ArmiSport Sharps problem

[mdivancic]

My wife is having a terrible problem with misfires with her ArmiSport Sharps. Most of the time the gun will not fire on the first cap, but will fire on the second (or third) cap. We have checked out the flash channel and it looks clear. Had anyone else ever experienced this problem with this gun?

[Lou Lou Lou]

Dear Mike and Stacey

Get a Smith

Love,
Preacher Lou

[Jim_Burgess_2078V]

We might need a little more information to diagnose the problem. Is your wife using paper cartridges and, if so, is the breechblock shearing off the end of the cartridge as designed? How many grains of powder in the cartridges and does that fill the chamber? What type of caps are being used? The flash channel in the breechblock must be thoroughly cleaned after every shooting session. If not, that would be at least part of the problem.

Because the flash channel (vent) makes two right angle turns in the breechblock, hot caps are essential. I used to use German (RWS) caps in both my musket and carbine. About the time the German caps started being packaged in plastic containers I started having misfires in my Shiloh Sharps. I switched to CCI 5-wing caps and the misfire problem went away. CCI no longer markets the 5-wing caps and their new 4-wing caps, marketed for the blank shooting re-enacting crowd, are not as hot. When my supply of 5-wing caps runs out I might need to try the wingless caps which are said to be relatively hot.
Jim Burgess, 15th CVI

[mdivancic]

Dear Mike and Stacey

Get a Smith

Love,
Preacher Lou

Thanks as always Lou!

[Lou Lou Lou]

Sorry Mike

While Sharps do have a large group of fans, they are persnickety. Go through the archives under Sharps to get an idea of the issues. I will more than likely get hate mail. Get a Smith!

Love,
Preacher Lou

[mdivancic]

We might need a little more information to diagnose the problem. Is your wife using paper cartridges and, if so, is the breechblock shearing off the end of the cartridge as designed? How many grains of powder in the cartridges and does that fill the chamber? What type of caps are being used? The flash channel in the breechblock must be thoroughly cleaned after every shooting session. If not, that would be at least part of the problem.

Hi Jim: We are both using the tubes from Charlie Hahn. We are gluing curling paper over the end to hold the powder on, making sure only to get one sheet of paper on each tube. The ArmiSport uses 35 grains of 3F, the Pedersoli is setup the same way using longer tubes with 46 grains of 2F and some cornmeal filler. The cartridge for the ArmiSport is about an 1/8" short of filling the chamber, however if you position the cartridge flush with the end of the breach it doesn't seem to help. We clean the breachblock after every session, including removing the nipple and cleanout screw and running a pipe cleaner down the flash channel.

Because the flash channel (vent) makes two right angle turns in the breechblock, hot caps are essential. I used to use German (RWS) caps in both my musket and carbine. About the time the German caps started being packaged in plastic containers I started having misfires in my Shiloh Sharps. I switched to CCI 5-wing caps and the misfire problem went away. CCI no longer markets the 5-wing caps and their new 4-wing caps, marketed for the blank shooting re-enacting crowd, are not as hot. When my supply of 5-wing caps runs out I might need to try the wingless caps which are said to be relatively hot.
Jim Burgess, 15th CVI

The gun did seem to fire better with the 5-wing caps, but it would still misfire. RWS and the new 4-wing caps seem worse. We have yet to try the wingless caps, not even sure who makes them? The Pedersoli fires every time with the CCI 4-wing caps.

[Francis J. Miller Jr, 02601]

Mike,

I am going to be a newbie with the Sharps carbine. I plan on getting familiarized and shooting one this fall to shoot in competition next year. Hopefully Charlie Hahn will see your post and help you with your dilema. You said you clean the flash channel out with a pipe cleaner, could that be pushing crud into the sharp right angles of the channel blocking the spark? Have you tried pouring solvent (moose milk, ballistol mixed w/water etc.)thru the flash channel to flush any fouling out? Just my 2 cents. The wingless caps I use for my musket are RWS, switched to them because they cost $30.00 less per sleeve for a thousand than the winged RWS, and they do seem to be hotter, haven't had a misfire with them and have been using them for 2 years now. Hope this helps.

P.S. Lou Lou Lou, fellow skirmishers have tried talking me into a Smith, but for now, I like to try the Sharps, not saying that a Smith would be out of the question down the road.

[Ron/The Old Reb]

Are you sure that you are not getting some fuzz from the pipe cleaners left in the flash channel and nipple. I have had that problem when cleaning out nipple's withe pipe cleaners.

[DAVE FRANCE]

If there is a gap between the end of the nipple and the bottom of the hole the nipple screws into, that can cause a misfire.

My sharps cuts off the end of the paper and that is very reliable. However for the first shot of a relay, I turn the barrel upwards and tap on the side of the carbine a couple times. That puts some powder into the flash hole and makes the first shot fire every time.

Good luck!

David

[Jim Brady Knap's Battery]

Over the years I have used several brands of Sharps including an original rifle. In all of them I found that, depending on the nipple, it improved reliability of fire if I drilled the nipple out about one or two drill sizes bigger. Seemed to get more fire down the flash channel. I used RWS and the old Navy Arms Brazilian caps back then and with the nipple opened up had no problems.

Jim Brady
2249V
Knap's Battery