Sharps and lead choice

[jonk]

So, I have a Pedersoli sharps.

I've been shooting 1/3 ww to 2/3 pure with good results. Shoots at least as well as I can hold it if not better. But, being the sort who always wants to know 'just to know' I've done some playing. I know that pure lead doesn't shoot as well as the harder mix for me, and recently found that 1/2 and 1/2 seems to do just fine as well, stretching my pure lead.

So today I just cast some up straight out of wheelweights. Somehow I felt obscene, watching those hard, frosty bullets drop from my mold.

Still, if they shoot well, I got a bunch of wheelweights I got free.

So, what say you? What does your sharps like, especially if you have a Pedersoli?

[Fred Jr]

I know a lot of folks use wheel weights. I have been told that there is a possibility that many different metals can be found in wheel weights. I personally use 496. 4% tin and 96% pure. My supplier hasn't had it for a while but I 'm goning to try to get him to get some for this summer.

Fred

[Greg Ogdan 110th OVI]

Probably the only thing you will notice is that the harder bullets will eventually burn out your face plate more quickly due to the higher pressures required to jam them into the rifles.

Greg

[ms3635v]

I am shooting soft lead in my Shilo (Farmingdale) 1863 carbine with 45 grains of 3F GOEX, lubed with MCM and Charlie Hahn tubes. It shoots great, so I am going to stick with this combination.

[Ben Nevlezer]

I have just spent 2 weeks experimenting with my Maynard. I know it isn't a Sharps, But... With it, powder charges made the least difference, but what did was the lead. With a Lyman 515139C mould, I tried 99.999% pure lead and a mix of approx. 10% ww with pure, both sized with 20 at .516 and 20 with .514. the pure lead shot good with the .514, 9s and 10s with an 8 flyer as I am only human, I think. The pure sized .516 were a 9 and 4 10s, 1x, 3 of 5 shots touching with a group that could be covered with a half dollar. Now for the harder and much easier to cast lead... The .516 was the best with a total score of near 40 with 5 shots, 7s and 8s with about a 6 inch group, the .514 couldn't come close to that with 2 shots that weren't even in scoring rings. Like I said, just food for thought... I believe that ANY low velocity rifled firearm works best with an as pure as possible lead and a bullet that the low grooves of the rifling slightly shave the slug. And... I also know that soft lead is more apt to do less wear and tear on a barrel than hard lead over the years.
Just my observations and opinion. Take it or leave it.

-Ben

[jonk]

I have just spent 2 weeks experimenting with my Maynard. I know it isn't a Sharps, But... With it, powder charges made the least difference, but what did was the lead. With a Lyman 515139C mould, I tried 99.999% pure lead and a mix of approx. 10% ww with pure, both sized with 20 at .516 and 20 with .514. the pure lead shot good with the .514, 9s and 10s with an 8 flyer as I am only human, I think. The pure sized .516 were a 9 and 4 10s, 1x, 3 of 5 shots touching with a group that could be covered with a half dollar. Now for the harder and much easier to cast lead... The .516 was the best with a total score of near 40 with 5 shots, 7s and 8s with about a 6 inch group, the .514 couldn't come close to that with 2 shots that weren't even in scoring rings. Like I said, just food for thought... I believe that ANY low velocity rifled firearm works best with an as pure as possible lead and a bullet that the low grooves of the rifling slightly shave the slug. And... I also know that soft lead is more apt to do less wear and tear on a barrel than hard lead over the years.
Just my observations and opinion. Take it or leave it.

-Ben
Well, I know my Smith hates hard lead. But I know I've tried up to half pure, half ww with no loss in accuracy in the Sharps, so I figured I'll go whole hog and try straight up ww.

Then again, slugging the smith was a chore due to the odd number of rifling cuts, whereas I know that the sharps measures .5395 on the dot, and I size to .5405. So the Smith might be needing a little bump up to obdurate that only pure can provide.

As to the idea that ANY low velocity rifled gun shoots best with soft lead... I have several medals from camp perry that I got shooting cast bullets out of hard lead at 1200 fps that say otherwise... different animal I know. You should see the looks on the line in the vintage match when everyone is shooting full tilt jacketed bullets that cost them $.45 each, and then I pull the trigger on a bullet cast out of water quenched wheelweights with a 'pop'... and dump it in the 10 ring from 200 yards. Though... to be fair, if there's any crosswind, that's a no-go.

My sharps chamber will only hold 38 gr btw. It's a short one. Rapine ringtail.

[R. McAuley 3014V]

Probably the only thing you will notice is that the harder bullets will eventually burn out your face plate more quickly due to the higher pressures required to jam them into the rifles.

Greg

I haven't noticed harder lead causing any higher pressures over purer lead. What I have noticed since using hard lead for my smoothbore is the resulting cast round balls are not only lighter in weigh (as light as 400 grains), they are also significantly smaller in their diameter versus using plumber's lead, shrinking by much as 0.01-inch out of a .685 diameter mold increasing the windage. Those using hard lead for carbine might ought to check their bullet diameter to insure they aren't doing the same?

[Jim Mulligan 7288V]

I am shooting soft lead in my Shilo (Farmingdale) 1863 carbine with 45 grains of 3F GOEX, lubed with MCM and Charlie Hahn tubes. It shoots great, so I am going to stick with this combination.
Agree! Soft lead, 37 3F Goex, 1/2" thick vegetable wad in Hahn tube. shoots great in my Shiloh (Montana). I'll be switching powder to Old Eynsford soon.

[FirinFlatTop]

Soft lead, lens lube with 38gr. Swiss 2F, Hahn tube with cereal box wad in my Shilo (Farmingdale) 1863 carbine. I tried the Olde Eynsford could not get the results I have with the Swiss.

On another note: I did try the Olde Eynsford in my .45colt Henry and improved over the Swiss I was using. Olde Eynsford was as clean as the Swiss.


Just what works for me.

[Ben Nevlezer]

Jonk,
Like I tried to express... Just my experience with my half assed trial and error with what I have to work with and what I have worked with in the past. obviously you have much more experience than I. I was just sharing what I've experienced monkeying around with different lead with a Maynard. I respect you and your experience and it sounds like you sure know what you are doing.

Happy shooting

-Ben

[jonk]

Jonk,
Like I tried to express... Just my experience with my half assed trial and error with what I have to work with and what I have worked with in the past. obviously you have much more experience than I. I was just sharing what I've experienced monkeying around with different lead with a Maynard. I respect you and your experience and it sounds like you sure know what you are doing.

Happy shooting

-Ben

Oh I wasn't criticizing what you were saying at all, just saying that my own experience is that hard lead can shoot well in some applications.

If I thought that I had nothing to learn I wouldn't be asking. I'm just starting to get to the point where I think I know what I am doing... and I'm sure next week something will happen that makes me throw it all out the window.

[jonk]

Update. I tried the hard lead yesterday, and it did very well indeed. Slightly more recoil, but the action didn't stick or anything, so I think we have a winner worth trying more of.

[jonk]

I ran the hard lead in a match. Did just fine. Well, as fine as any of us did with temps in the mid 30s as a high and 30 mph winds...