Re-chambering Pedersoli Sharps

[smithnframe]

I traded for a Pedersoli Long range Express Sharps in 45/70 last year and a friend of mine has a 45/100 chambering reamer. I'm thinking about re-chambering it. Any tips from people with experience would be appreciated. Thanks!

[pietro]

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YMMV, but I would recommend not doing it, unless you plan on shooting at 600+ yards, where the bigger .45 performs better than the .45-70.

It IS cool, though...……. :)

If you decide to do it, you can also fire the .45-70 in the longer chamber.

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[country gent]

Depending on the exiting chamber and the new reamer it may or may not clean up completely just reaming it out. You might end up setting the barrel back some and re timing it. This would then require recutting the extractor cut and redrilling the fore end screws holes. If the rifle has the tulip between receiver nd octagon then this would be lost or distorted also.
If you need more oomph with the 45-70 try bore riding paper patched bullets. With most brass and the bullet only 1/8"-3/16" into the case you can get 80 or so grns of BP under it with compression. With grease grooves and the heavy long range GG bullets they are much deeper in the case using additional powder capacity up.
I have a 12lb 45-90 C Sharps Hepburn I shoot a 550 grn grease grooved out of and a full days match is tiring to say the least do to recoil. My pedersoli long range at 13+ lbs in 45-70 is much easier on me over the day and 55-60 rds. Mine is the cabellas model with 34" half round barrel, double set triggers, Vernier tang and globe front. I replaced the tang with a MVA long range soule and the front with a wind gauge globe.
For most matches I shoot a 38-55 with 360 grn bullets very accurate out to 500 yds recoil and blast are much easier on me. I also have a 40-65 that does very good.
Before rechambering ( a one way thing) try the paper patched bore riders with the heavier charges to see how it works for you.

[Bent Ramrod]

My first “serious” BPCR rifle was a Pedersoli/Cabela’s Long Range Sharps clone that the original owner had pooched out to .45-2.6”. Cases are available from Starline, and it shoots the 540gr Creedmoor grease-groove boolit ahead of 77gr Swiss 1Fg very well.

After he had redone the chamber and cut a couple inches off the end of the barrel, the owner had developed rotator cuff problems. He installed a recoil reducer in the buttstock and attached a cushy recoil pad. It still kicked too hard for him, but I find the combination of the weight of the rifle, the anti-recoil mods and the loading (not grossly beyond the original .45-70 loading) makes it pretty pleasant to shoot, for me, anyway. And it shoots very well; after buying the thing, I won the first local Gong Match I went to with it, incidentally beating the guy who sold me the rifle. Too heavy for BPCR Silhouette, but fine for long-range target and gong shoots. Pretty strenuous for offhand though.

I probably would have left the rifle as-was if I had bought it, but the cartridges are certifiably Cool.

[john.k]

The long case impresses the 223 shooters at the range......and also impresses the counter guy at the gunshop when you buy cases.....he says "wow...these are $3 a case"......45-70s are often free at the range from the brass tin.

[waksupi]

I would leave it alone. I like my velocity to remain subsonic to avoid the mid-range transition. The .45-70 does that.

[John Taylor]

The only reason to go to a longer case is if you are shooting black powder. Smokeless loads in a 45-70 will do anything a 45-100 will do. Most of the guns I have chambered for the longer cartridge the customers say they are not to pleased with the added recoil.