Questions on the Spencer and Sharps loads and bullets

[WBR10654]

Met a guy out shooting his real cool Sharps and we were talking Black Powder when he said he was shooting his Grand Fathers Sharps,,,, oer was it a Spenser????

Any way it is the one that is a 56 Cal and he said he was shooting load 8% less than what the soldiers did.

I told him how most of use shot LIGHT LOADS and would ask the guys in the N-SSA what bullet they were shooting and what load.

So if you guys could share with me comment bullets and loads for these two rifles you would educate me and I can help him.

Oh, he let me shot that Sharps off the bench, it was a 45-70 and it was so accurate it was scary. It had these double ring type front sight and I missed the center of the bull with my two shots by just a couple inches. MOST COOL.

DPB

[Jim_Burgess_2078V]

David,
I have an original M1860 Spencer carbine (.56-56 caliber) that I shoot just for fun. I haven't been able to get it to group well due to its heavy trigger pull and what's left of the front sight blade is hard to see so it's not ready for N-SSA competition. I use the Buffalo Arms heeled base bullet (375 grains, sized .539) with 30 grains FFFg (if memory serves) and a small amount of cream of wheat to fill the Starline brass.

I could get the barrel relined, replace the front sight, and tune the lock but I prefer not to alter the integrity and historical value of an original gun. I've replaced the breechblock and magazine follower to shoot center-fire ammo but I can always put the originals back in.

Jim Burgess, 15th CVI

[WBR10654]

Thanls, I will pass it on....



David,
I have an original M1860 Spencer carbine (.56-56 caliber) that I shoot just for fun. I haven't been able to get it to group well due to its heavy trigger pull and what's left of the front sight blade is hard to see so it's not ready for N-SSA competition. I use the Buffalo Arms heeled base bullet (375 grains, sized .539) with 30 grains FFFg (if memory serves) and a small amount of cream of wheat to fill the Starline brass.

I could get the barrel relined, replace the front sight, and tune the lock but I prefer not to alter the integrity and historical value of an original gun. I've replaced the breechblock and magazine follower to shoot center-fire ammo but I can always put the originals back in.

Jim Burgess, 15th CVI