thinking of buying a sharps 1874

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ken22250

New member
im thinking of buying a sharps 1874 .45-70 or .45-90. i would like to hunt with it, but a also there is a range about 15 miles from my house that does BPCR competitions, so eventually i would like to give it a try. any suggestions on a rife that would work well for both situations. please any suggestions on a make or model would be greatly appriciated.
ken
 
Spend some time reading about the 45-70 and larger ctgs. Get one of Mike Venturino's books on shooting black powder single shots. The larger cal's. can really beat the crap out of you. Hunting is one thing but shooting competition is much different.
 
I own and shoot two different 1874 Shilo Sharps # 3 Sporters in 45-70 and 40-70 SS.Me personally am biased toward the Shilos, yes some consider them expensive and a waiting period to get one(18mos.)but their are new and used available at the various internet gun auctions.To own anything else to me is to not have the whole experience of shooting a Sharps rifle,except an original.The Shilos are true to the originals in every detail with better metals and tools to build new rifles with.
They are perhaps the best deal for a truly custom rifle.Most you see will have upgraded wood and some fancy do dads here and there.I have one "Money Gun" and one plain jane. I like the plain jane rifle the best and shoot it the most.
The 45-70 is by far the easiest to load and get to shoot good especially with black powder.Browse the Shilo Forum for alot of very good info on black powder shooting and Sharps rifles.
 
I had read Shiloh Sharps were no longer true to the originals as of sometime in the late 1980`s .........did they or did they not quit makeing their Sharps Rifles with Freebore Chambers ?
The originals would have the Freebore Chambering for shooting big heavy bullets with 70 grs of black powder under them in 45/70.
In fact I remember reading on the Shiloh web site that they had stopped makeing their rifles with the Freebore Chamber so their clients could shoot the SMOKELESS rounds . ( the smokeless rounds do not shoot well from a Sharps with the freebore )
Sharps rifles and smokeless rounds ...just doesn`t sound right to me ....if you want a good single shot rifle to shoot smokeless a better buy would be a Ruger # 1
 
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.45-70 is a good place to start. And a good place to stay unless you have particular needs, like very, very long range or want lighter recoil.

Shiloh Sharps are the best known and are top quality, no doubt about it.

From what I have seen and read, C. Sharps is equal quality and has shorter delivery time. They just don't have their own board and the chatty reputation.

Pedersoli is the best of the foreign copies.

I don't think anybody uses a freebored chamber any more unless he is setting up a gun specifically for paper patched bullets. A short throat is better for grease groove bullets and 66 grains of powder will launch a 540 grain bullet pretty well. Leave the mystique to the mystical.

Me?
I shoot a Winchester (and now a Browning copy of same.)
 
Think about this.

Ken, I know your question was about what make of rifle would cover both hunting and shooting comp. But I want you to think about how much money you are going to spend. I am in the middle of doing exactly what you are about to do. I bought a Pedersoli model to do both, hunting and comp. shooting. The hunting part is one thing, maybe you can get by with buying a few rounds to hunt with. The comp. shooting is another story! This is where the money comes in to play, reloading equipment, casting equipment, building a reloading bench, reloading supplies such as brass, powder, primers, lead, and tin. Get ready to spend $1500 to get started down this road. Don't forget what you will need to use at the range, a mat, timer, shooting sticks, spotting scope, and so on.

Take some time, go to range and talk to the guys shooting comp. Take notes to what all you will need and where to buy it from, get some prices, then make up your mind.

I'm not trying to talk you out of it, I'm buying equipment right and left and have asked myself a couple of times, did I really want to do this. I'm in too deep to look back now, I just hope it is not something I loose interest in down the road in a couple of years.

I bought a used Pedersoli 45-70 longe range rifle and have almost finished restocking it with a fancy Claro Walnut stock. It will be heavy to hunt with, but I put more on the shooting comp. part than the hunting part. I know some will say if I was going to all that trouble I would have just bought a Shilo. Well I like working with fancy wood, and there is a lot of enjoyment and pride in doing it yourself, and this was a perfect excuse to do it again.

If this turns out to be as much fun as I think it will be, I'm sure I will want more than one rifle. Here comes the Stevens, and a Shilo into the stable.

So if you buy a Pedersoli used, and the euipment to reload to shoot comp. you are looking at about $2800 to $3000. If you buy a Shiloh used you can tack on another $1500 to $1800.

If you buy one to cover comp. shooting it will be heavy to hunt with, if you buy one to hunt with I don't think you will be happy with it on the comp. front. A Ruger single shot in 45-70 to hunt with would be a lot cheaper. Anyway you decide, then go for it and don't look back!
 
You get what you pay for,the Pedersoli's are approaching entry level Shilo's,no frills Sporter # 3 $1800.00 plus FET.Pedersoli Quigly rifle $1600.00-$1800.00.There is no comparison between to the two, fit,finish and quality of materials.Customer service is far superior at Shilo than anywhere else.
When you consider that every part of the Shilo down to the screws is made in house.There are no contracts to bid for any of their parts so quality is very high. The only outside parts used are a Badger barrel in 405 Winchester chamberings.Shilo owns the foundry where the actions are made.I would rather spend a few more dollars and support American craftsmen then to send my dollars across the pond.
If I were going to shoot B/P I would avoid the Ruger #1's because the actions are S.O.B. to take apart to do proper cleaning after shooting B/P.
There are a gazillion 45-70 rifles available,avoid the NEF's,H-R's,Handi Rifles,they are just to light and will beat the hell out of you.They are hard to enjoy with 500 gr. bullets.
The 45-70 cartridge once understood is an awesome cartridge and in the right rifle a lifetime of shooting enjoyment and learning is at hand.
The 1874 and 1877 Sharps rifles are perhaps the most beautiful rifles ever built.
Go into this with as much information as you can garner.I have seen too many people go in to the B.P.C.R. game with rifles that are just not up to par.
Nobody buys a Shilo wishing they had bought a Pedersoli but the opposite is true.
No I do not work at Shilo,they are simply the best deal for an awesome rifle.
 
Go original. Life is too short to shoot repros when you can shoot the real thing. You can do an original Sharps.

Sold all mine off back in the 70's and have had much more fun shooting the genuine articles ever since. It's like a pilgrimage for me every time I go to the range now.

My humble opinion, anyway.:)
 
cabelas has a few different Pedersoli sharps available starting under $1000. you can spend more but Pedersoli rifles can shoot with the best (read most expensive) of them.
 
Sharps

The postings that tell you to buy original and buy the Shiloh are wrong. While it's the best of the lot it is also a copy just like the others. The Pedersoli's are made with the freebore just like the real Sharps. If you have a limited amount of free income as most of us in this day and time then don't fell bad about buying a Pedersoli. The 1874 Sharps to me just screams out I'm what a real rifle should be!! I have the 13 lb Pedersoli Competition model and it will shoot bullet for bullet with the Shiloh. The wood and it's fit is better on the Shiloh but that is where you stop losing ground. The barrel on the Pedersoli has a taper with the freebore and it is a bullet stacker. It will put them all together in one large hole at 100. At 200 it will shoot 1 1/2 in groups. I just finished shooting with friends who have the Shiloh's and they had nothing but good to say about my Ped.
 
Pedersoli, Shiloh, C. Sharps, they're all excellent rifles. You can't go wrong with any of them. Fit and finish is not quite as nice on the Pedersoli's, but they're still gorgeous rifles. They all shoot well, but you'll pay less for the Pedersoli. You can pick one up brand new for around a grand - http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?products_id=981

You can't go wrong with any of the American made guns, they're all superb. If you go with an import Pedersoli is an excellent choice. The only thing I would recommend is to stay away from the low end Italian copies, like IAB or Armi Sport. They're nowhere near Pedersoli in terms of quality.

A good quality tang sight will open up a whole new world of accuracy for these guns. A Sharps with a good tang sight gives up very little to a scoped rifle in terms of accuracy.

Unless you're planning on long range shooting (out to 1000+ yards) the 45-70 will be a better choice. It's plenty of gun for shooting silhouettes out to 500 yards, and it's easier to find ammo and brass.
 
The only thing I would recommend is to stay away from the low end Italian copies, like IAB or Armi Sport. They're nowhere near Pedersoli in terms of quality.
Click to expand...

If you think so that's your business but don't go blowin' too much smoke on the new guys ... you tell me who make the Pedersoli, IAB, Armisport, Uberti barrels and chambers in Italy please.


They all are made and assembeled In Italy within a meatballs throw from each other ... If ya want that Purdy one for "A Few Dollars More" go for it.
Get a Quigley from Armisport and you'll be pleased and have a "Dead Buffalo" when ever you want..."anything that eats meat likes a dead Buffalo"(from Apaloosa)...and they still hit the bull at 200-300 yards in a 1 1/2" group.
Shootin' is like a box a chocolates never gonna know what ya got till ya bite into one ...
No two Sharps rifles are the same no matter who manufactured them ... they are all alot of work to achieve the most accurate round you can get from a particular Sharps rifle ... chamber, bore, bullet, powder, case, primer, shoot , refigger, shoot , lap barrel, shoot, takes awhile but sometimes you get lucky like with an Armisport... :O)
Nuff outta me...

No where near? Hmmm...
 
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Smokingun ...some times I wonder if yours and mine are the only 2 Sharps really good rifles Armi Sport made :D
Anyone else out there own an Armi Sport that is a good one ?
I have read more than once others saying stay away from Armi Sport guns .
Guess we just got lucky ...
I wouldn`t trade mine for a S. Sharps .....Unless it was one of their top of the line ...:D
2vlmts4.jpg

Dead buffalo by Armi Sport
2nbhx1v.jpg
 
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The top ten BPCR silhouette shooters in the championships at Raton this year shot Shiloh, C. Sharps, Meacham (Highwall), Winchester, and one "other."

Overall, there were 36 Shilohs, 20 Winchesters, 19 Brownings, 18 CPA Stevens, 10 Remington Rolling Blocks, 8 Pedersoli Sharps. 8 C. Sharps, 8 Remington Hepburn, 5 Ballard, 5 Meacham Highwall, 2 DZ Arms Hepburn, 2 Springfields, 1 1869 Sharps, 1 Pedersoli Rolling Block, 1 1877 Sharps (probably Axtell, maybe C. Sharps, doubtful original), 1 Wesson (probably by Steve Earle, doubtful original.)


Pedersoli sponsors a 200 yard benchrest sidematch in four divisions for over .40, at or under .40, scope and iron sights. The winners this year shot Shiloh, Browning ("highwall"), and two original Remington Rolling Blocks. The bulletin does not say if the Remingtons were all original or if they were rebuilds with modern barrels.
Pedersolis have placed in the past
 
Dialing in a Sharps rifle ...no matter who made it ...will take some time at a reloading bench and the range . these are very pickey eaters . don`t expect one to shoot 100 yard heart shots out of the box with store bought ammo ...you would be very disapointed .
Mike V. is a Shiloh Sharps shooter writer ...and he wrote ... (quote )..if he had 5 Sharps rifles to dial in ...it would take the rest of his life to do it ...I agree 100%
So I don`t feel to bad about it takeing me the best part of 2 months to dial in my Armi Sport quigley .. and all I wanted out of mine was a heart shot at 200 yards .
I`ve never fired at a target at a further range , maybe someday I`ll give it a shot and see how they fly .
serious bench shooters want clover leafs at that range .
Read all you can , do the rescearch , talk to those that shoot alot and reload and cast their own bullets .
I say buy what you can afford ...let your wallet be your guide ...just be prepaired to get into reloading if you want it to shoot well ....no matter who it is made by .
I think the biggest reason some say don`t buy a Italian made Sharps rifle is some have a bad rap in the finish dept ...but they have come full circle these days and are all putting out some nice examples of the Sharps rifles .
I have handled and been inside of 2 IAB made sharps rifles ( these are the cheapest to buy ) the biggest problem I see with those are rough chambers and soft lock internals ....of course they can be had for less than 700.00 new in the box ...but chances are you would need to spend another 300 bucks on them and have the parts hardened and the chamber polished .
My Armi Sport Quigley sells for 1400.00 at Taylors and didn`t have these problems ....the fit and finish on mine is as nice as a Perdrsoli ... and the lock internals were hardened right , and the chamber is smooth as a babys butt.
 
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