New Chaparral 45-75

[wyattm]

Hi. New to the forum and the 76 board. Received my new Chaparral 1876 with 26 inch barrel in 45-75 just over a week ago. I have since overhauled it inside and some outside. I re-finished the wood. Most of the work was on the inside. It now looks, functions, and handles beautifully. I studied this board before I made my decision to buy a Chaparral and found the information extremely helpful..... Thanks very much.
Mark aka Wyatt

[Joe Lansing]

    Good luck, and I hope you'll be as happy with it as I am with mine.

                                                             J.L.

[wyattm]

Thanks. I enjoyed overhauling it. Got some Chaparral brass and LEE dies. Have a fellow moulding me up some soft bullets for hunting.
I would post pics but I am having trouble figuring out how to do it.
Mark

[Grizzly Adams]

Congratulations on your new Chappie, Wyattm.   Welcome to the fire.

Sent you an e-mail regarding the pics.

[wyattm]

Thanks Grizzly.

[ndnchf]

Welcome Wyatt - glad to have you join our camp.

I'm sure everyone would be interested in hearing what you did on the "inside" to get your Chappy happy.  They all seem to need a little tuning, some more than others.  For that matter- what did you do on the outside too?

[wyattm]

Thanks ndnchf. When I got the rifle it looked very good on the outside with wood to metal fit really good. I completely disassembled the rifle and cleaned all the parts. Everything was really dirty with lots of milling junk in the action.....the bore took me over an hour of scrubbing to get clean. I then de-burred the inside of the action with needle files and emory. I went over all the parts and where ever there was rubbing I polished the parts. I took off all knife sharp edges. I polished all friction points. I lightened up on the lever trigger safety spring. I polished the carrier block. I refitted the dust cover. Made a new mag tube retaining pin. Straightened the rear sight. Touched up the outside metal. Refinished the wood.

[Rowdy Fulcher]

Howdy Wyattm
Hope you enjoy your 1876 as much as I have enjoyed mine . I guess I am going to break down and try a 45-75 .
I have a 45-60 and love it , is the 45-75 better as a Hunting rifle ?

[Dirty Brass]

Rowdy, I have both models in 45/60 and 45/75. I can't really say one is better - it would depend on your hunting scenario I guess. I do know that the 45/75 hits my steel targets with a much more pronounced "thump" than the 45/60. My 45/75 does carry a slightly heavier bullet than the 45/60, so that explains the heavier hit. As far as I'm concerned, either one is enough medicine for deer on up to small(er) black bear.....I think we both found that out this past fall

Contrat's Wyattm on your move to a 1876 rifle. I'm sure you will enjoy it as much as the rest of us do ours. 

[wyattm]

Thanks Guys,
The 45-75 packs a harder hit for larger game. According to many experienced users of 76's it is the best all a round cartridge for the 76. Good for deer up thru Buffalo. If you hunt out west a 45-75 is good medicine for the large bears we have. IMHO

[Pony Racer]

Congrats on your chappy.

I love my NWMP Carbine in 45-60 and it shoots great.

Have not shot past 50 yds due to range distances close by but hop to try out longer distances this spring.

PR

[7th Cav Craig]

Hi, I am new to this forum but I also had a reproduction 45/75 and here are some tidbits I learned. First, when I received my new rifle upon disassembly for cleaning and inspection I noticed the pin that held the toggle link together was broken. I can only assume that the pin was faulty or they make it out of some inferior metal. I miked the pin and found it was exactly the size of a popular drill bit. A quick trip to the local hardware store and with three dollars and a little work with a dremel cutoff wheel I now had a much stronger link. Most reloading data is overly cautious and I found that a 350 gr hard cast bullet with 27 gr of IMR 4198 worked very well. I formed the brass from .348 Winchester, which was a real pain. She sure made a good thump at the targets at my local range, accurate too. Any other thoughts/experiences?

[Dirty Brass]

Ah - the venerable reformed .348 cases. I remember them well, as I did about 150 of them. .50 Alaskan cases went much easier 

I've pumped some 325 grainers out of my 45/75, and as you say....quite a thump!

[h c ramrod]

HOWDY FOLK'S
       WELL I HAVE THE CROSSFIRE TRAIL VERION 1876 AND I HAVE LOTS OF COWBOY GUNS AND THE 1876 IS MY FAVORITE.
I REPLACED THE FRONT SIGHT WITH A MARBEL'S 1/16TH BRASS BEED AND FILED THE LATER SIGHT UNTILL I WAS POINT OF AIM AT 100YRDS. AND LOW AND BE HOLD WHEN I PUT UP THE REAR LADDER SET AT 300YRDS I HIT POINT OF AIM AT THAT DISTANCE, UNBELEIVABLE I WAS THRILLED.
I SHOOT 45/60 WITH 300GRN HARD CAST WITH 25GRN OF IMR5744 POWDER.
ALSO MINE IS A UBERTY FROM CIMARRON ARMS. I JUST CANT SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT THIS RIFLE. IT IS JUST A GEM.
OH I FORGOT WHAT THE HIGHT OF THE FRONT SIGHT IS, I WILL NEED TO MEASURE IT AGAIN .
THE ORIGINAL SIGHT'S SHOT WAY TO HIGH AROUND A FOOT HIGH AT ONE HUNDRED YRADS.
HATED TO CHANGE TE FRONT ORIGINAL BUT HAD TO TO GET IT DOWN , EVEN AFTER FILE'NG THE REAR DOWN AND DEEPENING THE REAR NOTCH...... BUT IT WORK OUT GREAT I CAN HIT OUT TO 125YRDS WITHOUT LIFTING THE LADDER.
      I WAS TOLD IN A SASS FORUM THAT A CLUB IN CA. THEY SHOOT COWBOY ACTION WITH LEVER RIFLE CAL. AND CALL IT THE MONTY WALSH CLASS.   MAGDALENA TRAIL DRIVER'S IN NEW MEXICO LET ME SHOOT  MY 76 THERE THEY HAVE TARGITS OUT AT ONE HUNDRED YRDS IT IS THE GREATIST TIME . IT'S A GREAT CLUB AND THANKS TO GRIZZLY ADAMS FOR A GREAT TIME THERE.
             WELL GUESS I SAID ENOUGH TAKE CARE FOLK'S .......H.C.RAMROD

[McLernon]

The 45-60 I believe was referred to as the 'Montana Bear Rifle' when it was first offered in the 76.........................the 76 in 45-75 was evidently involved in the big buffalo hunts of the day.

Having shot bear with my 95(45-70) from ground blinds and tree stands I think I would prefer my 45-75 Pedersoli to the 45-60.  A wounded bear is very dangerous and can move extremely fast so you need to break some bones with the first shot................................... if not and if the bear sees you there will be NO TIME for a second shot.

Mc