Shilo Sharps Bullet Recomendation

[hawkeye2]

What bullet do you Shilo owners recommend for the percussion carbine? I see Moose offers 2 molds and Tennessee has one. Someone on eBay is offering custom made Lee molds ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/54-Caliber-Sharps-Ringtail-Custom-LEE-Mold/122392418627?_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%2 6asc%3D40130%26meid%3Df51aca3f9f51413181d493315410 31d7%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D2%26sd%3D1515 72683254 ) and I don't see the Lyman mold offered new anywhere.

[Fred Jr]

I use an old Palmetto mold. Have no idea where I got it but probably from my dad's assortment. It is no. 555431 and it is big! My brother used a buffalo style as does a member of our team. They both shoot very well.

Good luck! Been using my Shiloh for about 30 years or so!

Fred

[ms3635v]

I use Moose's ringtail mould in my Shilo Sharps with 40 grains of 3F. It shoots very well.

[Maillemaker]

I have a Pedersoli Sharps and I use the Pedersoli mold. 45 grains 3F. Not as accurate as my Richmond Carbine but I hope to make up for it with the amount of lead I can put down range! :) Shooting it for the first time this weekend!

Steve

[Bruce Cobb 1723V]

Just for fun I tried .550 round balls with 35ffg. It worked great but someone bought the carbine before I got it to the line to shoot. I used a wad next to the powder.

[Hal]

I can't say for a Shilo, but the Moose .544 Ringtail works great in my wife's original Model 1859. The mould is well made and the bullets fall right out when opened. It is a joy to cast with.

[Cannonman1]

I have used a variety of bullets in my rifle and carbine and the .54 minie with a paper cartridge, dipped in a good soft lube works wonderfully well. All the previous suggestions are great too. Good thing is that you have a Shiloh and that was the most important first step.. It will shoot better than you can shoot it anyway.. LOL.

[jonk]

The ebay mold says that it duplicates the Rapine mold, which is what I shoot.

With slightly hard lead (3 parts pure to 1 part wheelweights) it shoots better than I can hold it, for sure.

The Lee REAL mold actually does very well too.

[Charlie Hahn]

You need to verify the groove diameter. It should be about .542. The driving band should not be larger than .005 inch over groove. The barrels are a little on the soft side. For that reason I would stay away from wheel weights, they have material other than tin and lead in them and will take the drive side of the rifling to a radius or angled chamfer which will degrade the down range experience after as few as 200 shots. (I tested this on the said carbine we are talking about)

Soft lead should be considered, or 20:1 lead tin to strengthen the driving band and extend the useful life of the barrel.

Typically you will see these barrels begin to wain at about 4000 to 7000 rounds depending on bullet material and lube type. If you go for a reline, Mr. Hoyt offers on request a liner made of 86L20 in 48 twist that will last much longer in our sport.

What ever bullet being used I do suggest sizing the rear band to make it round, most moulds do not cast a true round bullet.

These ideas are offered based on my experience.

Charlie Hahn

[Maillemaker]

Thanks for the tips, Charlie!

Steve

[hawkeye2]

Thanks to everyone for the advise. I'm going with the copy of the Rapine (eBay link in my first post) to get shooting and a teammate said he has an assortment of Sharps bullets I can try later.

[Jud96]

You need to verify the groove diameter. It should be about .542. The driving band should not be larger than .005 inch over groove. The barrels are a little on the soft side. For that reason I would stay away from wheel weights, they have material other than tin and lead in them and will take the drive side of the rifling to a radius or angled chamfer which will degrade the down range experience after as few as 200 shots. (I tested this on the said carbine we are talking about)

Soft lead should be considered, or 20:1 lead tin to strengthen the driving band and extend the useful life of the barrel.

Typically you will see these barrels begin to wain at about 4000 to 7000 rounds depending on bullet material and lube type. If you go for a reline, Mr. Hoyt offers on request a liner made of 86L20 in 48 twist that will last much longer in our sport.

What ever bullet being used I do suggest sizing the rear band to make it round, most moulds do not cast a true round bullet.

These ideas are offered based on my experience.

Charlie Hahn

My Dad has a Farmingdale Shiloh 1863 carbine with serial number 02xx that has been shot for 35 years in the N-SSA with nothing but wheel weights. That gun will still eat the center of the black out at 50 yards with 35gr FF Goex and the Shiloh Buffalo bullet. His barrel should have been toast along time ago, but the rifling is still sharp and shoots as good now as it ever did. Two other team mates have Shilohs as well and have never experienced barrel issues using wheel weights and the same load

[gemmer]

I believe Moose's Sharps bullet designed by Dave France is intended for the Shiloh. It's not a ring tail so it does present a problem if one want's to use Charlie's tubes.

[hawkeye2]

I tried the Rapine copy which is a custom Lee mold. A 2 cavity 510 grain aluminum mold is quite finicky, difficult to keep at a good temperature with so much lead and so little aluminum but the bullet shot well over 42 grains of 2f and some 20 year old Jackie's Lube. I have a Brooks 1863 Sharps Ring Tail mold coming, about a 4 week wait. When I told Brooks I had a .54 Shilo he said that was all he needed to know as that's what the bullet was designed for. I did opt for the vented sprue plate as he recommended it for pouring with a ladle.