OT - New-to-me Shiloh Sharps #1 in 45-70 (Pics added)
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OT - New-to-me Shiloh Sharps #1 in 45-70 (Pics added)
By a stroke of shear luck and timing, I was recently able to purchase a supposedly-used Shiloh Sharps #1 in 45-70 for the cost of a Pedersoli repro! I picked it up today after having it floating around in the US Postal system for the past three weeks. (The shipping FFL mailed it Parcel Post with no insurance and no tracking! What the HELL was he THINKING??!?) Anyway, after wiping it down and handling it this evening, these are my initial observations...
First off, I highly doubt that this rifle has been shot much, if at all. With the exception of two dings (one on the butt stock and one on the barrel), I would swear that this rifle is new. The two dings look like the result of careless handling.
Workmanship is typical Shiloh...which is to say custom-quality. Even though it is a very basic #1 with no options, the fit and finish are outstanding, and the checkering on the hammer is just one of the little things that lets you know that you are NOT handling an Italian copy.
The lever spring has just the right amount of tension on it. Typically, the Italian Sharps copies have a lever spring that feels like it came out of a Chevy 3/4 ton. The trigger pulls are VERY good. UNSET is goes about three pounds. Set? About four ounces! The sights are kind of hard for my 45 year old eyes to see. I MIGHT open up the rear notch a touch, but I will shoot it first. Which brings me to my only immediate problem.....I have 50 rounds of precision-crafted, match-quality black powder 45-70 rounds that are a proven, accurate recipe....that don't fit this rifle. They won't come CLOSE to chambering. I loaded them for my Roller and didn't full-length size them, not knowing I would later try to shoot them in a match-tight Shiloh chamber. I have exactly three Remington 405gr factory loads to my name. If I have time (and BULLETS), I will try to take the time to load up at least 20 more BP rounds before I go to the range on Friday.
I have a #3 on order that I probably won't see for another two years, so this one will do nicely to tide me over until then. After that, I might send it back to get rebarrelled to 50-70 or 45-90. Unless, of course, it shoots SO well as a 45-70 that I won't be able to bear the thought of changing anything!
UPDATE: I snapped a few pics this evening and took stock of my 500gr 45-70 Lyman Government bullets. I have a grand total of five, with no chance to cast more anytime soon. Guess my range session will be kind of short but distinguished! Well, here are the pics. She isn't as distinguished as Big Nose Kate or as fancy as her safe-mate Crowbar, but I think she will hold her own.
And, just for contrast, here is Crowbar:
First off, I highly doubt that this rifle has been shot much, if at all. With the exception of two dings (one on the butt stock and one on the barrel), I would swear that this rifle is new. The two dings look like the result of careless handling.
Workmanship is typical Shiloh...which is to say custom-quality. Even though it is a very basic #1 with no options, the fit and finish are outstanding, and the checkering on the hammer is just one of the little things that lets you know that you are NOT handling an Italian copy.
The lever spring has just the right amount of tension on it. Typically, the Italian Sharps copies have a lever spring that feels like it came out of a Chevy 3/4 ton. The trigger pulls are VERY good. UNSET is goes about three pounds. Set? About four ounces! The sights are kind of hard for my 45 year old eyes to see. I MIGHT open up the rear notch a touch, but I will shoot it first. Which brings me to my only immediate problem.....I have 50 rounds of precision-crafted, match-quality black powder 45-70 rounds that are a proven, accurate recipe....that don't fit this rifle. They won't come CLOSE to chambering. I loaded them for my Roller and didn't full-length size them, not knowing I would later try to shoot them in a match-tight Shiloh chamber. I have exactly three Remington 405gr factory loads to my name. If I have time (and BULLETS), I will try to take the time to load up at least 20 more BP rounds before I go to the range on Friday.
I have a #3 on order that I probably won't see for another two years, so this one will do nicely to tide me over until then. After that, I might send it back to get rebarrelled to 50-70 or 45-90. Unless, of course, it shoots SO well as a 45-70 that I won't be able to bear the thought of changing anything!
UPDATE: I snapped a few pics this evening and took stock of my 500gr 45-70 Lyman Government bullets. I have a grand total of five, with no chance to cast more anytime soon. Guess my range session will be kind of short but distinguished! Well, here are the pics. She isn't as distinguished as Big Nose Kate or as fancy as her safe-mate Crowbar, but I think she will hold her own.
And, just for contrast, here is Crowbar:
Last edited by Wayne Miller on Wed Jan 16, 2008 11:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Wayne Miller
(Known as "Mossyrock" elsewhere)
"We thought about it for a long time... 'Endeavor to persevere.' And when we had thought about it long enough, we declared war on the Union."
Lone Watie
(Known as "Mossyrock" elsewhere)
"We thought about it for a long time... 'Endeavor to persevere.' And when we had thought about it long enough, we declared war on the Union."
Lone Watie
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With any luck, I might be able to snap a few pics this evening. While the rifle can't help but be beautiful (It IS a Shiloh, after all), it is not fancy. It is a base-line #1 with no options, as far as I can tell. This is not to say that it doesn't have distinction and chracter. For instance, it looks like a branch would have grown right out of the cheek piece! Interesting....
Wayne Miller
(Known as "Mossyrock" elsewhere)
"We thought about it for a long time... 'Endeavor to persevere.' And when we had thought about it long enough, we declared war on the Union."
Lone Watie
(Known as "Mossyrock" elsewhere)
"We thought about it for a long time... 'Endeavor to persevere.' And when we had thought about it long enough, we declared war on the Union."
Lone Watie
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Well, that's a tough question since I haven't shot the Sharps yet. From general handling, the Sharps stock is more comfortable. The Roller has a lot of drop to the stock and that Remington Sporter buttplate HURTS with heavy loads (it's a 50-70). But, I just paid money for the Shiloh, but I have HOURS of "sweat equity" invested in the Rolling Block. I bought it built, but unfinished and took it to where it is today. I suspect the Sharps will get shot more, but the Roller (called "Crowbar" because of the barrel diameter) is going nowhere!El Mac wrote:Just out of curiosity...which do you like better, the roller or Sharps?
Which action do I prefer? Tough call. The Sharps is a great action with lots of panache...and lots of parts. You have to admire the strength and simplicity of a Remington Rolling Block. I know the Roller well enough that I can have it stripped to the bare frame in about two minutes. I haven't torn down the Sharps yet, but it looks a bit more complicated....
Wayne Miller
(Known as "Mossyrock" elsewhere)
"We thought about it for a long time... 'Endeavor to persevere.' And when we had thought about it long enough, we declared war on the Union."
Lone Watie
(Known as "Mossyrock" elsewhere)
"We thought about it for a long time... 'Endeavor to persevere.' And when we had thought about it long enough, we declared war on the Union."
Lone Watie