Cheap Sharps Club

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Sun&Air, who shoots with Paladin and Ned Pepper at Picketts Hill, England, has just put a deposit down on this:

http://www.guntrader.co.uk/GunsForSale/110624165421000

Picture is gone;

He has passed up on a couple earlier listings in the L750 range without range-ready sights.  Then this one popped up, a consignment by an elderly gentleman who thinks it has become too heavy!  Its not new, but it looks in good shape.

[AlaskaJack]

Well, it wasn't cheap by any means but I don't care.  I watched a Quigley like Uberti (made by Pedersoli) for almost 3 years as the price slowly dropped and dropped to the point I finally snagged it.  The quality (excluding the crappy tang sight) is A#1 Top Notch.  I stumbled on a C. Sharps long range tang site at a local gun snow and snarfed it up.  Man, that thing is accurate using a circle insert on the front sight.  34" heavy barrel 45-70.  Shooting it on the dark side with 60 grs of Goex Cartridge behind a 510 gr Lyman cast.   It is simply a hoot to shoot.  Here is a pic of the wonderful red felt lined slip case I had made using smoke tanned leather.  

[Tascosa Joe]

Awesome case.

[Marshal Deadwood]

The Montanna Sharps are good, no doubt about that, but I love my first Sharps,,a Pedersoli plane jane business rifle......and would hate to part with'er. She shoots every bit as good as Montanna.........and I love her just as much.

[cpt dan blodgett]

May have bought entry into the club.

Got a Taylor and Company 32 Inch ladder sights 45/70 off the SASS wire reportedly shot about a dozen time for $590.  Seriously thought when I sent in the I'll take it I would hear that the price was a mistake and the 1st two digits were transposed.

Should arrive tomorrow or thursday.

Should be an Armi Sport.  Will not know model until it is in my hands.
Anyone out there got one that will shoot well?

If so how did you do it?

[Ranch 13]

My 1874 sharps as interpetted by Armi Sport and marketed by Taylors, leaving the numerous and on going lock problems aside....
To get it to shoot cast bullets I had to have .460 diameter, and seated way long, and still expect to do a goodly amount of lead mining after the shooting session was over.
Easiest to do was trim down 45 2 7/8 brass to 2.25 inches and shoot paper patch bullets.

[Ranch 13]

Should also add that trimming Starline 45-90 brass to 2.2 inches leaves the brass thin enough at the mouth you can use .458/459 diameter cast bullets without an undue amount of lead mining.
First thing to do when that rifle gets in there is probably going to be a chamber cast to see what sort of mood the boys were in the day they chambered that barrel, and what you'll have to work with or around.

[cpt dan blodgett]

What about just seating the bullets out a ways.  I have a good .100 with Black Dog 350 grainers and .125 with Deparado 405s between the first lube groove and the crimp groove.

Not arguing - seeking enlightenment.

Back in my High Power Days we used to run the bullets out touch the rifling or .005 or so off depending on the theory of the day.  My 40xb remington has long lead never could make it to rifling with 190 grainers with a reasonable OAL.  Rifle shot just as good with 155 grainers so not sure the theory of .005 or less held with that rifle.  Different as night and day from bp.

[Ranch 13]

You'll just have to try it. Some of the later Armi guns aren't to bad, the earlier ones are a crap shoot.
But I'ld still recommend a chamber cast, even without the extra length of the chamber it's got alot of room in the diameter part and cases fired in the rifle have to be completely resized before they'll begin to chamber in a US built gun.

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Captain Blodgett,

You might want to look for the thread I had in BROW named 'What the ^&*&^*&^*&^*&^*&^ Does 'Slugging the Bore Mean?'

I got a lot of kind and elementary advise given to me on precisely how to measure the diameter of a barrel.

I hope this helps you ....

[cpt dan blodgett]

The Taylor and Company Sharps has arrived in Phoenix, UPS will deliver it to the FFL monday.

Have to wait over the weekend to pick it up.  Bummer.

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Cpt. Blodgett,

Having a UPS Tracking number seems to help a bit ... That way, when I was really 'Jonesin' for my rifle I could run over to my computer and see where it was in they system ....

Best Wishes!

[cpt dan blodgett]

Actually forgot I had it.  Got the email and the number with a message the Gun Shop would ship the gun in the morning.
Could not check before pickup.  Was out and about today so stopped by my FFL.  Not here yet, went home and found the number.

The package is only 12 LBs so I now know rifle has std wt barrel.

[cpt dan blodgett]

Sharps arrived.  Bore very shiny couple of cart marks on stock no noticeable dings to metal or rust.  Fit and finish actually look good.  Trigger seems ok, reticent to dry fire so do not have a real test.  Front trigger adjustment screw can be turned with finger nail.  Guess I should adjust how I want it back out 1 to 2 turns blue loctite and screw back in proper amount of turns.

Factory ladder sight is a joke.  In the down position .345 high ladder flipped up .600  should be about 25 – 35 min  difference without doing the math.  Verniers on 30 inch sight radius about .010 per min.  The joke part is there is no lock at the different ranges, and not a lot of friction.  I can see the blade sliding down with every shot.  .

Proof Date Code BS indicating 2002 year of proof.  Really BS what better marking for one of my rifles.
Bore slugs .457 -.458 Was harder to move the ball down the barrel than with the navy arms pedersoli Remington roller.

Distance from nose of Deparado bullet 415 grain .458 bullet touching rifling to breach face measured with dowel and eyeball callipered to leading edge of marks 2.712  
The rolling block measured the same way is 2.794   Looks like I will end up with two different seating depths. One real close to the trailing edge of crimp groove and one near leading edge of 1st lube groove.

Casing fired in remmie will not quite chamber, cannot get fully seated, about ½ rim thickness out.  

Guessing a couple of grains powder difference.

Bad news is will not be able to shoot before 24 Sep at earliest and most likely 2nd week end in October is more realistic.

[WaddWatsonEllis]

I  am glad that the rifle is finally in your hand... even with th little challenges you find, it sounds like your challenges will turn out to be run of the mill problems

Interesting that you should mention sights I have to wait until almost the new year to shoot mine ... it will take that much time to save up and buy the rear sight ...

But that gives me time to slug ou the barrel and see what width barrel I will need, and the order some shells and bullets ...

[cpt dan blodgett]

The buffalo battery

[Steel Horse Bailey]

The buffalo battery

VERY nice, Cap'n. Dan!

[patrickandmolly]

I am new to this forum and was just given a sharps that I was hoping somebody might know somerthing about. Based on the research I have done I am guessing it is an old IAB kit that somebody never finished. The wood is shaped but rough and the metal is gray like it has been sitting around for several years, it looks like it was never color case hardened. There are no markings or proof marks on the rifle except for the number 206 stamped in the receiver, lock, and extractor. It also has one of those little safety levers on the firing pin which I have only heard of being on the IAB sharps.
My cousin bought it for $100 and then gave it to me so I guess that is a cheap sharps no matter what it is. If anyone has any info for me I would like to know what I have before I try to finish it. Thanks for any help.   Patrick

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Interesting, Patrick.  I have no knowledge, but perhaps someone else knows something.  We'll try to keep this post "alive" long enough to attract someone's attention.

Cheap ... definitely.

Interesting ... certainly.

Actually - Patrick, if I were you, I'd make a new post asking about this old, possible "kit" gun.  It'll attract more readers than stuck here at the bottom of this post which is several years old.

Good luck!

[Ranch 13]

 A few years back IAB did offer a "kit" sharps.