1859 Sharps

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Tom A Hawk

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Since visiting Gettysburg week before last I have experienced a renewed interest in my Sharps carbine and acquired one of the new heeled bullet molds. In making up some paper cartridges I am reminded the chamber in my rifle only holds about 40 - 45 grains of powder. This has always seemed a bit of a puny load for a 500 grain bullet to me and research suggests the originals had a 55-60 grain load. So, I wondering what you other "Sharpshooters" have experienced and have to say.
 
The mold might prove useless depending on what your barrel actually slugs at. Barrels vary in diameter and an undersize bullet will never shoot well
 
I am working up a load for my Pedersoli 1859 carbine and it seems 40 grains of either FFg or FFFg and a 450 grain ring Moose Mould bullet seem to give acceptably accurate out to 75 yards. It has a Marble "Bullseye" rear sight and a Lyman ivory bead front sight which improves accuracy.
The carbine has the Hahn Machine Works breech conversion and uses yhe Hahn tube. It is easier and faster than making flat bottom cartridges.
I have run 45 rounds without stopping to clean the block and it was as easy to move on the 40th as the first.
I came across a very used Sporting rifle and had Larry Flees do his conversion on it. Both work quite well and am happy with both and could not recommend one over the other.
For what it is worth this is my experience
Bunk.
 
Most of the competition shooters in the NSSA have developed loads between about 42 and 45 grains. They are shooting at 50 and 100 yards. I use a heeled bullet and shoot 45 grains of 3f with a 1/4 inch fiber wad under the bullet to take up the extra space in the chamber. My Garrett Sharps was worked over by Larry Flees and is a great shooter now.
 

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Since visiting Gettysburg week before last I have experienced a renewed interest in my Sharps carbine and acquired one of the new heeled bullet molds. In making up some paper cartridges I am reminded the chamber in my rifle only holds about 40 - 45 grains of powder. This has always seemed a bit of a puny load for a 500 grain bullet to me and research suggests the originals had a 55-60 grain load. So, I wondering what you other "Sharpshooters" have experienced and have to say.
I believe different makers used different chamber sizes. My 1863 Military rifle takes 68 grains of FFg while my old carbine held a little over 50 grains of FFg. Both are/were Shilohs. A friends older Pedersoli carbine also took 50 grains. His other carbine hold around 45 grains. A Chiappa I think.
 
The Shiloh Sharps that I shot.
Saw a video about a fellow using a Shiloh Sharps rifle which is as close to original specs as can be. Their parts are interchangeable with an original - very nice rifle. He repeatedly hit a target at 782-yards with it and I think he said he was using a 65-gr. load. They have about a 2½-year waiting list if you want to buy one from them. The one he has is an 1874 model and he's using 120gr. in the cartridge. And of course, he has to reenact that part of the movie, but hey, he makes a 782 yard freehand shot! You've got to love it when you make a shot, hit the target, and clang from the metal target takes 2-seconds to get back to you after seeing the target fall. So it takes 4 seconds from the time you fire until you hear it hit.

782-yard Quigley shot with model 1874 Sharps.
 
In military rifles and carbine I used / use 60 grains with a few different slugs. In a sporting rifle I’ve used up to 100 grains. For hunting and post matches they work good, I never shoot paper matches.
2439 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr
Phil, I really like the rifle in your photo. I would be interested in reading anything you would care to say about it.

Much obliged,

Notchy Bob
 
The rifle in the photo is a 1863 Shiloh Sharps that I made into Gemmer conversion for C. Sharps Arms. It’s a 54 calibre and the furniture is from the Hawken Shop. Mike Nesbitt took the photo and wrote an article about it.
 
The video was of a cartridge gun, still good shooting, smoke didn't look BP
It's an 1874 repro, which used cartridge's. He loaded it with 110gr. of BP. Original shot from the movie was using 120gr. But you know, you are right. I would have expected more smoke. Wind could disperse it quickly but I doubt he'd be able to hit the target repeatedly at that distance in windy conditions. In any case I thought it was an impressive shot, and one that my eyes could never do through iron sights, even a peep sight. I don't think I could see something that far away!
 


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