Not a Sharps, but it's still old

[Kirk Stovall]

I had every intention of posting pictures of a deer I was going to shoot with my original Sharps, but I missed. I did however get an antelope with my original 1876 Winchester 45-60. It's not easy crawling through cactus and ripping the crotch out of your pants to get close enough to shoot one of these critters, but it can be done.

The problem is I have a safe full of original guns, and every hunting season, I try to shoot as many different guns as I can . I have included a picture of them, including the Mattel Shootin Shell that I had as a kid, as I have always liked these old guns.

I also believe that even though this is a Sharps website, there are alot of us out there with the same passion for old guns, which unites us on a forum like this.

You might also be able to see the butts of the Colt's SAA's that are on the door as well. I love first, second and third generation Colt's too.

[kimwcook]

You looking to adopt a son any time soon, Daddy? Gosh, I'd even move to Bozeman if I had to.

Nice collection.

[ole pizen slinger]

I like just about anything that's old. I have a few (very few) originals. I love to see what others have collected. You have a very nice collection. Would love to hear the stories behind some of them.
ole pizen slinger

[Kirk Stovall]

Answering both questions: the shot was somewhere between 120-150 yards.

Guns in the safe have some unique provenance, One 1886 is a second year production gun with a rare single set trigger, the most interesting fact is that it was sold from the Browning Brothers shop in Ogden Utah Territory. It is stamped on the barrel signifying that origin.

Another 1886 that I have is an early gun as well, and it is stamped W.F. Sheard, Livingston, Montana. It is a rare find , and both are in 40-65 Winchester caliber which is my personal favorite to shoot. In an upcoming "GUNS" Magazine or maybe "RIFLE" Magazine, MLV will be doing an article with these 2 guns, it should be worth the read.

I have a 30-30 in a rifle configuration, that is an early gun in excellent shape and is also marked "Browning Bros, Ogden Utah." The difference in the marking of the 30-30 and the 40-65 is that the 40-65 was stamped Utah territory, as Utah wasn't a state yet when that gun was sold.

I have been slowly collecting these guns as I consider "Precious Metals" to be Colt, Winchester and Sharps. Who would want a safe full of gold, when you can own these things and still shoot them as they increase in value.

As I mentioned, I have hunted with these types of guns most of my life. In MLV's book "Shooting Lever Guns" there are some pictures of some game I have taken including a 43 inch moose with an original 40-60 Winchester in a Deluxe configuration. A real nice 5X6 mule deer that I didn't get scored, a turkey with a 45-70 saddle ring carbine. I also inluded on this thread a picture of a skull from a 7 foot Grizzly that I shot when I was a kid. You can see the bullet hole between the eyes, and that is from a 25-35 saddle ring carbine. No, bullets don't bounce off Grizzly skulls.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

Hey Kirk,
Want to move to Australia, the place next door is for sale?

Seriously, very few of us survive for the love of one type of rifle and the richest part of life is playing with all things old.

I always look at it this way, as shooters we have the benifit of living our history not just reading about it!

[WHO CARES]

Thats a fine looking '76 !

It's great to see the old guns in action - I too like to get them out in the field when possible. I have hunted with a High Wall in 40-82, an '86 in 45-90, an 86 in 33 win and some very early '94 rifles in 30 WCF. All have taken game. This years project has been finding enough parts to reassemble a Parker 10 ga double (originally mfgr 1884) and get it shooting. It will be heading out to South Dakota in December shooting 1 3/8 oz. #5 with 100 grains of Goex 2F. It does a great job on clay birds so I trust it will also work on the wily ringneck.

Congrats!

WARD

[Johnny B. Good]

EXCELLENT!!

[MRW]

Thanks for sharing your hunt and showing us your rifles. I dont have any lever actions originals but do have two TD's and a sporterized Remington Lee 45-70. No success using the Rem-Lee hunting this season.

[Peep Sight]

I have been interested in mid 20th century arms since I have gotten out of school(I dont care who you are, machine guns are cool). Lately I have gotten interested in 19th century arms. Anything that comes out of the Browning shop has my interest.

[Kirk Stovall]

I agree, I once had a full-auto M-16 and loved to shoot it. The down-side to it was that every time you shot it the cops would come a-runnin'. That's not because I was shooting it in town, it was just that people didn't know they were legal, and they would call the Sheriff.

I sold it and bought a couple more original Winchesters, and really don't miss the M-16. I do love the original stuff, be it Colt, Winchester, or Sharps, and have been able to get some of each.

I find Browning quite interesting too, as I stated earlier, I do have a couple Browning Bros. guns. Some people claim Browning didn't get much out of the patents that he sold Winchester, but they are wrong. Browning was no fool and he was quite good in his business dealings.

His business savvy is what led him to leave the Winchester factory in search of more progressive manufacturing, which ended up with his eventual work in Belgium, where he died while making his Superposed shotgun.

Gentry wrote a book on Johnathan Moses Browning, cataloging his work and subsequent patents. It is a good read, and I highly suggest it.

[pete]

That's a nice doe. A lot bigger than the one I didn't get. I know what you mean about crawling through cactus. I'm still pulling some out from a month ago.

[Grizzly Adams]

Very nice 1876!