Sharps capacity and issues

**jonk** · 06-26-2017

I started shooting carbine with a Pedersoli Sharps.

I then acquired a Pietta Smith. Good deal. Sleeper on gunbroker.

I have been shooting the Smith better than the Sharps in general, and have been shooting it almost exclusively. On a good day, I run in the mid 30s for a hit time. On a bad day, low 50s. Average, kind of middle of the road in the 40s. Nothing exceptional, but ok.

But darn, that Sharps is still calling me. I like the feel of it better in terms of balance. I like "no case to pull out." But while my best time with the Pietta Smith was in the high 20s or low 30s, my best time with the sharps was about 45 seconds.

Trigger pull is good. Thing is, I have a really short chamber. It holds about 38 grains with a tube. Even hahn's shortest tubes are too long, if just a little.

I'd like to get back to the sharps. The question is, what to do?

The gun has a mostly stock block. I did buy it with the gas check plate chrome plated, and that helps in terms of smooth operating. I use the McMaster Carr grease in it. I don't see the need for a new block, or conversion, as I can shoot about 80 rounds before it gets sticky. But I wonder if a Hahn conversion or similar would help?

Maybe the issue is the chamber depth. Would 40 or 50 gr shoot better? You tell me? Crown looks good. Bore looks good. Guess I'm just fishing for thoughts.

**0556V** · 06-26-2017

Originally Posted by jonk

I started shooting carbine with a Pedersoli Sharps.

I then acquired a Pietta Smith. Good deal. Sleeper on gunbroker.

I have been shooting the Smith better than the Sharps in general, and have been shooting it almost exclusively. On a good day, I run in the mid 30s for a hit time. On a bad day, low 50s. Average, kind of middle of the road in the 40s. Nothing exceptional, but ok.

But darn, that Sharps is still calling me. I like the feel of it better in terms of balance. I like "no case to pull out." But while my best time with the Pietta Smith was in the high 20s or low 30s, my best time with the sharps was about 45 seconds.

Trigger pull is good. Thing is, I have a really short chamber. It holds about 38 grains with a tube. Even hahn's shortest tubes are too long, if just a little.

I'd like to get back to the sharps. The question is, what to do?

The gun has a mostly stock block. I did buy it with the gas check plate chrome plated, and that helps in terms of smooth operating. I use the McMaster Carr grease in it. I don't see the need for a new block, or conversion, as I can shoot about 80 rounds before it gets sticky. But I wonder if a Hahn conversion or similar would help?

Maybe the issue is the chamber depth. Would 40 or 50 gr shoot better? You tell me? Crown looks good. Bore looks good. Guess I'm just fishing for thoughts.

I have a Pedersoli Sharps that Sam Dobbins converted. The chamber is approximately 2 " in length. I use a 1 1/2" HAHN'S tube with a moose bullet. holds at least 50 grains. Shoots well.

**Maillemaker** · 06-26-2017

I have a Pedersoli Sharps. I had Larry Flees do his breech block work on it and it is amazing the difference it makes. It came from Pedersoli with some variation of the Sam Dobbins o-ring job, but it did not work. The gun would fire about 10 times before the action would start to seize up. Also the action was so leaky that gas and soot would be found under the forstock. The gun originally had a floating chamber sleeve.

Larry removes the barrel, and removes the floating chamber and presses in a new one. I believe he also reams out the chamber before putting in the new chamber sleeve so that there is a sharp cut up to the rifling so that you don't end up with a gap between the chamber sleeve and the rifling start.

He then replaces the gas plate with his own machined Ampco bronze plate. It also uses an o-ring to keep the plate up against the chamber but it is much thinner than the Pedersoli o-ring. The action now seals perfectly. I can basically shoot it indefinitely without cleaning. I have shot it like 90 times in a row with no cleaning.

And the action is so gas-tight that cleaning is now super easy. Basically the only thing that needs to be cleaned is the breach block as it contains all of the gas.

The next thing I am having done - just sent the breech block off to Larry - is the stock breech block has a convoluted fire channel for the percussion cap to flow through. Due to the way it is machined, there are nooks and crannies that the cap gas gets wasted in and you do not get reliable ignition for your first few shots until those nooks and crannies get filled with fouling. Larry replaces the screw-in components with custom screw-in components (cone, clean-out screw, etc.) that precisely fill the fire channel where it should be filled, resulting in more reliable ignition.

Larry Flees is a Sharps wizard!

I can't remember what my maximum load is now. I think it was around 60 grains 3F. I think I am shooting 45 grains 3F and the tube is nearly full. I wrap my own around a 1/2" dowel. I am shooting the Pedersoli Christmas Tree bullet.

**Greg Ogdan 110th OVI** · 06-26-2017

Basically, what Maillemaker said. Larry will fix the gun for you. Now, if your breech seals properly, 38 gr of FFF SWISS will work according to Charlie Hahn. That load will fire cut your face plate faster than a load of 50 gr of FF Goex which is the other load that is poplar. BTW, the Swiss load will not work in the Sharps rifle; not enough powder to accelerate the bullet all the way out of the barrel.

**Charlie Hahn** · 06-26-2017

The chamber lengths from the factory on these things are all over the place. Typically I recut the forcing cone. I have a picas reamer for this. I just did four Pedersoli's the chamber length almost 3/16 inch between them.

If you want the chamber recut, that is a possibility you may think about

Charlie

**bobanderson** · 06-26-2017

Originally Posted by 0556V

I have a Pedersoli Sharps that Sam Dobbins converted. The chamber is approximately 2 " in length. I use a 1 1/2" HAHN'S tube with a moose bullet. holds at least 50 grains. Shoots well.

That's it, Chuck. Rub it in.

**jonk** · 06-27-2017

Originally Posted by Charlie Hahn

The chamber lengths from the factory on these things are all over the place. Typically I recut the forcing cone. I have a picas reamer for this. I just did four Pedersoli's the chamber length almost 3/16 inch between them.

If you want the chamber recut, that is a possibility you may think about

Charlie

Thanks Charlie. I'm going to re-crown just in case it 'looks' ok but really isn't, and see what that does. Otherwise I think I'll leave the gun with you to do as you suggest at fall nationals.