Cleaning after the day's shooting

[Naphtali]

My cervical spinal fusions have finally healed enough that I can begin to begin shooting again. During that process a question occurred that pertains only to cap lock Sharps reproductions, not 1874 cartridge rifles: How often do you remove your rifle's wood from barreled receiver when cleaning the rifle after a day's shooting?

Shiloh actions are significantly simplified compared with Italian reproductions, plus they have closer tolerances where breech block meets receiver. These Shiloh features should translate to easier, perhaps less complex cleaning procedure.

[jonk]

Well, I've only ever had my wood off when it rains and I want to dry it out, or at the end of the season for a good cleaning and greasing.

I can't imagine why you would, other than the oft-mentioned idea that sharps accumulate powder under the forestock. I don't for the life of me see how that could happen in reality, the powder burns up. Maybe if you use loose powder, not paper rounds. When I HAVE taken the wood off, other than a little fouling, never found nothing under there.

[Jim_Burgess_2078V]

I too have found minimal fouling on or under the forestock of my Shiloh Sharps. However, I take the forestock off every time I clean the gun because I clean the area of the breech and lever spring very liberally with a toothbrush and water. Some fouling is likely to get under the lever spring and since this area gets wet during cleaning it is best not to get the wood wet.

Jim Burgess
15th Conn. Vol. Inf.

[Eggman]

Seems like I remember some stocks blowing off in the old "Buckskin Report" days. Don't worry though, the gun actually has to fire for the stock to blow off.

[Jim Brady Knap's Battery]

I believe the problem with blowing the forend has to do with opening the breech with a load in the chamber. The cavity in the block would potentially have powder from the unfired charge and when opening the breech it would allow unburned powder to go from the block into the lever spring area of the forend. If there was any gas leakage it could/would ignite the accumulated powder in the forend. Loads with flat based cartridges and guns with a solid block mod should not have this problem.


Jim Brady
2249V
Knap's Battery

[Maillemaker]

Before I had Larry Flees do his gas plate and o-ring job on my Pedersoli 1859 Sharps Carbine, it leaked gas so badly that there was a tremendous amount of soot and debris up under the wood.

Now the thing seals so well that there is hardly any fouling outside of the breech block at all, except for cap residue.

It is now a dream to clean. Takes less time than any of my other muzzle loaders. You pull the breech block and put it in the sink, and then run patches down the barrel and do a little swabbing of the breech cavity. Hardly any is required though - mostly you are removing old grease as no fouling escapes the chamber anymore.

I was shocked the first time I removed the wood after having the Larry Flees job done and discovered everything was pristine down there.

Steve

[jonk]

See, my Sharps is a Pedersoli. Other than the previous owner having the breech face plates chrome plated, it's stock. When he sold it to me, he said to jam a small grease soaked piece of sponge under the plate where the forestock meshes. I always did. Maybe that's my lack of problem, right there... but I STILL don't' see how loose powder could get in there.

So unless you want to, I still wouldn't bother to remove the forestock on any regular basis.

[Eggman]

Well this is how I remember the Sharps thing. I think is was in the 70s or 60s -- somewhere deep in the past, when I had a Garret Sharps. I made up paper cartridges for the thing, and when I loaded one, the breech block would shear off the rear of the cartridge exposing the charge to the percussion cap. Black powder would ALWAYS spew out hither and yon. The gap between stock and barrel provided an access port for this free ranging powder.

[Charlie Hahn]

I have taken a few of these apart, all makes. I would suggest the forearm be removed at a minimum at the end of the season, or after a wet outing. Some leak up, some leak down, others have minimal leakage and the crud will get in there.

IMHO,

Charlie Hahn

[Bruce Cobb 1723V]

I have a few years of seeing these shot. I only recall once seeing an really avid sharps shooter have his forearm start smoking, not fly off or explode. It was awhile ago in the NWT and I hope he pipes up here and relates his story. He is one of the folks who have shot the sharps for over 30 years. I am pretty sure it all has to do your cleanliness while loading. It sure wouldn't hurt to clean under your forearm whenever you think of it.

[Curt]

Hallo!

IIRC, the Sharps is supposed to have a flat metal strip to block or "bar" the mortise to the forestock.

This was a problem with the Robinson CS Sharps clone as the Confederates simplified production and omitted the strip. Which caused a loose powder build up and explosion of the forestock. The advice was to NOT lower the breech block once a cartridge had been loaded and the rear of the cartridge cut open. (Plus it was not that much of an issue with the post 1859 tube style Sharps cartridges more so with the older long pattern that needed its base sheared off.)

I never removed "wood" from any of my longarms or handguns unless they were caught in Shenandoah Sunshine. :)


Curt