Garrett Sharps Chamber Length

[apriestley]

Last week I inquired about ordering some Hahn tubes for my Garrett Sharps and upon measuring the chamber learned that it is too short for them to work with any kind of useful powder charge. Using standard Christmas Tree ringtail bullets from a Lyman mold, I have exactly .625" from the base of the ringtail to the breech face. I am able to just fit my load of 45 grains fffg which I load using the reusable plastic tubes (Yeck tubes?). I knew that Garrett Sharps had shorter chambers, but it sounds like mine is exceptionally short and Charlie suggested that I think about having the chamber lengthened.

On the one hand I'm thinking if it isn't broke don't fix it, the carbine shoots well and I managed 10 or 11 hits in my first skirmish with it (which for me is pretty good shooting). On the other hand, I'm not in love with the plastic tubes. They're pretty bulky to haul around and I had a couple break open and make a real mess. Plus, I would like to get at least 60 grains into the chamber for hunting purposes. Either way, it did get me curious as to what lengths other Garrett chambers measure out as, and what maximum charge fits in the chamber? Also, if anyone has suggestions about how best to transport loaded plastic tubes, please do share.

[Carolina Reb]

60 grain loads will cause the breech to lock up in a few shots unless it?s been modified. Hahn tubes with 30-35 grains of powder should shoot quite well on the line. If you want a hotter load for hunting, try going to Swiss 3F and load with your plastic tubes. 45 grains of Swiss will get you in the 1000 fps ballpark, which will dispatch a deer quite cleanly at normal eastern hunting ranges. Another possibility for hunting is to go to a different bullet that seats further down the chamber, which would allow a larger powder charge. Lengthening your chamber will require that you make skirmish ammo with filler, and you?ll be loading a whole pile of those. You?re only going to fire 1 shot on a hunt.

The two originals I have shot require 1 3/8? tubes, which hold right at 60 grains of GOEX 3F with the old NEI 500 grain Sharps bullet. Skirmish ammo requires filler to lighten the load and keep an unmodified breech working smoothly.

[Southron Sr.]

I shoot a Pedersoli Sharps and use paper cartridges. My "cartridge case "former" is a cut off section of 1/2" dowel rod

Dowel rods are available at hardware stores and ladies hair curler papers are available at beauty shops.

I roll the hair curler paper around the rod and glue it using Elmer's Glue All in stick form. Then I run the base of my bullet in the glue.

Next, slide the paper cylinder forward on the former and insert the base of the bullet into the cylinder. Then use your fingers to gently press down the sides of the cylinder on the sides of the bullet to assure good bullet/paper contact with the glue..

THEN I USE A LENGTH OF DENTIAL FLOSS TO TIE THE PAPER CYLINDER INTO THE GROOVE OF THE BULLET.

Then I set aside the cartridge (less the powder) up in a standard reloader's block. to give the glue 24 hours to dry

The next day I load the powder charge in each cartridge and then twist the open end of the cartridge into a "rat tail" to close the cartridge. Then I hot dip the nose and sides of the bullet in molten lube to lube the bullet.

The "rat tails" on the end of your cartridges make it fast and easy to withdraw the cartridges from your cartridge box during the team matches.

I find making Sharps cartridges a relaxing and rewarding past time.

[Southron Sr.]

Oh yes, the "genius" of this system is that when you close your breech block, the rat tail and excess cartridge paper is cut off and discarded

Also, IF you decide you want to use less than a full powder charge, you can use a filler like cream of wheat next to the base of the bullet

I never use cigarette papers because of the hidden tobacco taxes that are built in the price. Ladies Hair Curler papers are so cheap, packs of thousands can be purchased for a few dollars.

[apriestley]

Oh yes, the "genius" of this system is that when you close your breech block, the rat tail and excess cartridge paper is cut off and discarded

Also, IF you decide you want to use less than a full powder charge, you can use a filler like cream of wheat next to the base of the bullet

I never use cigarette papers because of the hidden tobacco taxes that are built in the price. Ladies Hair Curler papers are so cheap, packs of thousands can be purchased for a few dollars.

I grabbed a pack of hair curler papers. I tried some real crude cartridges made of computer paper yesterday and they worked surprisingly well though didn?t burn up completely. I?m thinking this suggestion will work better.

[Maillemaker]

I make my cartridges from computer paper. Sometimes they leave a slight husk of paper, but nothing that will amount to anything.

I have had great success making the cartridges using drafting linen. I found some new old stock early 1900's era drafting linen and washed the sizing out of it, rendering it back to super fine linen. It combusts completely.

Steve

[Carolina Reb]

I made some out of old light weight drafting vellum, the stuff we use to use when we were going to make sepia prints (as opposed to blueprints). Burned up nicely, but cartridges were kind of fragile.

[Maillemaker]

Here are my paper cartridges:



Here is what sometimes remains in the bore:


It crumbles if you touch it.

Here is a linen cartridge I made:



The bottom right is one I made using the finest linen I could commercially find today. It also burns up well but with 2 wraps is too big for the chamber and you can only load about 2 shots.