Are Sharps breechloaders enjoyable to shoot?

[Bob Hatfield]

That is after you get it tuned and the breech issues fixed? I have almost pulled the trigger a few times to buy one and send it off for breech repair, get a mold and tubes and use it for general plinking and maybe even hunting. I notice you NSSA competition shooters shoot these at clay pigeons and ceramic tiles. Will a Sharps 59 (replica) after it is tuned hit a clay pigeon at 100 yards if the shooter does his part?

I shoot actively in NMLRA offhand flintlock and percussion and although there is no class for shooting the Civil War breechloading carbine there, I still am drawn by them but want to make sure they are not a frustration. Everything muzzleloading and black powder can be fixed in one way or another. If I have a rifle that absolutely will not shoot I wont sell it unless it is fixed. I cant fathom the thought of selling a problem child to another shooter. It just isn't right. My shooting partner and was really wanting to come to the spring nationals to get a taste of the atmosphere but I see they are not having it again.

Thank you,

Bob

[Maillemaker]

Hi Bob,

I have a Pedersoli 1859 Carbine that Larry Flees worked on. He did his usual fantastic job on the gas leakage problem, and also reworked the fire channel to make it less prone to misfires. The gun now basically shots indefinitely without cleaning, with no change in operation of the action over an entire weekend of skirmishing.

The Sharps might be considered kind of "high maintenance" in that you have to make combustible cartridges for it. Well, you don't have to - the do make brass cartridges for it but you'll have to use some kind of hooked tool to fish them out of the chamber after firing. What makes these guns formidable on the line is there is no time wasted extracting anything since the cartridge vanishes on firing. I personally enjoy making cartridges but not everyone does.

Eras Gone Richmond Sharps:


"Bobtail"


I have gotten some decent groups out of it using the Eras Gone Richmond Sharps bullet, as well as a copy of the Rapine Christmas Tree, and also with the Bob Anderson "Bobtail" bullet. But I'm not sure it's very consistent. I was given a batch of "bore riding" Christmas Tree bullets - the front driving band (of 3) on this bullet is bore size so that when chambered the front of the bullet is riding inside the bore. I'm hopeful that this will give more consistent chambering and thus more consistent results, but I have not had a chance to try them yet. I know that the rigid black nylon cases give superior consistency than the flexible translucent red rubber cases for the Smith. I attribute this to the rigid black cases holding the bullets perfectly aligned with the bore axis.

I'm not sure I'd count on it to hit a 4" pigeon at 100 yards off a bench. 50 yards? No problem.



And speaking of the Smith, ever since I bought a Pietta Smith for my daughter I'm pretty much liking the Smith over the Sharps. Much easier to make up ammo, and it essentially fires like a break-open shotgun. And it's more accurate so far also. I'm saving my pennies to buy an original Smith for myself now.

Steve

[Bob Hatfield]

I would be perfectly satisfied if I could keep the shots in the black on a 100 yard muzzleloading rifle target. Much larger than a clay pigeon. I have been looking at Smith Carbines also. Thank you for taking the time to type all that out just for me. As for making cartridges, I find it almost as enjoyable as shooting them. These are nitrated coffee filter papers loaded with 25 grains of 3 f Swiss and an Era's Gone bullet. In my Pietta 1860 I have these shooting close to the P.O.A at 25 yards. Took a taller front sight though. Accuracy is good and the velocity is around 790 fps.

[Dave Fox]

I have three shooters. An M.1863 carbine I've owned 60 years and am lucky to hit the target backer with. An M.1863 rifle that had about an inch sawn off the muzzle. That being the case, I had a Hahn breech job done on it. Using Charlie's tubes and an old Rapine ringtail mould, it's easy to prepare cartridges for and satisfyingly accurate (photo is a 100 yard target). Last year acquired a slant breech military carbine with an excellent bore. It's tight and accurate with either Charlie's tubes or paper cartridges. Very little gas leak. Alas, it shoots about 14" high at 50 yards. Of a number of breechloading CW arms, the Sharps rifle is perhaps my favorite shooter.

[marv762]

I enjoy shooting mine. I have a Maynard and a smith also. it's a little bit of work loading Charlie's tubes, but I would not even have one if i had to roll papers. accurate at 100 yards. I'm thinking about trying it out to 200 yards this year. Charlie did the chamber sleeve repair for me as it was leaking very bad. at a national skirmish i shared it with my dad and we put about 120 rounds through it just brushing the barrel between relays. enjoy it!!

[bobanderson]

Will a Sharps 59 (replica) after it is tuned hit a clay pigeon at 100 yards if the shooter does his part?

In the N-SSA team events, we shoot at 4" clay pigeons on a cardboard backer, plus hanging 4" tiles, clay pots, wood blocks and water bottles, offhand at 50 yards. At 100 yards, the standard target is hanging 6" tiles. In the region, we also shoot at gallon jugs and other targets of opportunity.

In individual competition, we shoot at bullseye targets very similar to what other disciplines use.

The Sharps, by virtue of it's solid frame, is probably more accurate than other actions. That said, it's more about the shooter, and how he/she handle the different stock shapes, bullet weights, powder charges, sight radii, etc. I've been through almost every different type of carbine available and get so much joy just shooting them, it really doesn't matter.

If you get a chance to shoot a breakable target event at an N-SSA skirmish, you'll be hooked for certain.

[nobade]

I had a Pedersoli, shot it for a while but never really liked it. It leaked pretty bad, wasn't terribly accurate, and would bind up quickly. One day I had a chance to trade it in on a Farmingdale Shiloh, and that is a different animal. No problem to shoot all day, quite accurate, and quite delightful. Currently I'm shooting the Moose France bullet. And making ammo for it is fun for a while as long as you're not in a hurry. Now that I know about Larry Flees I would have sent the Pedersoli to him, but I am glad I ended up with a Shiloh.

[Eggman]

Most interesting comments. It kind of reminded me of the article I saw recently in Rehabilitation Monthly on how to walk effectively with a prosthetic leg.

[Jim_Burgess_2078V]

Not all percussion Sharps reproductions are created equal. I have been shooting a .54 cal. Farmingdale Shiloh Sharps carbine for over 40 years and it's still going strong although the nut behind the trigger may have somewhat diminished capacity. I also shoot a .50 cal. Farmingdale Shiloh Sharps rifle. Neither firearm has had any modification to the breech and they function without binding up throughout a match. Brushing the bore between relays is about all care it needs on the range. Sharps do need to be thoroughly cleaned after shooting and the breechbock well greased.

In my carbine I shoot 50 grains of 2F loose powder behind a Lyman "ringtail" bullet (long discontinued) rather than labor-intensive combustible cartridges. My bullets fit on 3-1/2" long, .45 caliber soft vinyl cartridge tubes. The tubes hold the powder charge and are used to seat the bullets in the chamber. Once the bullet is fully seated, with the muzzle down, the tube is withdrawn, leaving the powder charge in the chamber behind the bullet. Close breech, cap and you're ready to fire. I use a similar system but not the same components for the rifle.

Jim Burgess
15th CVI

[Bob Hatfield]

Thanks everyone for spending time to type all that out just for a stranger. I'll end up with one for sure. Don't like the thought of buying one and then having to send it off. I'm sure a reasonably priced shooter will show up here in the future..............Bob