Got a new to me Cimarron Mc Nelly 50/70 sharps carbine, results of shooting it.

[koger]

Well I have been watching this on a online used guns site, for several months. I sold 2 Muzzleloaders in order to buy it. I called and had a guy look at it, he said it is in excellent shape, may be unfired. I asked him about the price, and he said make an offer. I offered $100 less than asking, and I got it for that, plus free shipping in a hard case. The gun looks new, unfired. Case hardening looks faded a little an could have more color in it. Bluing is fantastic, wood is just plain walnut and the metal to wood fit is great also. One issue the barrel band is rattling loose. The only other thing that is wrong, is that it shoots 5 feet high at 100yds, pretty well centered. I wonder if the loose barrel band has anything to do with that. I will make a shim to put under it and see if that improves. I wont have any trouble making a taller front sight, might even have a couple of mauser front blades that will fit with a little work. Will be backing the load down also, with 14gr of Unique and a 500gr slug, packs a wallop. I have a 450 gr mold on the way.

[single shot jimmy]

Pictures?

[725]

Don't know the gun. However, I opt for loose barrel bands and go out of my way to reduce their purchase on rifles I shoot with barrel bands. Two schools of thought here, I'm sure, but I don't want barrel bands interfering with the normal barrel vibrations created from the discharge. A good test would be interesting between loose and tightened up. Which produces a better group? The taller front sight should address the issues you've noticed.

[Drydock]

A playing card shim is common to these, and often found on originals. Try the 450 grain bullet and see how much the impact is lowered, the standard load for the 50-70 used the 450. Wood on Italian guns often shrinks in the dryer atmosphere inland. MIne shot low, had to file off the sight to bring it up.

[Texas by God]

Mr. Koger sent these- nice looking Sharps! And already dialed in for 1/4mile....

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

[koger]

Update. I cut a shim out of a toungue suppresor and tapped it underneath the barrel band on the bottom between the band and the stock. The gun shot 3 feet high instead of 5. The frontsight base is silver soldered on the gun. I cut the blade off and cut a dovetail, in the base. When I tapped the front sight in, the dovetail chipped off. I did it again, cut so that the sight would be snug, but not as tight, same thing happed. I then removed the base and silver soldered a short 3/8 dovetailed ramp on the barrel, and am letting it cool overnight. I will put a silver blade on tommorow,that can be filed down to where it needs to go. I am liking this gun a lot. The trigger breaks at about 3# crisp. TBG, it aint zeroed for that long range no more.I have a 450 gr mold on the way here.

[Drydock]

Must be an older one, newer ones have the front sight blade held on by two tiny roll pins.

[koger]

Well I got around to shooting it today with some cast and lubed 450 gr slugs. With the blade I Had made for it, shot 8 feet low. I crawled down till I was nearly on the bottom of the blade and there it was hitting on at 100 yds. I went and took the tall blade off, and found the shortest bead I could find in my sight box with a tiny white bead. I put it in the base, centered it up and it is spot on at 100yds. Then the rifle started snapping, just like the Pedersoli sharps I had similar issues with. Sure enough, when I pushed the firing pin in you could feel a grating across the tip of the spring, and resistance. I took it apart, cut half the firing pin return sping off and reinstalled it.Fired evey time, the grating is gone, and the pin backs back out when the hammer is put on half cock. I also backed the load down to 12 grs of Unique, much more pleaseant to shoot and spot on accuracy. Now to load some more and get ready to shoot for fun.