Pedersoli Sharps 45-70 Loads?

[jbrower]

I recently picked up a very nice looking Pedersoli 1874 Sharps "Quigley" rifle in 45-70 at a local auction. I don't think it was ever fired. Very nice (and heavy, over 12lbs) rifle except for the rear sight which I'm swapping out for a Hoke sight. It'll be a few ounces too heavy for legal BPCR silhouette so I'll mostly use it for mid-range and long-range BPTR matches.

I'll now work on developing black powder loads for it. If any of you have this same rifle and have some favorite loads you've worked up for it would you mind sharing? No sense in me reinventing the wheel and burning up powder, primers and lead. I've got 9-10 45 caliber molds and typically use 25:1 alloy and SPG lube.

[Dave T]

My experience (YMMV) has been rifles are kind of like people. Each one is an individual and what works in one may be a failure in another. Not trying to be unhelpful but If you want to shoot BPTR matches at the distances those folks like, you need to carefully work up your very own "works for me and my rifle" BP load or loads.

Again YMMV,
Dave

[country gent]

I have the pedersoli Long range version in 45-70 with 34" half round barrel about the same weight as yours. Its very good shooter with both black powder and smokless. I shoot both grease groove and paper patch bullets.

My load with a 535 postell is 2x olde esforde powder with ,090 compression about 63 grns ( this can vary with brass and powder lot) a .030 napa rubber fiber wad and 2 tracing paper wads. Bullet is the lymn 535 grain postell cast from 20-1. Lubed with SPG or emmerts improved.

If your rifle is like mine finding the best load from the good will be hard Mine is one of those that just seems to work with whatever you use.

[waksupi]

I don't recall the powder charge right off hand, but you do need to shoot a .500 + bullet in them. I used the 560 gr. Postell.

[indian joe]

Its generally accepted where I hang out that the Pedersoli barrels appreciate a fattish boolit (if you are shooting GG) I dont have the sharps but I have a Uberti 76 with the pedersoli barrel and that has proven correct. Its a fine shooter with boolits cast and sized .460 . I have single shot loaded it with the (CBE .459x535) ooooops should be 460-535PB mold that they cut specifically for the pedersoli barrels - but now using a shortened version of that same mold that drops a 465 grain boolit . Nose profile of this mold is very similar to the Lyman postell. The CBE postell is different and I do not like it (more the point my gun dont like it)

....So ......I would keep the size die at .459 -.460 for grease groove boolits

[Bad Ass Wallace]

I use the tried and proven 545gn PGT boolit (LHS) with great success in my Pedersoli. Others are the CBE 500gn 0.462, Pedersoli's own 500gn spire point, the Lyman breach seat boolit and the 420gn H&G. In that long barrel you wlll need to use a quality lube (I use SPG) that will coat the bore for the full length of that 34". If you don't see a 'star' of lube at the crown after 3-5 shots it is not doing it's job.

A lot of folks will tell you to "slug the bore' but don't forget all Pedersoli barrels are reamed to have a 1.5 thou taper to achieve progressive depth rifling so slugging at the chamber will be larger than a slug at the muzzle. I also have a Pedersol 1886 lever rifle and that barrel is also tapered internally.