Chiappa Sharps M1863/1868 50-70 carbine (now with pictures)

[Drydock]

Back out to the farm again today (70 degrees!)  5 more rounds, same loading, one big hole in the paper plate at 50 yards.  It seems be on at 50, so now I engaged a 10" steel plate at 100 yards, holding at the bottom of the plate.  5 rounds, 5 hits.  Though you do have to wait a while for the wildly swinging target to stabilize.

Went looking for another armidillo.  They stayed hid today.

[1961MJS]

Hi, will you get 60 shots with that load without cleaning?  That's one bad match's worth.

I drill the flash holes on all my reloads except the Hornady 30-40 looked to good to bother with. 

Later

[Drydock]

Well, so far the most I've put thru it is 11 rounds at one time.  The bore had well defined lands and grooves, and good shine all the way to the muzzle, no dry hard fouling, nice greasy muzzle.  The Lee 515450 (and Lymans 515141) is a duplicate of the original military bullet, and carries lots of lubricant.  Cleaning has been a tapwater patch, a dry patch, and a couple of Ballistol patchs.  

I usually run a wet patch down the bore between skirmish runs, so I don't think there will be any fouling problems with this load.  That's up in Nebraska, with really low humidity.  I might try shooting a whole match down here in MO without anything other than a few breaths down the barrel now and then.  I've done this with a Trapdoor carbine,  the 22" barrels are a lot easier to maintain than the 30"+ barrels.

You come down here in March, you'll get to see if it works.

[Drydock]

One other thing:  In Croft Barkers book on the .50-70, he describes in the "Tuning" chapter, coating the lockwork in heavy automotive (Wheel bearing) grease for a significant improvement. I have some thick white biodegradable grease used for gears in electric trains, and decided to try packing the lock with that.  Tacky stuff, designed to stay put.

It made a perceptible improvement.  My Trapdoors and Spencer will be getting the same treatment.  I suspect it would not make much difference on the bolt actions, but for big hammer lockwork I think this makes a lot of sense.  Especially in actions where the lockwork is protected from any gas/fouling coming off the breech. 

[Pitspitr]

Hi, will you get 60 shots with that load without cleaning?  That's one bad match's worth.

You can run a rod through it in between stages. 

[Drydock]

A skinny funnel and a canteen work wonders!

[Drydock]

2 armadillos today!  A big one ran into a brush/leaf pile as I drew a bead on him.  Stood quiet for a while, then blew his head off when he poked it out.  (Only 8 paces or so). On the back ridge, disemboweled another with a stern shot from 30 paces.  Saw a 3rd one, rooting next to my truck (!) as I walked back.  I kept trying to quarter round to get a shot, but he finally took off.  Tried a running shot, dug dirt out from under him, must have cut some belly hair off the critter.  Got into the brush.

Its a target rich environment out there!

[pony express]

While driving my route, I saw a girl out in her hard taking pictures of a big armadillo. Then she was throwing rocks at it, but from pretty far away. I guess nobody told her you can usually walk up within 20-30 feet of one pretty easily. Being on the job, I was unarmed but I'm pretty sure I could get close enough to one to take it with my .380.

[Niederlander]

2 armadillos today!  A big one ran into a brush/leaf pile as I drew a bead on him.  Stood quiet for a while, then blew his head off when he poked it out.  (Only 8 paces or so). On the back ridge, disemboweled another with a stern shot from 30 paces.  Saw a 3rd one, rooting next to my truck (!) as I walked back.  I kept trying to quarter round to get a shot, but he finally took off.  Tried a running shot, dug dirt out from under him, must have cut some belly hair off the critter.  Got into the brush.

Its a target rich environment out there!

Did you use the .50-70?  Good thing if you did.  You never know when they might charge!

[PJ Hardtack]

With my wife on a walk one fine fall day, I took four Ruffed Grouse with my 50-70 Shiloh Military rifle using smokeless loads.

Three were head shots on treed birds, the fourth was a body shot. There was a .50 entry hole and a .50 exit flap hole.

Quite a step from the six point Mule deer and two large black bears, but that was all the game that showed up.

The 50-70 will do it all!

[Drydock]

Any Marine will tell you, that a .50 is a comforting thing to be around.

[Niederlander]

The .50-70 is just about my favorite rifle round in either my '68 rifle or my '70 carbine!

[Drydock]

As a 300 pace/yard/meter combat/field cartridge, its about as good as a BP cartridge gets.  Too bad the Franco-Prussian war made everybody think warfare was going to be 1000 yard volley fire!

I'm putting this thread to bed.  This particular carbine in this chambering is two thumbs up.  Spare parts are easy to get, VTI/Taylors/Cimarron all show parts in stock.  Allready have a spare firing pin just in case.

[rbertalotto]

We're you shooting into the trees with a bullet or shot loads?

[PJ Hardtack]

We're you shooting into the trees with a bullet or shot loads?

Lyman 515141 450 gr bullets/28 grs 5744.

I tried shot loads in my 50-70 MR and gave it up as a bad job after I hit a beautiful Blue Grouse that flew off. Might work on Starlings, but not on a quality game bird.

[Drydock]

Back in Stock at Buds Gun Shop.

[Dusty Tagalon]

I have  an origional 1863 converted to 50/70. There are telltale signs of the Lawrence priming system, will take & post pictures of hammer, & remnants of the Lawrence priming system.
Brian

[cpt dan blodgett]

4.0 CC about right for 70 grains??  May need to weigh that and set my powder measure to throw that weight

[Drydock]

4.0cc is 65 grains OE 3f.  It will depend on the powder brand and granulation, all are a bit different.  As you say, weigh it and set your measure accordingly.

[cpt dan blodgett]

well there is the volume vs weight grain thingy.  Will be screwing around with 0E 2 and 1.5 FFG and Shuetzen 2 and 3 F