Son wants..........advice needed

[hhughh]

Every so often I get a bonus at work. I generally put the money into a replica firearm. My son has decided he'd like us to add a BP Sharps to the collection. I'm looking at the Pedersoli 1859, but I've seen some negative reviews about failure to fire, etc.  Not looking for bashers, just good advice about the wisdom of the purchase.
Thanks,
Hugh

[Major 2]

Sharps is a fine fine addition, and Pedersoli make a very good one.

As to  failure to fire, this is more in the design of the breach block and getting the nipple aperture just right.

Imagine the Cap fires and the flame must travel down  &  turn 90° to the left  in the block , then travel to center cone and turn 90° Right again,  down the cone to reach the powder,   Something of a Z .

Though quite efficient, there is pratfall for the spark , a speck of carbon , moisture or oil , maybe a bit of cap fulminate has/will
block the tiny hole...and you achieve " CLICK "  and no "Bang"

Don't blame the Manufacturer 

[hhughh]

Thank you Major. Decision made. I also saw some saying stay with true BP because of the lower flash point. Not a problem as I don't use substitutes. But it does hold with the suggestion of it just being a complicated path.

[Tsalagidave]

The Sharps design is overall sound. I think that Shiloh definitely has the superiority in overall manufacturing quality but it comes with a significant increase in cost.  The Pedersoli is pretty good and I can't fault you for scoring one. They are a lot of fun to shoot and are pretty forgiving to use when breaking someone in on Black Powder.

Send pics when you can.

-Dave

[Professor Marvel]

Shiloh and that other american made sharps (now defunct ) are the best, Pedersoli next. If you can possibly get the pedersoli in .45 percussion, I have seen one in which the owner made minor mods to use 45-70 brass, he just left out the primers!

yhs
prof marvel

[Kinchafoonee Kid]

Prof. marvel, congrats on thinking about the Sharps percussion model.  I have a Shiloh Sharps 1863 New Model rifle in .54 caliber.  Unfortunately, Shiloh is holding off on production of these arms while they get their 1877 model tooled up.  However, occasionally, a used one appears for sale on some sites.

I recently penned an article on this rifle for an upcoming NCOWS Shootist article, which covers history, loading and shooting of the New Model.  I am happy to provide a copy of my article if requested by PM.

These rifles are a lot of fun to load for and shoot, but require more care than their later metallic case cousins.

The Shilohs are a faithful reproduction of the 1859 New Model breechblock assembly, which employs a sliding gas plate flange.  The Italian models,me cent for early Garrett rifles use the earlier slant breech sliming sleeve mechanism, which was supplanted by the New Model system.

This sliding sleeve setup appears to provide less satisfactory performance, which results in fewer shots without cleaning.  Ow ever, Charlie Hahn (check him out on the Shiloh 1873 forum and the North South Srimish Association forum for contact info) is an accomplished gunsmith who provides modifications that make the Italian guns shoot very well.

Steve Brooks makes an excellent mould for a bullet that shoots perfectly with Mr. Hahn's hard paper tubes, which work very well in these rifles.

Original charge of powder was about 62 - 65 grains.

I'm happy to help in anyway possible regarding shooting of these under appreciated firearms.

[Tsalagidave]

Speaking of the slant breech, I have wanted an 1853 pattern Sharps rifle for years. The Olde Gun Shop in Oklaholma is the only resource I know of who could make one but the cost of making it from scratch would be pretty steep (+$3500) last time I spoke with them.

I have been toying with the idea of sending them a Shiloh model 1859 to modify. They'd make an Slant breech assembly with pellet primer system and replace the (1859) breech assembly. This would be tricky and still an expensive project but I'd like to carry a correct Sharps Rifle for a ca. 1854-57 impression and if anyone could do it right, they would be the ones.

I have a lot of more important financial matters to address in the meantime but it still makes for a nice daydream for now.

-Dave