50-70 Sharps Military Rifle

[Eric Johanen]

Out today with the Shiloh Military Rifle and results were good. Adjusted the sights and figured out how much blade to hold and it was centering the shots nicely at 100 yards I used OS Dixie brass with CCI bench rest primers and 70 grs. of KIK 2fg topped with a .030 vegi wad. The Lyman 515141 sized to 512 dia did not shoot too badly. Occasional flyers. The AA 51-465S shot really well. Bullets dropped from the mold and pan lubed with DGL. I shot several with out fouling control and blow tubed, wiping between shot strings. Final group of the day went into 2 1/8 inches wide by 3 inches high in the nine and ten ring of the SR-1C. Checked the velocity and it went 1281 fps. The load should flat lay out our deer! I will anneal this brass before the next reload. We'll get em next time! Yesterday I turned chunks of lead in to 273 1# ingots.....Many bullets waiting to be born!!!

[Lumpy Grits]

Ck your bullet runout. You want no more than .003" TIR.
Try a paper coffee filter wad under the powder(covers the primer hole).
LG

[Eric Johanen]

Thank's Lumpy, I'll check runout and try the coffee filter trick and see what the target shows. I did comment to my shooting pard that my "Big Fifty" made more of a boom that his little 45-70 with 69.0 grs of Swiss 2 fg! Our firing line is covered and he said he could feel the concussion from my 50! Great fun on the range!!!

[Don McDowell]

Eric, from the looks of things, you're just having way to much fun lately.
Keep it up tho, it's fun reading.

[Eric Johanen]

All my years working weekends. Since my retirement I'm doing my best to make up for that. Great job but lost out on a lot. Back problems caused me to leave HP match shooting (Sitting position got to be too difficult) Off hand and prone are just fine. Now it's range testing/practice, Creedmoor and now gong matches that I find most enjoyable. Between the Shiloh 45-70, 45-90, 50-70 and with a 44-77 and a Model 1877 in either 45-70 or 45-90, I'll have lots to do! Casting bullets and cleaning brass today.

[Don McDowell]

Keep up the steady pressure. Lot's of fun to read what folks are doing.

[Eric Johanen]

Looking over my range notes, I did make a error. The 1281 fps velocity recorded was with the AA 51-465S and 1.5 OE at 70.0 grains charge weight. The loads that were loaded with 70.0 grains of KIK 2 fg chrono'ed at 1230 fps. Both powders gave very good velocities. Next up I'm going to work up a hunting load using the BACO .511/500 grain flat nosed bullet. Has a very nice metplat and should really hit hard. I've used this bullet before but never really worked up "the load" for it.

[Eric Johanen]

At the range today with the 50 70 military rifle. OS Dixie brass, CCI LR primer, .030 vegi wad, 70.0 grains of KIK 2 fg and the BACO 511-500 grain flat nose bullet. Now that the 1/16" riser has been added to the rear sight saddle it shoots several inches high at 50 yards and just above the front sight at 100 yards. Groups were in the 10 ring on the SR-1, centered up nicely. Should make a good deer load. Wiped and blow tubed groups were the same. I'll shoot this load again and try the same load with the Accurate 51-465S loaded with the grease groove and first band out. Great hunting rifle, powerful, light weight and equipped with a sling. Can't get much better! (Oh, and I fired my first shots with "Lucrezia", my new C. Sharps 50 90. What a great rifle!)

[Mike]

I've only named one Sharps, officially. That's my '74 Gemmer in .50/90 and I call this rifle "King David." It got religious one day when a young preacher fired it, thinking it would kick maybe like a .25/35... No, he didn't ask for a second shot. Shoot sharp, Mike

[Eric Johanen]

Now, that is a beautiful rifle!! I have always liked the look's of a Gemmer built Sharps rifle. What does it weigh? One can see the "Hawken" lineage in that style rifle. I'd wager that the young cleric thought he'd been struck by a bolt from heaven when he touched her off!!