Period correct '74 Sharps Buffalo Rifles?

[Kurt]

You might see if you could sweet talk Stephen Borurd into making you one of his Hartford front sights.

10-4, is that the sight on Kurt's rifle?

Yes it is and he did a outstanding job making it.

The wind was up when I shot that buff and it took a few shots till I found a dark grass spot to hold it on, but that sight has enough left to get me past a mile.

[Gunner500]

Thanks Mike, nice rifle, what purpose does the Hartford collar serve? if my old C Sharps 50-90 had a polished barrel, bone pack and fire blued screws it'd be right and ready ;]

10-4 on the sight maker Kurt, very nice, the little pin point glow of a copper sight in fading hunting light is a most welcome 'sight' in more ways than one.

And Yessir, I see at least 7-16ths more slide room on that sight, not even counting the top, it's good to do these things around like minded people, we all know you couldn't tell a story like that at the 'gun shop' lol.

[Gunner500]

Have it narrowed down to three at this point:

45-110
44-90 SBN
44-77 SBN

The 40-90 SBN was passed on by my figuring the 16 twist with 90 grains of powder may be heck for fouling, plus as a game hunting rifle first and foremost, with the potential for really heavy game, I've read, been told, have seen, and have heard in conversation, nothing puts big game down better than the 44's and 45 caliber Sharps rifles.

Brass availability, along with "proper head stamped brass" for hunting Africa is a must, I can surely get by here from forming cases, when I head over next year for a big plains game hunt, I'll have to have properly marked cases.

[Gunner500]

BTW, just learned today the Big 50's of old did not shoot 700+ grain bullets, it would have been a hell of a hard days wages earned firing those rifles 60 to 80 rounds a day.

Learn something new everyday around this place! ;]

[Don McDowell]

The Hartford collar was a result of the way Sharps manufactured the barrels, it has no specific purpose after that.
On the 40-90 you can get headstamped brass from Bertram and Rocky Mountain Cartridge and if you go that route I have some of those you could get ahold of. Fouling in the 40-90 isn't any worse than any other big bore cartridge, or at least it hasn't been with a proper charge of either Cartridge or Olde Eynsford 1f. If I were going to use it as a hunting gun, I would get one of the dual diameter sharps moulds from Brooks, .400 or 401 on the base with a 395 nose , with the original postel nose shape.
On the 44's if you could scare up some of the Jamison/Captec brass, load it with OE 1 1/2 and shoot the dual diameter bullet I have from Brooks.
With the 45's I also have a dual diameter bullet that will allow for shooting dirty.

[Kurt]

Don I don't think I would use a .395" nose for a hunting bullet in a .400" bore for a hunting bullet. I have a .395" mould and even with .0015 thick paper I cant chamber the round with out wiping or using a tube. A dual diameter GG with a .395 nose would be good but not a patched.

[Gunner500]

Roger on the collar, necessary back in the day but purely aesthetical history today.

Thanks for the hits on the 40-90 SBN brass too, and the most generous offer to sell some, I also found that Quality Cartridge makes it a times, these dual diameter bullets would have to be grease groove bullets I presume?

I will want to shoot and hunt this rifle with paper patch bullets, parallel sided would also be a plus, hope none of you men have to ever witness my rudimentary method of trying to roll on a patch, 'not pretty' ;] those paper patches were/are NOT made for mens hands, a woman could be an ACE patcher.

If Jamison/Captec were still up and running I'd have already placed an order for a 44-77, I have a couple of paper patch moulds in 40 and 45 cal that let me hunt, shoot, chamber and extract dirty, the 40 cal weighs 393 grains, the 45 weighs in at 523 grains, they're both parallel sided bullets with descent meplats, really good killers on everything from a cape buffalo on down to a coyote pestering a cow down calving ;]

[Gunner500]

Don I don't think I would use a .395" nose for a hunting bullet in a .400" bore for a hunting bullet. I have a .395" mould and even with .0015 thick paper I cant chamber the round with out wiping or using a tube. A dual diameter GG with a .395 nose would be good but not a patched.

Seems to be a few 40 cal shooters here, I may need to add the 40-90 SBN back in the lineup, Thanks Kurt ;]

[Don McDowell]

Gunner the dual diameter bullets are patched. With no more trouble I have chambering a .395 diameter patched bullet in my 40-90, the dual diameter wouldn't be much of a problem, especially if wrapped in Seth cole 55Y or a similar 7 lb paper. OE 1f burns really clean when using the correct amount, in both the 40-90 and the 45 2 7/8. I'm going to have to order a case of it shortly, and hopefully I'll have some time to play with it in some other cartridges later in the summer.

[Gunner500]

Don, good to know and Thanks, too bad you guys don't live closer, I've ran up to Jerry Deans place and bought several cases of black powder over the years, brought a case down to RDNCKS place, and another couple cases to a Bud on a pig hunt in Tennessee.

I haven't used OE 1F, have some 2 and 3F, 1F sounds like a good powder for these 'overbore' if you will SBN cartridges, I'm plenty sure the velocity and accuracy will be there regardless.

Okay Men, Kurt says if he could have but one hunting rifle it'd be the 44-90 SBN, what do you men say?

I'm about ready to place an order.