Originally Posted by
John Holland
For this this gentleman who only wants to fire a few shots just to enjoy the experience, I think I would suggest the following:
First of all, do not worry too much about an "air space" in the chamber as the Sharps is a breech loader and an original such as yours most likely will not seal very tight to begin with!
For loose powder & ball - Use a lubricated projectile dropped into the breech, put in a yet to be specified amount of Cream of Wheat (COW) for filler, then add an appropriate amount of powder. Close the breech, cap the nipple, and fire. DO NOT reopen the breech once it is closed, prior to firing, as this will introduce unfired powder into the spring recess in the forearm. This condition will cause an explosion in the forearm thereby blowing the forearm or parts thereof off the arm.
Many competitors have just just pushed the projectile into the breech and added however much powder they wanted with no regard to any filler or air space. It works.
Preferably, prepare a wrapped cartridge similar to the later model original Sharps round. Make a tube with the base flat with a piece of tissue paper or a piece of cigarette paper glued in place at the bottom. Place the powder in the tube, and any necessary filler, then glue or tie the lubed projectile in place. The flame from the cap will burn through the thin paper bottom easily and ignite the cartridge.
I strongly recommend not using a paper cartridge with a "tail" to be cut off when closing the breech block. Sharps quit using this method early on for the very reason mentioned earlier regarding the forearm.
Some people here will tell you to buy cardboard tubes, sized to your chamber, from one of our vendors. I don't think the price will warrant the expenditure for the limited number of shots you want to fire.
I quit shooting a Sharps many years ago because it was too labor intensive for me. So, these are just my thoughts, and nothing more!
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