring time went away, and it started snowing...raining...winter time again, and no shadow, so no readings.

It appears that I was wrong, and so is everyone hollering for a longer bbl !! Modern Hollywood invention ? maybe, there were some back in the day, 45-100 and 50-100 came in 30" bbl and modern target shooters thinking they are Mathew Quigley en-carnate (34" bbl !!) ...It looked like I had gained 10-15 fps, I didn't loose anything that is for shore. I should also require less elevation on my spiffy new Long range MVA soul sight to get the same elevation (shorter bbl = less up to get the same angle of trajectory) I had expected a 25 to 50 fps jump, others claimed I would get that much loss in velocity, I figured minimal to no gain is OK as long as I didn't loose velocity, I need that 1,250, looks like I will be running 1,260 now. However I think I found the sweet spot where it should shoot indefinitely, or at least provide some fine hunting accuracy, and certainly well enough for ring ing steel out to 800 yds with nothing more than loading the next round and taking my time lining up the shot.

Many originals of the caliber were 26" bbls, (that includes Win and Marlin Lever guns) That includes many of the 40's. 28" bbl was considered a rifle , and 30" bbls a target rifle, (swabbed every shot) the 28" and shorter bbls were expected to provide hunting accuracy, (a string of shots) for shooting buffalo. (I don't know how many shots they expected for this) I expect to get a minimum of 18 to 20 shots on target at 200 to 300 yards with out swabbing the bbl, this is what I consider hunting accuracy. My 22" bbl Rolling Block 45-70 will shoot indefinitely with VBL and BP.

the straight walled cartridges are easiest to get to shoot, and the 40-50 SS, 40-70 SS, 45-70, and 50-70 are good beginner bp cartridges and fairly easy to get accuracy from. my 45-90 offered some new challenges. the 38-55 is a mid range cartridge, and for a game like the quigley shoot, you will never hear it hit the target at 800, and they barely go "tink' at 600. the 40's perform well, but are wind sensitive, and offer low recoil, (I have had one but looking to get a 40-50 SS for my daughters). 45-70 and 45-90 are the hands down favorite cartridges for the long range game , just shoot 500 grn or heavier bullets, and the faster twist (1:18) rifling like a linger based bullet in my experience, my 45-90 was key holing 500 grn gov bullets but shot 485 and 530's just fine. my Rem RB 22" Douglass bbl loves the 560's I am now casting. I have not tried the 405 bullet in my 45-90 though I have a mold, I am afraid it will strip out of the rifling.

Hope this helped, but now i figure I really made yer eye-ball twitch...LOL

Dan

I have no use for smokeless powder, it is nothing more than a passing fad, a novelty, and will likely never catch on...

[oldred]

Hi,

I know the feeling,

I might can offer you some help if you have not decided yet..

I hope they have decided by now that was SEVEN years ago!

[rfd]

a 7 year old thread revisited?

but i'll add in my penny's thoughts on getting an s/s rifle - it pays to think about a rifle's main use, then move on to function and form. lotta folks are swayed mostly by aesthetics, and then realize their folly with function issues. anyhoo, there is much to consider if one wants to do it (s/s rifle purchase) "right".

[woodbutcher]

Hi Razor.The decision is easy.Just buy one of each.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[doc1876]

It don't matter. You know the old saying. Always a faster gun, hotter woman, shinier car comes to town. You will be rubber necking something else right after you buy.

[3leggedturtle]

Buy whichever one you find 1st; at a decent price!!

[oldred]

Did you guys not see the date here? This an old thread and the question was asked SEVEN years ago, the OP has not even been back here in over three years (Feb, 2012)!

[doc1876]

I guess we all need new bifocals