winter sucks

[tubb_ooh_lard]

well after owning my shiloh for 2 weeks and not getting it dirty i loaded up 50 rounds of ammo using 405 grn bullets cast from wheel wheights using a lee .459 dia mold and imr 3031 ( yea i know its smokless) ans because i was just playin around an this was the first time loading for and shooting what sure looks like an unfired rifle ( why anyone would buy such a nice rifle and never shoot it baffles me ) i loaded using a starting load for a trap door i used the lee alox for lube this is all i had bein i had to borrow everything including the dies and mold hopefully sometime soon i will hit the lottery an be able to buy everything i need anyway after i got on paper at 100 yards i was amazed at how well this thing shoots after a lil bit of practice using the buckhorns i was seeing about 5 inch 5 shot groups that i was just amazed to see heck i was figuring to be lucky to keep every shot on the 20 in by 20 inch target i had up heck this thing shot better groups than my varmit rifle did with the first load i made for it well i guess my whole point is after spending all my money on this rifle on a whim im very please with it and if anyone has surplus b/p equipment that i might be able to put to good use let me know an keep in mind i have nothing but a shiloh in 45/70 and 50 rnds of brass and a empty wallet ... and ideas on things that i need to own and stuff i should own would be helpful to thanks ...

[docone31]

Oh wah.
It sounds like you hit Gold with that Shiloh.
Sounds like you hit the big one.
I might have a mid range rear sight.
It is a start.
It also sounds like you hit the sweet load also.
Try pan lubing.

[NickSS]

With what you have you can make a start. Seeing that you did load up some loads I assume you have dies. All you need is powder and ball. The lee 405 gr bullet will work with black powder but the lube grooves are a bit shallow if it is the plain base one and not the hollow base. To make a usable black powder lube get some bees wax and crisco or olive oil and mix it 50-50 by volume. Nice and easy to make and you can pan lube your bullets. Just fill up you case with enough black powder to allow seating the bullet with maybe 1/16th inch compression and you are good to go. You can get into refinements as you get experience. Eventually you will want a tang sight and a globe front but these can be picked up as you can afford them. I started out with a trapdoor and not much more than you have so it can be done and you will have lots of fun. Of course you are starting out with the Roles Royce of BRCR so you are way ahead of where I started already.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Winter sure does have it's challenges BUT many opportunities. On those days when the wind is not Slamming the Artic through your outer wear try some coyote hunting. Normally a coyote has to eat twice as much during winter to maintain their body weight. They are much more visible (at least here) and make a fine target for a caliber .45. Granted you do not need a 400 grain boolit but why not practice with what you have. Smack a "Night Singer" in the shoulder with that Lee at 1300 FPS and it is "Dog Gone". you will have alot of fun,be a public service, and learn alot about hunting ... which is what these rifles were made for origonally. Being able to see your prey and drop it with an accurate shot at WHATEVER RANGE is a big challange.
Then on those Blue Finger days... that is when I enjoy a good project. Rebed a stock, adjust a flintlock, cast some boolits & roundball out in the unheated garage ... get ready for spring shooting & go see a freind who also is cooped up and hoping for a warmer day.
Cause the alternative to being alive to enjoy another winter day is rather perminent. Right now it is -1 (wind chill -13) & if it was not Sunday I would be thinking about popping a few crows down by the river. Went ice skating yesterday & I am almost 60.

[Freightman]

I have a 45/70 Shiloh it has no rear barrel sight just a tang mid range, and a windage adjustable front sight with a bubble, and it is capable of very good groups. I think there is one somewhere that I posted the target, can't remember if I put it here or not, but I lost it in a computer crash but it was great using a 500gr boolit and a case full of WC860 over a little 3031 I shot two five shot groups of 2.5" at 200 yds on the same day. Haven't shot it much lately as I have been playing with a 45/70 Rolling Block and a Vetterli for the past year. They are amazing rifles enjoy yours.

[Shiloh]

-17 yesterday, -13 today.

Did you get the rifle to shoot with black powder or smokeless??

Shiloh

[canyon-ghost]

Empty wallet, big smile on yer face, yeah, that sucks. lol Sounds great if you don't mind the lag in paydays all that much. We all go through that. A sharps, huh? Post pictures?

Ron

[northmn]

Winter can offer opportunities, but the last two mornings were at -30 plus degrees. Kind of rmosves any interest in doing much but staying indoors and building ML's, doing some casting or other type of activities. Usually don't get out much till March or April. Also have snow about a foot deep and they predict more coming when it warms up. Winter sucks.

Northmn

[Freightman]

Boys I am sorry I just can't imagine temps in that range the lowest it has ever been here during my life time was -9 and my car froze up then. Will a boolit even fly at those temps?

[winelover]

18492


Winelover:drinks:

[tubb_ooh_lard]

i bought the rifle on a whim i didnt know a single thing about shiloh sharps rifles before i got it i was looking for a pre 64 model 70 when i found it seen how pretty it was and emptied my wallet out on the counter and asked if that was enough , i will probly shoot smokless in it for awhile untill i can rob a bank or two to buy everything i need for black

[wills]

i bought the rifle on a whim i didnt know a single thing about shiloh sharps rifles before i got it i was looking for a pre 64 model 70 when i found it seen how pretty it was and emptied my wallet out on the counter and asked if that was enough , i will probly shoot smokless in it for awhile untill i can rob a bank or two to buy everything i need for black

If you are already casting, you do not need much more, drop tube, compression plug, wads and/or wad punch.

Lubesizer (makes it easy) and a suitable BP lube

[tubb_ooh_lard]

oh and nick luckily i have a friend who has 45/70 dies and a bullet mold i was able to borrow he was also kind enough to give me 50 brass to help me get started money is going to be very tight for a very long while now ( thank you chairman obama ) so its looking like im gonna be stuck shooting the smokeless untill my supply of 3031 runs out

[montana_charlie]

Boys I am sorry I just can't imagine temps in that range the lowest it has ever been here during my life time was -9 and my car froze up then. Will a boolit even fly at those temps?
Freightman,
Were you living there in 1950?
CM

[Freightman]

Yes but can't remember a thing about that far back, I fell from a motor platform at a grain elevator in '55 on solid concrete from 25' and landed on my head only and I lost most of the memories from that date back. So anything from 39/55 was lost. Might say my hard drive was erased.

[montana_charlie]

Well, it got right cold.
I can post the story if you want to hear it...
CM

[StrawHat]

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your Sharps.

There is a lot of knowledge available on this forum but not all of it may work for you. Each fellow has a way of doing something and it may need tweaking for it to perform to your satisfaction.

I am satisfied with hunting and plinking accuracy so I don't dwell on my loads as much as the 1000 yard target shooter do. It keeps it simple and I enjoy it. Figure out what you expect from the rifle and go from there.

Good luck and enjoy the trip.

[Freightman]

Well, it got right cold.
I can post the story if you want to hear it...
CM
Go ahead Charlie! The problem here isn't the temp it is the wind and what it feels like.

[Beekeeper]

Freightman,
Are you a native of Amarillo?
Do you remember the football rivalry between Amarillo and Pampa?
I was born and lived in Pampa until I left for the Navy.


Jim

[montana_charlie]

Go ahead Charlie! The problem here isn't the temp it is the wind and what it feels like.

I remember that this happened in late December of 1950 because Daddy had said a few days earlier that his old '41 Pontiac Silver Streak would be ten years old in less than a month.

Now the Panhandle does see some chilly weather from time to time and people still remembered how the Potter County Hospital had froze up back in '46 right around George Washington's birthday (I was getting’ born at the time…). But even when one of those real frigid fronts dropped down out of Colorado, our west wind blowing in from Baja California most always kept the temperature up to zero or better.

Well, December had been a pretty tolerable month up to now and deer season was just about done. We had a man from Kansas staying with us who was an acquaintance of Daddy's. He had a seed and feed store in Topeka and had come down to hunt deer and talk a little business.

On this particular weekend, Daddy, my little brother Patrick, and I were camped out with Mr. Hinderager about twelve miles southeast of Muleshoe…and it was downright cold.
We were trying to find a real big whitetail for Mr. Hinderager so he could do some 'Texas-style braggin' back in Topeka. It had been dark about three hours and there was a light snow falling so we thought our luck would be good come daylight. We had a big ol’ fire going and had put up enough firewood to last a sane man a month. Since we only had two more nights to go, we weren't being stingy with the wood. Then, just as Mr. Hinderager was saying how toasty things were...the wind stopped like somebody closed a door!

I guess Daddy had seen something like this when he was real young...back before he wore out the boots he was born in. He told Patrick and me to build two more fires so we could sit in the middle of a triangle of heat with Mr. Hinderager, and to keep them stoked up high. Then Daddy jumped in that old Pontiac and barreled off in the direction of Muleshoe.

Now, without that 'Baja Breeze' it started gettin' real cold...real fast. Nobody knows how cold it got in the Panhandle that night because the temperature dropped so quick it broke the bottom out of every outdoor thermometer north of Lubbock! And we were takin' turns feedin' our fires. What with the big fires and the exercise, we could convince ourselves that we didn't feel too miserable...but we did wonder what had become of Daddy. And so it went until about four in the morning. That’s when you get into the coldest time of the night.

We knew we were about to reach the end of our string when the campfires froze.
Yessir, the flames just started to flicker slower and slower until they just stopped...frozen fire!

Well, that was that...without heat from those fires we knew we were done. We were saying our goodbyes when that old Pontiac slid to a stop and broke one of the fires into a hundred pieces. That sight was one of the most amazing things that this Texan has ever seen. A hundred shattered pieces of frozen flame shining on a bed of new snow...Mr. Hinderager was so taken with it that he picked up a big chunk and put it in his pocket 'cause he knew that folks in Topeka would never believe it without proof.

After that, we sat in the Pontiac with the engine running and the windows rolled up until everybody was comfortable. Then we piled out to grab the important things in camp and throw them in the trunk...we figured to come back later for the tent and so forth.

Mr. Hinderager had just picked up his rifle and binoculars when he discovered that it was a bad idea to pocket that frozen fire. While he was warming up...so was that big chunk of flame! He was wearin’ three pairs of gloves, and had his coat buttoned up so tight…well, he just couldn’t get it off fast enough when his pocket lit up. The man burned up so quick he never even hollered...leaving nothin’ but a greasy spot on the snow.

Well, Daddy mailed the rifle and binoculars back to Topeka, but we found out that Mrs. Hinderager had already run off with a veterinarian from Wichita. Their son was quite pleased to take over his pappy's store, and he had ideas about expanding the business...which would be another story.

So, those Kansas folks were relatively happy in spite of everything, and Daddy made a nice profit.

It seems he had got the owner of the Muleshoe general store out of bed and bought every thermometer in town. He took them in to Amarillo and sold every one at double the normal price. He used the profit to by some bird dogs to use in his new money makin' enterprise...and that's another story, too.

Charlie Maxwell

[Freightman]

Freightman,
Are you a native of Amarillo?
Do you remember the football rivalry between Amarillo and Pampa?
I was born and lived in Pampa until I left for the Navy.


Jim
Yes I am a native of the Texas Panhandle I was born in Shamrock but got to Amarillo as fast as I could I was a year old when I got here. Tell you a story, I played for the Golden Sandstorm and in '57 we hadn' even had to play the first team for more than a quarter. We were going to Pampa all convinced we were the worlds greatest football team, no worry! Well we kicked off to Pampa and they prompley marched down the field and scored, what the heck we had never been scored on and that wea the sixth game. We recieved the foot ball and fumbled on our ten, they scored in two plays but missed the extra point, now we were concerned. Well it rocked back and forth through the first and second quarter, with three minutes left in the second the score was 13-0. They kicked to us and we got it on the five and our half back broke it 95 yds for a TD, we kicked to them they fumbled and we scored again before half score was 14-13. Well we got a inspirational speech at half to say the least. We went back out and playred football the score ended up 47-13 the Pampa first team ran out of gas as we had three teams that the only difference was how they numbered them. When you have 500 boys show up the first day of practice you have a lot to pick from.
I understand now they almost have to begg boys to play. Different times I guess video games don't take as much physical effort I guess.
O I haven't forgot you Charlie, that was a story I hadn't heard and I think you for it.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

Been nudging 100-103 deg F here since early October '09. Only problem is keeping rust from sweaty hands off your favourite piece! :veryconfu

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v152/BAWallace/Picture001-2.jpg

[Freightman]

WOW! how do you like the scope on the BPR and how does it work? I have been considering putting one on my Shiloh due to eye problems.

[405]

BAW,

That display has class!

[Boz330]

WOW! how do you like the scope on the BPR and how does it work? I have been considering putting one on my Shiloh due to eye problems.

Freightman, don't do it, it puts way too much fun back into seeing the targets and hitting them again. Then you don't have an excuse for missing.:kidding:
I got one of the MVAs about a year ago. It got to the point of that or find another hobby. Being an old guy I didn't think I could be trained for any new tricks.
It is NICE.:bigsmyl2:

Bob

[Bad Ass Wallace]

Top to bottom;
45/90, 45/70, 50/70, 50/90 and 40/65. As well as being working guns, I put together this little display for a local gunshow, Sharps rifles not being all that common "down under".

The Malcolm scope is optically good but I'm still working out the fine adjustments. Shot this 10 shot group at 100m, not brilliant by itself but there are 5 boolits through one ragged hole near the bottom.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v152/BAWallace/ericsrifletarget2.jpg

[doubs43]

BAW, are the second and last rifles made by Pedersoli? I just got mine from Cabela's two days ago and the only differences I see are the sights and mine has a bit of checkering on the pistol grip.

I shot mine (45-70) yesterday at 100 meters using the factory sights which to my ancient eyes are awful but still managed to put five into about 3 3/4 inches. I'll halve that - or better - when I get a decent Creedmoor sight on the tang. I shoot better when I can actually see the sights! ;)

BTW, I was down under in January, 1976 and it was freezing cold for the two weeks I spent in NZ and Australia.

[jlchucker]

Boys I am sorry I just can't imagine temps in that range the lowest it has ever been here during my life time was -9 and my car froze up then. Will a boolit even fly at those temps?

-9? We get some of that every winter. Usually in January or February, but right now it hasn't stopped snowing here for a week, and that low of a temperature is usually too cold for much snowfall. If you've got a good battery and good antifreeze, cars shouldn't start to freeze up until it gets a little colder. Yeah, boolits fly at those temps--but digging empty cases up out of the snow for reloading can be a bit of a chore. when I was a kid, in the 1950's, we used to walk to grade school in our little town. The sidewalks were plowed, and every kid hauled his sled to school to use on the big hill just behind our schoolhouse during recess. Even at 20 below. Cheer up. Global warming is coming. The Gore-bots all say so, so it must be true.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

BAW, are the second and last rifles made by Pedersoli?

All are Pedersoli's. Boolit was a Lyman 398gn tapered design by Mathews with a full 65gn Swiss 3F (on the left)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v152/BAWallace/My_cast_45.jpg