sharps rifle

[wgr]

guys i would like to pick your brains if i may. i been wanting a shilo sharps for years but no cash for one. im coming into some extra green and think ill go for it now witch one. i think 45-70 unless you think differant. its going to be a hunting rifle and some target mostly hunting. would like a octagon are octagon to round. not sure about barrel 28/30 in. set trigger. both buck horn sights and taped for tang sight. do you guys like the shotgun stock are milltary stock. most likly will shoot pp bullets. thinks bill

[Don McDowell]

A #3 would be good for that. As would a Hartford or a roughrider.
They have a Hartford listed on the available list.
I prefer 30-32 inch barrels.
I like both styles of buttplates.

[NickSS]

I have several sharps with straight stocks, pistol grip stocks both with shotgun butt plates as well as a couple of them with the military butt plate. I like them all for different reasons. For a hunting rifle I would choose either a #3 staight stock with a SG butt plate or a military butt plate and a 30 inch standard weight barrel either full octagon or half octagon. Another choice would be a #1 with the same barrel and a PG stock and SG butt plate. My own hunting rifles are an 1874 C Sharps in 50-70 with a 26 inch round barrel and military butt plate and my other is a #3 Straight stock 45-70 with a SG butt plate and a 28 inch octagon barrel. I prefer shorter lighter barrels for hunting as you carry them more than you shoot them. For a combo hunting and target rifle I would pick what I recommended above.

[pls1911]

Shotgun stock will be much more comfortable.
I have Sharps and Rolling blocks in 30 and 34"... all heavy octagons.
The 34" barrels are fine for stand or blind hunting, but you sure don't want to haul 'em very far..

[Marine Sgt 2111]

I have a Sharps Saddle Ring Carbine with a 22" round barrel, military butt plate for walking hunting and a Long Range Express with a 34" Heavy Octagon barrel with a SG butt plate. Go with the pistol grip and a SG style buttplate...when you shoot warmer loads with heavier bullets, your shoulder will thank you.

[firefly1957]

45-70 Is a good choice I went with the 50-3 1/4 and while it is different it is just more than I need.
I would get a pistol grip also as far as the set trigger it is not good for hunting animals can hear that click from farther than you think. That just means you may have to use unset trigger which is fine in the field.

[longhorn]

My Shiloh is an optioned-out saddle rifle with 28" heavy half-octagon barrel in .45-70 with the comfy buttplate. No regrets so far. Weight is right at 10 pounds.

[myfriendis410]

I have a Pedersoli "Billy Dixon" which comes with an octagon 32" barrel in 45-70. I've carried it hunting and in fact killed a couple of hogs with it. I wouldn't want to climb a 10,000 foot peak with it, but it really was not that much trouble to haul around (except for the fact there's no sling on it). Mine weighs around 12 lbs.

[bigted]

all i know is that a 8 to 10 lbs rifle gets pretty heavy by the end of the day...i sure would not want to pack my 12 or 14 lbs rifles too far...but when the time comes for shooting then whatever your used to is going to serve you best.

as you know...hunting is the 'RUBBER ON THE ROAD' so to speak. when the time comes for the shot you owe yourself and the critter the utmost confidence in your rifle and expertise with it.

my choice was and still is a Winchester 1885 hi-wall in the traditional hunter model that weighs around 8 lbs. this is a super accurate hunting rifle...read under an inch at 100 with my hunting loads. 45-70 gubberment and i installed a lace-up butt-pad that seems to fit kinda with the traditional look and feel...also it made the length of pull long enough for my looooong armed torso.

i have yet to exact the kinda accuracy with my black-powder loads so i shoot smokeless for hunting and i use a jacketed 405 gr bullet that is clipping along at around 1400 fps with RL-7 as the propellant sparked with a cci large rifle mag primer.

am still having fun with the bp loads but no confidence with it yet so will stay with a known for the field work. im very picky with hunting loads and will not compromise with the need for exact performance when dinner is on the tab.

have fun weeding thru all the suggestions here and please do report your decision as well as the process for finding the rite-on load combo with it.

[waksupi]

I'm kind of laughing at some of this. It has been many years since I have trusted store bought jacketed bullets, much preferring the performance of cast boolits. You just need to find a good boolit, and try it for yourself. You will see why I say this.

[wgr]

thinks alot guys. now im really confused will take awile to sort it out but i will have one soon. thinks bill

[Don McDowell]

Well good luck with the choosing.

[rbertalotto]

Here's my story..............

About ten years ago I kindled a romance for single shot rifles. I started buying Ruger #1 in various configurations. Only the model 1V could be made to shoot even close to consistantly at under 2". I sold all except the #1V and now have 6 of them. Fun rifles, but no 1800s romance.

So I went out and bought a Shiloh Sharps, straight stock, 45-70, tang sight.......I was committed to using only black powder. I was not casting my own bullets so I was buying just about anything I could find in heavy cast bullets........Total train wreck! The gun beat me up. Recoil was terrible, cresent steel butt plate was torture, the tang sight cut the web of my hand, and I couldn't get the rifle to shoot under 5" at 100 yards. One day while shooting it at the range a fellow walked up to me and offered me stupid money so I sold it........

A few months ago I got the bug again for a "romantic" single shot......

I found a fellow in Texas that specializes in 1885 Winchester BPCR rifles and bought a real looker from him......

Mounted a Malcolm 6X "Short" period scope, shooting smokless powder and now I cast my own bullets ....I tried a few rounds of black powder, but I just hate the clean up part....I've decided to use smokeless substitutes.....This rifle can easily hold under 1.5" at 100 yards and I've shot a bunch of 5 shot groups at 200 yards under 2".....I learned about heavy bullets at very moderate velocities........With the Shiloh I didn't understand this and I thought Faster was Better......Ouch!....And with a slip on leather recoil pad the 1885 is an absolute pleasure to shoot.

http://images58.fotki.com/v132/photos/2/36012/9654765/DSC_2952-vi.jpg

http://images12.fotki.com/v611/photos/2/36012/9654765/DSC_2956-vi.jpg

But the love for a Sharps never left me........I looked at the "High Priced Spread" American made rifles and simply didn't want to spend that kind of $$.
I bought a Pedersoli Sharps in 45-70, from Cabelas for $995. Using a barrel mounted rear sight and a simple blade front sight, at 100 yards with 500g Lyman Lead bullets over various smokeless powders, I'm shooting 2.5" groups and hitting the 24" gong at my range at 300 yards with every shot! I can't believe the success I'm having with this rifle. It seems to shoot anything I load extremely well. Because of old tired eyes, I will be scoping this rifle with a long Malcolm soon.

http://images17.fotki.com/v10/photos/2/36012/9730091/DSC_2964-vi.jpg

http://images55.fotki.com/v268/photos/2/36012/9730091/DSC_2966-vi.jpg

http://images107.fotki.com/v159/photos/2/36012/9730091/DSC_2976-vi.jpg

Lots of folks with these Pedersoli rifles hang in the background on this and other forums. We get beat up sometimes by the "American Sharps" fraternity. But I've spoken to dozens of shooters with Pedersoli rifles that compete with them and have excellent results. Dollars for donuts, simply can't be beat.........I'm never going to compete. My goal is to use these rifles in hunting of deer and antelope and if the darn economy ever turns around, maybe an Elk.

To sum up...........
I think you need to get into bullet casting to appreciate any advancement with these big boomer rifles. The proper fit of the bullet to the bore is EVERYTHING!
Heavy and slow will rule the day. 500g at 1300 FPS seems to be the best accuracy area for both of my 45-70 rifles
Find the "Nod" on the barrel where the rifle likes to be rested.
With old eyes, a scope is a great asset, and the Leatherwood Malcolms have proven VERY good in my hands.

Lots more pictures here for your viewing pleasure!

www.rvbprecision.com

Have fun!

[Don McDowell]

I'ld like to know when and where you or anybody else has ever been "beat up" by the American Sharps people. I've not seen it on the internet, and certainly have never seen it in person at any of the matches I've attended.

[Gunlaker]

One thing I'd say with respect to a Shiloh that only shoots five inch groups. Keep on experimenting. I own a C. Sharps 1885 in .45-90. I tried several bullets and load combinations. It started out shooting 6" groups. I did a chamber cast and ordered a mould that fit the chamber. A little experimenting and the rifle just shot two back to back groups of 8 and 9 shots in under 1.5" at 100m.

Chris.

[rbertalotto]

Don, "Beat Up" might have been too strong..........I've been told, "If you want a "REAL" Sharps, get a Shiloh or C.Sharps"......

I meant no offense. Folks that own American Sharps rifles are passionate about their guns. And that's a good thing..........

I was only suggesting that there is a lower price option with superb performance available.........

BTW, Us Pedersoli owners look askew at any other Italian made Sharps........:bigsmyl2: