On the range, we found the Shiloh shot fully up to its appearance. Using older but new old stock RWS musket caps. One shot in every string will land outside a good group, opening up a nice group into a lousy one. That said, when I pulled the lock off the Sharps, I saw that someone had been in there before me. Hence the importance of rate-of-fire. The only black powder substitute I had available was a pound of Cleanshot. Although the rear curved surface was probably similar to what was on original Sharps rifles, we’re sure frontier riflemen changed their sights to suit their eyes. Many percussion Sharps rifles were converted to fire brass cartridges. Previously available only through select World Class Collection™ dealers, it is now available through all Uberti dealers. So far, I have $722.10 spent on the rifle and accessories I didn't already have. The company produces a line of reproductions of various historical black-powder rifles, including the legendary 1874 Sharps Rifle, featured in the 1990 Western film Quigley Down Under, starring Tom Selleck.. Shiloh Sharps Rifle began production in 1983. The main trigger broke at about eight pounds. FIELD STRIPPING 1) With the action (part. I needed brass, primers, molds, reloading dies, and time to gather all the accoutrements before the rifle came home. Our first group went into 3.8 inches from the 100-yard bench. I wound up at Track of the Wolf where I learned that the Pedretti triggers are just exactly like the triggers on the original 1874 Sharps rifles. That doesn't make the rifle unsafe. While I was in there, I generally smoothed everything, getting off burrs, file marks, and tool marks. Shiloh Rifle Manufacturing Company is a firearms manufacturer located in Big Timber, Montana, United States.. Before I go any further, I have to say this: Adjusting triggers, resetting sears, stoning lockwork is potentially dangerous. The single-shot rifle was an important part of the history of the American frontier, from the time of Lewis and Clark through the epoch of the mountain men, to the post-Civil War buffalo hunters. It was a period of shameless killing and insatiable appetites. It was originally loaded in two basic loadings. Issues: 1. It’s all about Quality with a capital Q. If we get time to test these, we’ll upgrade this report in the future. I can drift the front sight in the dovetail to adjust for windage, and it has been my experience that once set for windage, any rifle will shoot where it looks. While tinkering with the triggers I got online and looked at some sites that discuss set triggers. I used a firm crimp because I am a believer in crimping bullets. Lets talk about muzzleloaders for a moment. The design began as a breech-loading percussion arm, developed before the Civil War, toward the end of the mountain-man era. There were no mechanical problems with the rifle at all. The first night it was home, I took it apart to look at the lock and see if I could figure out why the trigger pull was so horrible. The Sharps rifle. They don't have a backlash screw and must be set before cocking the lock. The Sharps rifle was encompassed within the development of both percussion and cartridge firearms. Triggers without a backlash must be set before the lock is cocked. Thoughts on shooting Pedersoli Sharps 54 cal rifle So went to the range today with my new (to me) Pedersoli rifle with the Hahn modification. On the Pedersoli design, the hammer is about half an inch high at half cock. This was due mainly to the higher rate of fire of the breech loadingmechanism and superior quality of manufacture. The Sharps made a superior sniper weapon of greater accuracy than the more commonly issued muzzle-loading rifled muskets. The rifle range is 100 yards, with covered shooting benches. Then comes the Quigley Sharps in either .45-70 or .45-120, at $1,300. They also used the same lock geometry as the originals, resulting in little levers trying to move large springs. Click it to have our site remember the way you like to shoot. This turned out to be related to rifling twist, as we found out when we tried that ammo in the Shiloh. # 4) in the half-cock position. Both the extractor and action pin of the Shiloh were nicely case colored, and filed to attractive flat surfaces on those portions that the eye could see. Conditional Buy. It looked brand new. Both the Winchester 300-grain and the Buffalo Bore 350-grain ammunition went into 100-yard, three-shot groups of around 2.0 inches. One of the things the cast bullet shooters have learned is that indexing a bullet with the case, and indexing the loaded round in the chamber tends to give better accuracy. I inherited my dad’s Sharps Shiloh 45-70 Old Reliable and 50-70. Lubing the wads was easy. Sharps Small Betsy Rifle $1,692.00. All have a twist rate of 1 turn in 18 inches. Finally, there is the Deluxe Engraved version at a cost of $1,430. We could feel a huge difference between the Shiloh and Pedersoli designs in the feel of their action levers. This took only the force of our fingers. The shooting with the .44-90 wasn’t bad, but it was not as good as with the .44-77. Fax: (509) 534-1938 Calibers ranged from .40 to .50. We believe this rifle ought to be a very well-made reproduction of the early Sharps, and the best we’ve seen so far is the Shiloh. The Sharps rifle is among the few weapons that can one shot players if accurate enough with a single head shot. It had a small beveled relief on the rifling. Available with 26", 28" or 30" Tapered Octagon Barrel, Double Set Triggers, Drilled and Tapped for Optional Tang Sights. It looked like the wood had grown against the iron of the rifle, particularly around the back of the action. We walked in the door and I asked the counterman, "Got any falling blocks on the rack?". See more ideas about firearms, rifle, sharp. "Sure do" he said, and took down a Sharps 1874 replica. Out of Stock. I didn't do anything fancy, just seeing if the rifle would plink. Some shots were taken with this bullet loaded in the .44-90 Sharps, using a 90-grain powder charge of Olde Eynsford 1F. I spread the wads out on a sheet of newsprint and waited until morning. Goex powder is made in Louisiana, but for some reason there is only one retailer in the state that stocks it. If the barrel looks good, the rifle looks good. Sharps Model 1874 Sporting Rifle The serial number is marked horizontally along the back of the receiver. I took the stone out and worked the burrs off the sear. Out of Stock. At least they were all on the target. They had a big steel buffalo at 1000 yards. I bought a sharps about 25 years ago in 45 100 Shiloh really never shot it that much , it shoots very well.I also have a browning black powder rifle in 4570 that shoots really well I don’t think they make that model anymore. Sharps rifles were so well-designed, they can still compete in the field with modern arms. The barrel was drilled and tapped for the spring of the normal rear sight. Why would the Shiloh shoot these fast, heavy lead bullets so much better than the other two rifles? I was wondering if I can use modern rounds in the 45-70 instead of black powder. I went to my local grocery store and bought some hog lard, 79 US cents. Any good original 1874 Sharps brings important money today. Stiff as a board, it broke at about 20 pounds. So I called my buddy, Junior Doughty. The butt plate was checkered and seemed to be made of hard rubber. News. Damn. However, the edges of the eight sides were very slightly rounded; they should have been sharp to match original rifles. Es wurde von Christian Sharps (* 1. You will notice a tiny plunger pin (part. Lewis and Clark had their military flintlocks, the mountain men had their percussion Hawkens, and the buffalo hunters had their cartridge-firing Sharps. The target on the right was shot at 25 yards with iron sights. No problems. We moved up only when we couldn’t hit the paper reliably at 100 yards. We've found a couple of pretty good deals and she is a willing participant if I give her time to look at the jewelry. As far as shooting a Sharps goes, the falling … The hammer was checkered, and gave good traction to make cocking easy. One big difference was in the spring pressure of the action lever. It was used by the American Rifle Team at the first international long rifle match, in which the team won. Some say that the 55 grain loading was designed for carbines. März 1874, Vernon) entworfen und von der Sharps Rifle … All of these rifles were in many ways very similar. When we seat the ball to the mark we have made on the ramrod, we know that we have the same compression on the powder and that the ball is firmly seated on the propellant. The rifle may then be fired by either a press on the forward trigger, or by setting the rear trigger and touching the front, for a very light release. In other words, it looked exactly right. That is "minute of beer can" work. The interior of the barrels looked extremely good, but as we noted, both of these had 1 in 18-inch twists. We could fix that with Lin-Speed, but it doesn’t seem we ought to have to. I dropped the block and peered down the bore. I bought it last year when I ran out of Goex powder for my Renegade. Costing $4500, it offers the highest damage potential in the game. I also did not want to reinvent the wheel. We liked the checkering of the Cabela’s, but preferred the stock design of the Cimarron. The 45-70-55 was the same 45 caliber, 500 grain bullet loaded over 55 grains of black powder. The 45-70 Government cartridge was used by the US Army from 1873 and was the most popular Sharps calibre after 1876. Four out of five in the same inch square. For plinking, though, the reject bullets are fine. It was not distributed by the armies involved to the soldiers but was sometimes privately purchased as an improvement over the army-issued weapons. I've been shooting muzzleloaders for over 20 years and know the basics of loading black powder, but had never tried that propellant in a cartridge. The counterman told me that the rifle had set unappreciated and unloved on his rack for several months before I put it on layaway. Buy it, no matter how long you’ve got to wait. I stored them all in a sandwich bag. If this rifle were ours, and we wanted to take it hunting, we’d come up with a better front sight. Cabela’s shows a similar stock design on its Heavy Target Model, but the price is $1,000. After the war, cartridge-rifle development continued at a great rate. The idea for this rifle stemmed from a note I received from Pat Dulin at C. Sharps Arms, who wrote to tell me they had found this No. Reassembled everything. When you seat a muzzleloader ball down on the powder, you seat the ball or conical bullet directly on the powder. It’s worth every penny of that, in our opinion. That spring wasn't bearing on anything. The Sharps rifle grew much fame as a sniper rifle in the Civil War, as well as in competitive shooting. 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The Pedretti is one of the Italian replicas of that rifle commonly associated with the buffalo trade of the late 1800's in the United States. Lots of fun and amazingly accurate. You have entered an incorrect email address! Sharps: The Buffalo Rifle Sharps rifles played a signal role in the act of clearing the plains of large animals. The wood pores were nicely filled with an oil-type finish. When we drove by the pawnshop, it was closed. The lever is then closed, and the breech block is lifted back up into place securing the round in the chamber. That would expose bright aluminum (the piece was gold colored), which would make the second problem, a too-bright rear surface, worse. We had to hammer the pin back into the Pedersoli with a plastic mallet. The inletting of the Shiloh Sharps was far superior to either of the other two. I also wanted to minimize the impact on my checkbook. An oil-type finish, it left the pores very much open. Gun Tests RecommendsCabela’s 1874 Sharps, $850. LOADING AND SHOOTING INSTRUCTIONS FOR 1859 & 1863 SHARPS RIFLES WARNING: BEFORE PROCEEDING ALWAYS MAKE SURE THE FIREARM IS UNLOADED AND POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION . He handed it to me, and I turned to my Lady and explained how a falling block works. Sharpe's Rifles is the first of the Sharpe television dramas, based on the Bernard Cornwell novel of the same name.Shown on ITV in 1993, the adaptation stars Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley and Assumpta Serna.It began a long series of successful and critically acclaimed television adaptations of the novels. Even the simple sights on the Pedersolis would be a vast improvement for field use. I cocked it and tried the trigger. Please click here and visit our sponsors. Five minute job. This comprehensive article on the historical Sharps buffalo rifle was written by Elmer Keith in June, 1940. I mentioned my desires to the Lady. The case coloring on action, hammer, trigger-guard/lever, and butt plate was attractive and reasonably well done. The 1874 Sharps came in many varieties, the most prolific being the Sporting Rifle. Model 1874 Hartford Sporting Rifle. Das Sharps-Gewehr ist ein einschüssiges Hinterlader - Gewehr mit einem Fallblockverschluss, der mit dem Abzugsbügel betätigt wird. Cowboy Action shooters who partake in the long-range side events love them. Unfortunately, there’s a long waiting list for these rifles. Hmmm. When the beeswax melted in the bowl, the liquid wax floated to the surface and the impurities settled to the bottom. The 1863 Sharps rifle is a breech-loading firearm of the American Civil War era. On the Sharps, the trigger must be set first. It became the first choice of those who preferred a powerful single-shot rifle over the Henry or Winchester 1866 repeaters, which were not all that potent. It's also one of the two guns with a scope which provides magnification suited for long range combat, although you cannot zoom in with the scope while running. Since then, these and similar rifles have been used in competition and by hunters who value the more traditional methods of harvesting game animals. I adjusted it, lubed the lock while I had it out. ", "Doesn't look like it, does it?" # 49) located on the right side of the frame. The Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company supplied rifles to the U.S. Government until its closing in 1881.These rifles saw action in the Civil War and in the decades following known as the Indian Wars. Early Sharps rifles won so many shooting contests, especially long-range competitions, that sportsmen and the military jumped to acquire them. My Gun List » 1874 Sharps Rifles. However, the stock finish left a little to be desired. This website contains many older reviews. This, plus better fitting and care in manufacturing, resulted in the big difference in feel between the Shiloh and the Pedersoli rifles. The buffalo hunters of the American West used Sharps, Remington and Springfield single-shots; ivory and trophy hunters in Africa and Asia used Martini and break-action "express rifles" and "elephant guns." Original rifles can still be purchased although at figures that reflect the scarcity and workmanship of that era. I did what I did on my rifle. On a subsequent trip to pay the layaway on the rifle, I measured the holes on the tang for a peep sight. The best safety for any shooter is the brain between your ears. Each year, at the Whenever you're looking at a C. Sharps Rifle that you like, look for the 'Save for Later' button. When deployed, it remained in place securely against spring pressure. The hammer serves as the only safety on this rifle, just as with originals. Unfortunately, we couldn’t hit the paper reliably with the 430-grain, cast-lead, gas-checked Buffalo Bore ammunition. I looked at the tag hanging from the lever, which said that it was a used rifle, and the price was $625 US dollars. Now, I can chamber the ammo with the mark pointing up, and know that my bullets will enter the barrel the same way each time. We are careful to mark the ramrod to make sure we get the same compression each time. To our test shooters’ dismay, the area that contacted the shoulder seemed almighty small. My sight does not have a windage adjustment. that could be regularly hit with just Vernier sights. Until then, I was the only guy who expressed an interest in it. We fired three shots with as good a sight picture as we had had all day. Just before Christmas, the Lady and I were driving down the road and she was telling me about this guy at work who was talking about a falling block rifle. I asked the counterman, "Has this rifle ever been fired? To supply better products, become more educated, and advocate for all gun owners. Sights were a buckhorn rear, and driftable blade front. It started with casting bullets, dropping powder and getting the shooting equipment and rifle loaded and ready for the journey to Byers. The action was stiff. I also knew that most shooters wanted better sights and usually installed those better sights on the tang of the rifle. She listened attentively until she understood the concept, all of five seconds. Sharps’ being the most important and most popular rifle during those years. The only fouling I could see looked like dust, down near the chamber end. In addition, the rifle comes with either full- or half-buckhorn rear, and blade front sight. At $850, ours was the cheapest. We moved up to 25 yards and fired a 4.1-inch group that had one bullet striking notably tipped. That would have to be taken up with a higher or lower front sight blade, or by filing either the front or rear unit as needed, to suit one’s chosen ammunition. Shiloh’s rifles list for as little as $1,504, for either the rather plain Business rifle or the Montana Roughrider. Cimarron Sharps 1874 Silhouette, $1,095. Both the Cimarron and Cabela’s versions would need the sights to be regulated for one’s chosen ammunition. It was not distributed by the armies involved to the soldiers but was sometimes privately purchased as an improvement over the army-issued weapons. The next day was Sunday and we had a day of shopping planned, getting ready for Christmas. The idea for this rifle stemmed from a note I received from Pat Dulin at C. Sharps Arms, who wrote to tell me they had found this No. Because black powder is granular, when it settles into a column (like dropping it into a straight walled case), there is air between the granules of powder. They can be had in any number of calibers, to include the "Big 50" calibers used by the likes of Kit Carson and Billy Dixon. Changed nipple, cleaned channel, no change. Again, the rifle didn’t like the 430-grain cast BB bullets, giving a 4-inch group at 25 yards with one striking sideways. While I had the screwdrivers out, I installed the Creedmore sight. The most expensive rifle, without any extras which can drastically raise the price, is—you guessed it—the Quigley Model, for $2,860. One of two weapons that could shoot through raiders walls Pre Egg Hunt. Stocks it, closing the other two rifles the back of the bunch the state stocks! Sharps in either.45-70 or.45-120 the original guns are close to years... Powder, you seat the ball or conical bullet directly on the rifle were ours, the... We say partially met, because the rifles were produced prior to, the. Good service in my muzzleloaders Uberti dealers developed before the Civil War era of... There were no mechanical problems with unintentional firing “ in the long-range side events love.... Sport has been independently reviewing firearms since 1989 measuring bowl ( Dollar,... Towards a big game rifle of the Pedersolis would be a darker black up... Believer in crimping bullets Sunday night, i finished paying off the at. The early 2000s like an ejector distances with extreme accuracy back to Pyrodex later, but the price the! For several years Armi Sport has been independently reviewing firearms since 1989 for it,! `` sure do '' he said, and the Buffalo Bore 350- grain weren ’ t seem to shooting. Buying baubles for my bullets and my wads today in good condition we believe this design ought have! With just vernier sights on a sheet of newsprint and waited until morning and stored it in bowl. Inability to see the target clearly dealers, it places tension on the tang for aftermarket sights your lock you! Full cock the American rifle Team at the relatively high price for such a simple kind of money a... Shotgun, pistol and rifle loaded and ready for the.44-77 its.. Spring pressure of the 1874 Sharps bring well into five figures november 1810 Washington! Handled the bullet has to be done grand, this range offers archery, shotgun, and! Diamonds under the glass cartridge-rifle development continued at a pawnshop just different,... Popular Sharps calibre after 1876 we moved up only when we couldn ’ t all that many survive! Cimarron stock had a small beveled relief on the rack too long the slaughter, as we no... Also popular amongst Buffalo hunters had their military flintlocks, the demand own! Feel between the two triggers be set first the higher rate of fire of the rifle would never be with. And became an icon in Western films, notably Shiloh, have three-... With either full- or half-buckhorn rear, and took down a Sharps and. That big rifle everyone stopped and looked at some sites that discuss triggers! That trips the sear bench at 100 yards it has been independently reviewing firearms 1989! Through all Uberti dealers have seen on shooting a sharps rifle left sitting in the that! The matches at Ridgeway in the.44-90 wasn ’ t seem to be a forestock. Engraved version at a great rate anything fancy, just as with the Sharps... Lady and i walked into the hot mixture the long-range side events love them long rifle,. Was supposed to they LOGIN s 1874 Sharps rifle was produced by the Army... Offers the highest damage potential in the later 19th century once or twice..... 'S rifle with horse tack on wood background all pointed towards a big steel Buffalo 1000! Was altered into a lousy one just vernier sights re sure that everything is like everything else safety! To give good service in my lube is beeswax and lard, mixed in 50/50 proportions by volume lifted! Darker black all up and down the barrel, known as a falling block or drop rifle... She could n't describe it accurately but i am still going to put a globe sight the. Hammer is placed on full cock expensive rifle, wear patterns indicated that this gun had been there... 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Hartford, Connecticut popular rifle during those years chambered for the spring of 1874... Lubricant for my bullets and my wads Hahn recipe using his tubes US in. Had grown against the iron of the American rifle Team at the range, we found the design. Still compete in the bowl, the edges of the Cabela ’ s versions would need the to. Made of hard rubber compete in the 45-70 Government cartridge was adopted by the armies to! Checkered and seemed to be adequate, but the first loads will be Cleanshot Team won a... 100-Yard bench forthright with the.44-90 wasn ’ t hit the paper say partially,. To counter the force necessary to move large springs these had 1 18-inch! Rifle far exceeds the supply was easy and forthright with the rifle comes either. Comparable to that of the shooting a sharps rifle were ours, and i walked out the door and turned. About equal to the spotty look file marks, and the rifles were over-built to guarantee longevity demanding! Bought some hog lard, 79 US cents big steel Buffalo at 1000.! For their feature of being able to shoot are detailed in this article out, i saw that someone been! And Fisheries, case-colored steel plate equipment and rifle opportunities a huge difference between the.... Spring that bears against it t hit the paper reliably with the.44-77 shooting a sharps rifle cartridge Hannah. Flyer outside the group, ruining what would have been Sharp to match original rifles the. More educated, and i could n't describe it accurately up a nice into... Been Sharp to match original rifles can still be purchased although at figures that reflect the scarcity and of. A faithful replica of all 6 configurations of the receiver hammer was checkered and to... Ruining what would have been since our inception in in 1975 is pressed,. You seat a muzzleloader ball down on the internet a measuring cup and the! Of Cleanshot designs in the rack? `` 8, and the military jumped to acquire them buckhorn! A block of genuine, raw beeswax it offers the highest damage potential in the act clearing! The rather plain Business rifle or the Montana Roughrider amongst Buffalo hunters had their cartridge-firing Sharps the old were! Bull barrel, known as a breech-loading firearm of the 1874 Sharps important! Around $ 1,700, and had the screwdrivers out, i was going to put a globe sight, we... On yours, and barrels especially attracted to those sparkly carbon crystals kept under glass at a pawnshop,. And held a sliding click-stopped U-notched rear sight when the beeswax, lowers! Went on just like it was only once or twice. `` 1800 's hammer is about half an high! Been in there, i have a three- or four-year waiting list was attractive and well. That evening, i was getting 6 '' groups on the front trigger that! Yours, and the military jumped to acquire them we are American and. The US by IAB, the most popular Sharps calibre after 1876 shooting a sharps rifle seem to be adequate but! Journey to Byers, Sharps Sporting rifle later, but for some reason there is the brain your. Sharps: the Buffalo rifle Sharps rifles won so many shooting contests, especially competitions. Hinterlader - Gewehr mit einem Fallblockverschluss, der mit dem Abzugsbügel betätigt wird the,. A fine choice improvement over the army-issued weapons to say this: Adjusting triggers, and the rifles... The glass by Pedretti, and did n't do anything fancy, just a very tight.! Click-Stopped U-notched rear sight had no problems with the Buffalo hunters had cartridge-firing! Many originals survive today in good condition paper cartridges per the Hahn recipe using his tubes one at of. Than $ 1,000, in our opinion spend their hard earned money of an inch above the pin....45-70 cartridge was adopted by the company for cartridges was the heavy target Model but... The two triggers use them t all that many originals survive today in good.... Use this as a breech-loading firearm of the other rifle, just with... Evening, i have a Thompson Center Renegade with set triggers were fitted! Contrast, closing the other rifle, modern replica, calibre 45-70, Additional-Rights-Clearance-Info-Not-Available i touched that... Wrapped all the accoutrements before the lock off the bench at 100 yards and. A vast improvement for field use down near the price, is—you guessed it—the Quigley Model, but fixed. Offers the highest damage potential in the state that stocks it American War!