How do you approach cleaning yours Sharpsguy?

I am talking about for either range work or for hunting.

Do you wipe after every shot, or use a blow tube, or clean it every 5 shots , 10 shots, or every day? WHat do you find works best to keep it putting lead in to its best groupings at a given range. I am assuming using black powder .

Which sights are you using for medium and/or extended range shooting?

I have both so I will give you my thoughts. I have a USRA 1886LT in 45-70. I adjusted the trigger to stop the dang misfires and give it a half cock. I also put on a patridge front sight and a receiver sight. The chamber is tight so no room for sloppy reloading. I have owned originals as well as Browning reproductions and despite the rebounding hammer and ugly safety on the tang, the USRA is the most accurate one I have owned and the LT configuration with the shotgun butt is definitely the most comfortable to shoot and carry. I have not sent it to Turnbull for a make over.

I ordered my first Shiloh as a gift to me when I retired from the Army. I have the 1874 Sporter #1 in 45-70 with the best wood they could find put on it. It is a beauty. Through trial and error, I have a patridge front sight with a brass insert on the front and an MVA rear sight that I bored the eye disc hole out a little larger.

Bill Goodman can get you a Shiloh in a short time (1-3 months?). He had 10 special order "hunting carbines" made up a couple years ago with 25" round barrels, no pistol grip, shotgun butt and a splinter forearm. I got one in 45-70 and another in 50-70. Again, patridge front sights and MVA rear with the eye discs bored out.

Smokeless powder and jacketed bullets have never "fouled the bores" on my Sharps rifles. I also do not have time or desire to cast bullets. Mt. Baldy has a great selection of bullets and they will size them and temper them to what you want. When I bought my first Sharps, I read every book and Shiloh forum topic I could find. Based on the "cult like" opinions of most of the Shiloh crowd, a novice such as myself would need 20 years of experience and a ton of powder and lead before I would ever find a load that works. Take it all with a grain (or better yet, a pound) of salt. Working up BP loads is not a lot more difficult for a Shiloh than a varmint rifle; it just requires a few extra steps. I do not shoot competition and I am quite happy with consistent 1.5 MOA groups at 100 and 200 yards. I find I can cleaning a Shiloh is easier than cleaning a varmint rifle also.

If my only goal was hunting and I did not care to use black powder, I would just have the 1886.

Larry

TexKD--Check your PM.

I full length resize my brass and crimp the heck out of it. I want to make sure all rounds will drop into the chamber easily. I can get 5 shots on target before I have to push the round in with my thumb to get it to fully seat. I can get at least 10 shots before it becomes too difficult to chamber a round. Accuracy stays well inside "minute of beast". Looking at my notes and targets, without cleaning or using the blow tube between shots, 10 shots stay inside 3" at 100yds. Using the blow tube between shots will cut that down and makes it a heck of a lot easier to clean the fouling out of the bore.

For cleaning, I have a tupper full of "Ballistol" soaked patches. I run a couple of patches down the bore, follow them up with a dry patch and get back to shooting. I use a flex chamber rod with a brush and patch to clean the chamber as needed. I hear and read arguments about ringing the chamber if you don't dry it after using the blow tube. I have no opinion on that but I do ram a patch in the chamber with the flex rod after I use the blow tube just to be safe.

I have used soapy hot water, vinegar based Windex and several commercial BP cleaners and settled on Ballistol as it does it all (clean, lube, preserve) really well. In the field, I carry a little Otis cable kit with a few Ballistol soaked patches in a small zip lock bag.

I toss my brass in a jug with whatever dish washing soap is in the house. When I get around to it, I brush them out and clean them in my tumbler the same way I clean any brass and they all come out like new.

My methods may not win any matches and may be sacreligious to some of the Shiloh Cult, but it works for me and I am pretty sure the original buffalo hunters kept it pretty simple as well.

Thank you for your informative posts Ranger. And thank you for your service to all of us too.

The Sharps and black powder sure leaves room for individaul experimentation and for setting your own way. Yet another good thing about it!

When I get some of the things on my plate settled I am going to work on this some more.

I called my best buddy and told him lets get us two Shiloh Sharps . He says "Ok." Then he says before anything " Dont they shoot lead bullets? I ain't going to even think about melting any lead for these things, so you better find us some bullets ...." LOL

The Sharps are a lot of fun and reloading for them isn't really that hard. If you can't wait on your rifle, give Bill Goodman a call and let him know what you are looking for. Shooting black powder cartridges in a Shiloh is right there with shooting a double rifle for me; they both peg my fun meter.

I have a Shiloh Sharps #1 sporter and just love it. I only shoot black powder [swiss] and cast my bullets for it [Brook's flat nose]. It shoots great, cleans easy, is accurate, and very well put together. I ordered with a 28" standard weight, pack hardened, steel buttplate and dark wood [my preference]. I took a whitetail doe with it last year and was just tickled. There is something about hunting with older era firearms that to me is hard to discribe. Either way I don't think you would be disappointed. Good luck.

Thank you Tom for joining in.

We are both going to have to post some more .

Sharps. I have had 2 and they are wonderful. I bought my first, a Hartford model, through Bill Goodman and it was a 3 month wait instead of 2 years. Worth $200 easy. I went with the semi-fancy wood upgrade and the wood was spectacular. If going with the Shiloh though I would not shoot smokeless in it. If you are going to do it you have to go all in and shoot black powder. Paper patch bullets and cast both work well.

I followed Venturino's advise and stocked up on Windex with vinegar for claening. I carry a milk jug 1/2 full of the windex and water and drop the cases in it after shooting.

As far as a curved buttplate goes, in my opinion they look way cool, have one on my B-78. Bench shooting may bite ya' ittle' bit, but hunting, you would not notice unless you are hunting with heavy clothes on then you have to watch her catching as you mount it. Also I would like to add that when I ordered my Shiloh Sharps I had them drill and tap for scope I might add. In my case I will be [arriving about first of March] mounting a MVA 23" cause my 60 year old eyes aren't so good anymore, although I don't have troiuble with the buckhorn sights out to 100 yards or so. If'n ya' plan to do alot of shooting off the bench, the shotgun butt is hard to beat.