Period correct '74 Sharps Buffalo Rifles?

[Gunner500]

g500, you may just need to see for yerself what'll work best with how you build, carry, load yer ppb cartridges. i prefer dry wraps, and if need be i'll wipe a very thin smear of jojoba oil on the paper, but after the ppb is seated in the brass. i use cases or full leather pockets to hold rounds, not belts with exposed ppb snouts poking thru.

You're exactly right rfd, I'm a bull headed crossbred Scotch-Irish/Missouri Osage injun with the last name of McDonald, I can be told and shown, and while being greatly appreciative, have to SEE for myself, spose that's another affliction of being a stubborn realist.

Have heard the jojoba is good for durability as well as accuracy, thanks for the tip, I already have several gun belt rigs that carry my Sharps rifle ammo in loops, along with a SAA Colt 45 and a 5" Bagwell Damascus skinner, the ammo will have to be tough enough as is or fail.

But oh man, didn't those exposed bullet tips look good in Quigleys belt? ;] put the whole shooting world and much of hollyweird on an ooh and ahh tour for decades.

And sold a hell of a lot of rifles too boot.

[Don McDowell]

If you're into such a mess that something is going to tear the paper on a bullet, you're going to have bigger problems than that.... Sort of reminds me of the argument that you shouldn't carry a rifle butt forward in a saddle scabbard because it might hook a small tree or something and break the stock,, broken stock at that point is going to be the least of my worries.

[Gunner500]

If you're into such a mess that something is going to tear the paper on a bullet, you're going to have bigger problems than that.... Sort of reminds me of the argument that you shouldn't carry a rifle butt forward in a saddle scabbard because it might hook a small tree or something and break the stock,, broken stock at that point is going to be the least of my worries.

LOL, you bet Don, another difference in Geography, you guys get to hunt the mountains and open plains, while I love to dig in deep in a creek bottom thicket and pick a fight with a buck deer and a set of rattling antlers, all in where we live and hunt ;]

[Don McDowell]

About the only difference is the elevation, when it comes into going into the dark timber after elk or the canyon bottoms after whitetail. Then we have the added attraction of belly crawling to get a shot at an antelope thru the cactus, rocks and rattle snakes.

[Gunner500]

That will work, and lol, I got so excited when it came time to shoot my bison, I forgot to grab my shooting sticks, fell back immediately to the days of old, belly flopped prone out on my elbows and shot the thing three times at 180 to 212 yards, and trying to remain civil, shooting a bison with a cactus pin cushioning your whole zipper area aint easy, the "getting off the cactus" after the shooting was an important maneuver too.

[Kurt]

Here is my way for a PP hunting bullet. I used to hunt the Michigan UP and up in the UP the hunting season can be challenging as far as weather is concerned. It can be rain or snow then again rain and snow It can be in the mid 30's and you might wake up during the night with the tent roof sagging down on your nose from the weight of a 3 foot snow fall.
For those conditions when the snow falls off the pine branches and down your neck and in pockets the thin cotton paper jackets is not the best for use. In those conditions I use a translucent 100% cotton vellum paper that rejects water and holds it's strength when loading or even if you like to use a cartridge belt with a good firm taper crimp to hold the bullet so it wont fall out.
I started with a 16# vellum that ran .0026" thick and this worried me when I found outer wrap shredded but the inner wrap still uncut completely so I would score the inner wrap only so it would peal off like a shot cup but I saw no difference in the accuracy doing this so I just wrapped like normal.
I know two guys that use a thick paper and they have no problem with accuracy I tried it but I was not satisfied with the results but the thick paper holds up well for a hunting bullet.

For a hunting bullet I patch for the first shot at bore diameter and the one for follow up I use a under bore by 2 to 2.5 thousands and I use a alloy of 1/25 to 1/30 no softer or harder I want that bullet to expand to open a wound channel and fill the grooves. I leave the pure lead for the round balls.
For the roller or the trapdoor carbine I used a lot I tended to use a patched bullet at groove diameter deep seated to hold the bullet or just used a GG flat nosed. You don't need a heavy powder load for deer.
A good translucent paper ranging from .0018 to .0025 depending the unpatched bullet diameter is my choice for hunting.

[rfd]

hollywierd hath ruined many a po' boy.

[Gunner500]

Kurt, that sounds like a pretty dang good setup, my main concern is water on my patches, I do wear my cartridges on the back, say three o'clock back around to eight thirty, carry different single action 45 cal. revolvers on a left side crossdraw, makes carrying a long gun on the right side easier.

rfd, Yep, also glad I'm staubbed off at a dead end dirt road at the base of a mountain in S.E. Leflore Co. Oklahoma, hollyweird would go broke relying on me ;]

[Gunner500]

Gunner if you wound up with a 44, the only bullet you'll ever need is one like the 3rd from the right. It's a nose pour adjustable dual diameter from Brooks .435 on the straight sided base. You can set it from .410 to 500 grains, customized length to your powder charge and distance being shot.

Hello Don, I'm going to shorten the bullet length on my mould order for the 44-77, how long is that third bullet from the right?

I'm gathering with a 19/ROT I may need to hang at 1.285" or thereabouts.

[Don McDowell]

Without measuring, and just going from quick memory, I believe it's 1.29. Weighs right at 460 gr.