is Sharps allowed?.

[wb78963]

I just got out my .54 percussion Sharps carbine can I talk about it here? It is paper cartridge musket cap fired open sights and a barrel of fun to shoot.
Thanks
Bunk

 

[Grenadier1758]

Yes, we can talk about your Sharps. It uses a paper cartridge and is fired using that musket cap on a nipple.

 

[kje54]

I just got out my .54 percussion Sharps carbine can I talk about it here? It is paper cartridge musket cap fired open sights and a barrel of fun to shoot.
Thanks
Bunk

I believe so.

 

[Stubert]

What did you want to talk about? Inquiring minds.

 

[Zonie]

I just got out my .54 percussion Sharps carbine can I talk about it here? It is paper cartridge musket cap fired open sights and a barrel of fun to shoot.
Thanks
Bunk

Sure you can talk about your Sharps here.
The pre-1865 type guns we can't talk about are the ones that use a totally self contained cartridge with a primer built into it. In other words, we don't talk about guns that use center fire, rim fire or pin fire ignition.

 

[wb78963]

The carbine is a Pedersoli copy of the Confederate Anderson Sharps with brass butt plate and brass barrel band.
The sights have had new dovetails cut and a Marble Bullseye rear sight and an ivory bead front sight to replace the rather feeble original sights.
It has the Hahn Machine Works breech block and chamber improvements and I have had at least 40 rounds fired with no breech fouling problems. I think it could have shot more, but the ammunition. ran out.
The gun has been in storage for about two years due to a move but is in perfect condition and as soon as I can get some bullets molded it will be shot. Two molds are available one is Moose ring tail mold and thre other is a Precision heeled bullet. I don't have the weights at hand but all are in the 400 to 450 gain ange
I just want to talk to other Sharp Shooters (pun intended) since all my notes and loading data on the gun were lost in the move.
Black powder, RWS caps, and lead bullets is what I feed my guns.I may try some experiments with Black MZ we shall see what happens because it is a bit hard to ignite.
Respectfully
Bunk

 

[Tom A Hawk]

I have a .54 percussion Sharps carbine. Not sure as to the manufacturer as it only indicates "Made In Italy" although I had it in mind that it was Army San Marco. Upon first acquiring this piece it would blow the ball cap off my head due to leakage at the gas check. A local gunsmith fabricated a replacement for me and it now works great. This gun is a lot of fun to shoot and surprisingly accurate giving the tapered ringtail bullet. I think Christian Sharps ranks highly as a firearms genius. The advancing percussion tape mechanism and concept was brilliant for that age. Making the nitrated paper cartridges for it is a bit of a chore and probably the main reason I don't shoot it more often. That and the fact that the breach becomes gummed up and hard to work after a few shots. I will take a small bottle of solvent with me if going to the range to keep the action working. I read somewhere that cavalrymen would spit in theirs for the same reason.

 

[sportster73hp]

Bought mine because i wanted a sharps. Have less than 100 rounds thru it. Fun to shoot but loading others At the muzzle is less labor intensive. Also have another of the same brand in 45-70. They are well made and nice to look at.

 

[wb78963]

The carbine is a Pedersoli copy of the Confederate Anderson Sharps with brass butt plate and brass barrel band.
The sights have had new dovetails cut and a Marble Bullseye rear sight and an ivory bead front sight to replace the rather feeble original sights.
It has the Hahn Machine Works breech block and chamber improvements and I have had at least 40 rounds fired with no breech fouling problems. I think it could have shot more, but the ammunition. ran out.
The gun has been in storage for about two years due to a move but is in perfect condition and as soon as I can get some bullets molded it will be shot. Two molds are available one is Moose ring tail mold and thre other is a Precision heeled bullet. I don't have the weights at hand but all are in the 400 to 450 gain ange
I just want to talk to other Sharp Shooters (pun intended) since all my notes and loading data on the gun were lost in the move.
Black powder, RWS caps, and lead bullets is what I feed my guns.I may try some experiments with Black MZ we shall see what happens because it is a bit hard to ignite.
Respectfully
Bunk

the mold is made by ACCURATE BULLET MOLDS., of Salt lake City, NV. Very good aluminum, bronze, or steel blocks an enormous selection and reasonable prices.
yesterday I cast 50 of the moose ring tail bullets for loading this weekend.
Bunk

 

[wb78963]

Hello the Camp,
First question (so far) is it safe to shoot a .533" Minie ball in a 1859 Pedersoli Sharps carbine.
It is a drop through at the muzzle I am not sure at the breech.
They were cast in a Lee mold and have a very a deep skirt.
What about a round ball with a paper cartridge containing the powder behind it?

 

[dave951]

Hello the Camp,
First question (so far) is it safe to shoot a .533" Minie ball in a 1859 Pedersoli Sharps carbine.
It is a drop through at the muzzle I am not sure at the breech.
They were cast in a Lee mold and have a very a deep skirt.
What about a round ball with a paper cartridge containing the powder behind it?

I shoot an IAB percussion 63 Sharps in competition. First off, your bullet must be at or a couple .001 larger than bore size. Sharps bores are all over the place, just as in the day. Second, use only good RWS caps. Third, this is one of the cases where filler is not required and an air gap is normal.

To answer your questions, yes it is safe to shoot that bullet HOWEVER, don’t expect anything resembling accuracy and you’ll probably have a leading problem. Pedersoli makes a mold for their Sharps. I use paper cartridges and I see no reason a round ball wouldn’t work, again, bullet to bore fit is critical.

 

[dave951]

My Sharps uses a .555 bullet designed to use Charlie’s Tubes. They are paper tubes sized to fit a heel on the bullet. My charge is 45gr 3fg Old E. Lube is 50/50 beeswax/lard. RWS caps. This load shoots one ragged hole at 50yds. My breech block was modified by Larry Flees of the N-SSA and I can run 50+ shots straight with no issues and can even run more if needed in a match. Charlie Hahn also does a breech block mod that is similar.

 

[appalichian hunter]

My sharps is great gun to shoot especially at the range when other shooters are there they are amazed at the smoke, but alas it is a cartridge gun so a no no here often thought about a paper cutter maybe some day.

 

[wb78963]

Dave 951 you are right about caps. a little over two years ago when I got the Sharps and was shooting it I had two problems. First every shot, even light loads of 30 grains, would blow the hammer back to half ****. that is if it even went off.
Mostly it did not shoot only popped the cap (CCI general purpose).
Investigation found the OEM nipple was bored straight through and a new TOW nipple solved that problem. A nipple primer helped get ignition so I suspected the CCI garbage caps. RWS caps solved that problem but a major move stopped the shooting.
The gun has the Hahn modification and a Moose mold ring tail bullet is an exact fit in Charlie's tubes.
I am now back in business with a range in my back yard but all my loading data got lost in the move so back to scratch. I will try your load information.
Respectfully
Bunk

 

[TFoley]

Advice? Start LOW no matter how well you know the guy who recommends a load. Eventually you'll hit the sweet spot.

Then stop.

 

[Crow-Feather]

The carbine is a Pedersoli copy of the Confederate Anderson Sharps with brass butt plate and brass barrel band.
The sights have had new dovetails cut and a Marble Bullseye rear sight and an ivory bead front sight to replace the rather feeble original sights.
It has the Hahn Machine Works breech block and chamber improvements and I have had at least 40 rounds fired with no breech fouling problems. I think it could have shot more, but the ammunition. ran out.
The gun has been in storage for about two years due to a move but is in perfect condition and as soon as I can get some bullets molded it will be shot. Two molds are available one is Moose ring tail mold and thre other is a Precision heeled bullet. I don't have the weights at hand but all are in the 400 to 450 gain ange
I just want to talk to other Sharp Shooters (pun intended) since all my notes and loading data on the gun were lost in the move.
Black powder, RWS caps, and lead bullets is what I feed my guns.I may try some experiments with Black MZ we shall see what happens because it is a bit hard to ignite.
Respectfully
Bunk

I had a 59 military sharps with the Hahn's device. I found that the paper tube with 50 grains of 1 1/2 F Swiss was the best load for accuracy with the other than ring tail bullet. I had Vernier sights and could put 5 shots into sub 2" at 100 yards benched. I also had ignition problems but I started adding a touch of 4f down the nipple prior to capping. It doesn't take much, I used a flint lock pan charger but didn't add a full charge. I found that regular paper was fine for the paper on the bullet side of the tube and hair curler paper was fantastic for the ignition side. I ended up trading it for a 451 Gibbs that shoots about the same weight bullet but with 100 grains of 2F. Recoil is a bit stiffer. I also found that rubber O rings of the same diameter work well. If the fit was a bit tight I just rubbed the O ring on fine sandpaper until the lever movement felt the same. I used a sonic cleaner to clean the block in order to keep the firing channel clean and had no ignition or crud build up. I used the grease from Charles on all screws and the nipple, never having a problem with seizing. I had always planned to hunt with the Sharps, just couldn't pass up the Gibbs.

 

[gemmer]

I have a .54(actually a .52) Pedersoli Sporter with Charlies breech/chamber job. It functions flawlessly. I also use his tubes. The bullet is a heeled xmas .545 from a Lee mould Lodgewood had them make. My hunting load is 60 gr Swiss 2F, RWS caps and SPG lube. It has a tang sight and an attached ebony pistol grip.

 

[Phil Coffins]

I made this Gemmer Sharps from a Shiloh Sharps in about 1980 and used a L shaped short starter to seat the bullet just into the rifling. 100 grains of 2fg made for a bad day for the ground squirrels.

2439 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

 

[wb78963]

Since this is starting from scratch my plan is start with 30 grains FFFg and go up 5 grains at a time.
I shoot three shot groups until things start looking interesting. The bullet is a ring tail cast of pure lead in a Moose Mold Co. blocks and lubed with a 50/50 beeswax and lard mix.
My logic is if three shots are scattered why waste powder and lead? If they all go through one hole...rejoice I have found it!

 

[wb78963]

the mold is made by ACCURATE BULLET MOLDS., of Salt lake City, NV. Very good aluminum, bronze, or steel blocks an enormous selection and reasonable prices.
yesterday I cast 50 of the moose ring tail bullets for loading this weekend.
Bunk

Salt Lake City is in Utah not Nevada and THAT is where Accurate Molds are made.. I flunked geography in high school and have not improved in the years since.
Bunk