YEE HAA! I just got back from visiting my younger brother in Lampasas Texas last week, and got to bag my first two deer with my shiloh 45-110 w/ mva scope. My brother has a buddy that owns @ 250 acres in Rock Springs Tx. where we were invited to hunt. The best part is, this fellow has a shiloh himself he bought sometime in the 80's its a 45-120 though. He claimed he never could get it to shoot worth crap, so it sat in the safe. So I showed him what they are capable of with my rifle and some of my favorite 550gn PP bullets. I knocked the center out of his 100 yd target repeatedly to make sure I was still on. it was. The next morning we headed to the stands, First deer was a doe, shot her through the lungs at 75 yds she made a "jackass" kick and ran @ 20 ft. . At first I thought I missed! the bullet whized through her and hit a rock off side and made a spaghetti western sounding "PWWAAARR". The next day, I got a nice and heavy for the area I was told, 8pt. buck. I got him at 120 yds through both lungs and he dropped like someone dropped an anvil on his ass . Both deer were complete pass throughs with not a lot of bruising to the meat and no search parties needed. I succeeded in resparking the buddies interest in his shiloh as well. He really liked my scope, and paper patched bullets. I told him some things he could do for better accuracy, like use a better lube, he was using a hard lube on his and shooting a lighter bullet for velocity. I also told him to anneal his brass once in a while by the evidence of gas blow by on his fired cartridges. And to think heavier and slower. I also gave him some of my patched and some lubed Paul Jones creedmoor bullets to try. Ill get him squared away yet. The only bad thing about this trip I could find was the drive,1600 plus miles one way. I really need to find a safe way to ship gun and loaded ammo sos I can fly
kamotz--Congratulations on your deer. These things really work well, better than most people suspect. I have never recovered a 420 grain or heavier bullet from a deer. And do they ever go down!
There is no known cure for this black powder Sharps hunting bug, once it bites you. Only treatments.... Shoot straight, rdnck.
Chairman, Phd
Caddo Lake Chapter
FES
Charter Member FBASS
Thanks rdnck. I'll never forget this hunting trip, It is almost as if it were my first deer ever , getting them with my sharps and PP ammo the excitement was just as sweet.
Congratulations on your Shiloh Hunt. Ain't nothing like it. I do not feel handicap in the least hunting with a Sharps. I shot a Real nice 9 pointer and a doe with mine this year. Doe season kicks up this weekend and I have 3 doe tags to fill.
Congratulations! Sharps, paper patch, scopes--it's all good !
Do we now have some new regulations where a person can no longer ship a gun and ammo as checked baggage with an airline? I have hauled guns all over the world as checked baggage and never had too much problem, has something changed? Does anyone out there have any recent experience with this issue? Thanks.
Kamotz,
You can mail your rifle and ammunition to your self in care of another person. Ths Postal Service will do this and it is legal. Check the ATF web site for instructions. I have sent firearms this way several times, when going on a hunt or just to shoot far away.
Jim
Trigger Dr wrote:Kamotz,
You can mail your rifle and ammunition to your self in care of another person. Ths Postal Service will do this and it is legal. Check the ATF web site for instructions. I have sent firearms this way several times, when going on a hunt or just to shoot far away.
Jim
I do not like to post on this website, but I have to jump in here. You can mail the rifle but not the ammunition. It is illegal to mail ammunition by USPS. You could use another carrier however.
It would be simpler and cheaper (ie free) to fly gun and ammo. I have done this all the way to Africa for less cost than a first class postage stamp. Of course, I had to buy a ticket for myself however.
Brent
Just straddling the hard line between "the arrogance of dogmatism and the despair of skepticism"
Brent, Can this self shipping method work with ammo loaded with black powder? What do you do and who would you contact about doing this? And why is it you no longer post on this site? Did I miss a pissing match? I really try not to if I can help it. What forum do you frequent now? However it goes if you choose to anwer any of this I wish you well, and thanks for all the help youve given me on paper patching. As you can see Ive put youre advice to good work.
Congrats kamotz. It is a good feeling using these old time rifles. Just a more rewarding way to do it.
On another note Headhunter wrote "I do not feel handicap in the least hunting with a Sharps." Maybe it's just me but in this open country that I hunt and where spot and stalk is the rule rather than the exception a black powder cartridge rifle is quite a handicap when compared to a modern high power scoped rifle.
Maybe in heavily forested areas or out of a stand there's not much difference but for open country spot and stalk antelope or mule deer the old guns, both muzzleloader and cartridge are a definate handicap. Modern, scoped hp rifles are so much more efficient at killing things at extended ranges. But then that's one reason why I took black powder up. History is the other.
Getting an animal with a Shiloh is a little more special ain't it?
It does a body good to see more of us hunting with these rifles.
I think the killing power of our Buffalo guns is being rediscovered and I think that these lead alloy bullets at bp velocities will out penetrate damned near anything.
I can't wait to try my new 40-90 out on an elk next year.
I like guns, knives and having a job.
That's why I vote conservative.
I knocked the center out of his 100 yd target repeatedly to make sure I was still on. it was. The next morning we headed to the stands, First deer was a doe, shot her through the lungs at 75 yds she made a "jackass" kick and ran @ 20 ft. . At first I thought I missed! the bullet whized through her and hit a rock off side and made a spaghetti western sounding "PWWAAARR". The next day, I got a nice and heavy for the area I was told, 8pt. buck. I got him at 120 yds through both lungs and he dropped like someone dropped an anvil on his ass . Both deer were complete pass throughs with not a lot of bruising to the meat and no search parties needed. I succeeded in resparking the buddies interest in his shiloh as well. He really liked my scope, and paper patched bullets. I told him some things he could do for better accuracy, like use a better lube, he was using a hard lube on his and shooting a lighter bullet for velocity. I also told him to anneal his brass once in a while by the evidence of gas blow by on his fired cartridges. And to think heavier and slower. I also gave him some of my patched and some lubed Paul Jones creedmoor bullets to try. Ill get him squared away yet. The only bad thing about this trip I could find was the drive,1600 plus miles one way. 
I really need to find a safe way to ship gun and loaded ammo sos I can fly 
What forum do you frequent now? However it goes if you choose to anwer any of this I wish you well, and thanks for all the help youve given me on paper patching. As you can see Ive put youre advice to good work. 
