New Member with 1877 in Queue

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nlb34
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Joined: Tue May 29, 2018 3:39 pm

New Member with 1877 in Queue

Post by nlb34 »

Hello,

I am a new member here and new to black power shooting. My brother does a lot of reloading and casting so I thought moving to black power would be fun, plus might as well have the best rifle you can have. My plan is to go with a stock/plain 1877 #2 in 40-65 caliber (looking for low recoil). This rifle will primary be used for hunting in the brush, first up is a black bear hunt, secondary will be target shooting, I cant say never but the plan is to not shoot long range competition.

I would appreciate any feedback or suggestions on my build plan, also I have 2 specific questions:
1) I am leaning towards a front blade sight and rear buckhorn as I will be hunting 150 yard or less, note I was going to have a vernier tang sight base installed so I could mount one later. Alternately I could just go with the vernier rear site but at close range is it correct that a buckhorn rear site is better
2) Barrel length, is there a recommendation here for a hunting gun in 40-60, I was thinking 28", key is probably getting the balance right which I am clueless

Thanks, Brad
South Dakota, USA
rdnck
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Re: New Member with 1877 in Queue

Post by rdnck »

Brad--Get in touch with me. Shoot straight, rdnck.
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kenny s
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Re: New Member with 1877 in Queue

Post by kenny s »

do what REDNEK says......Ken
BFD
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Re: New Member with 1877 in Queue

Post by BFD »

Not necessarily. In fact, not at all.

Shoot what you like, what works for you, there is no single answer, no matter Bill says.
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Lumpy Grits
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Re: New Member with 1877 in Queue

Post by Lumpy Grits »

X 1K on rdnck.
Take notes :!:
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77 sharps
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Re: New Member with 1877 in Queue

Post by 77 sharps »

Hi Brad
You have it very well thought out. For a hunting rifle the blade front sight for sure, but I suggest a Lawrence ladder sight in carbine length. I have a 1877 with a 28” barrel that is 15 years old and it is still my go to hunting rifle. I really like the MVA 130 vernier sight. It is easy to remove the staff and leave the base on the rifle, but drill the aperture out as big as possible for more light. Rdnck will suggest having the 7 Deg. lead cut for PP bullets and I agree. PP bullets have a couple of distinct advantages over GG bullets for hunting. I would suggest sling studs. I hunt with the rifle in my hands if possible, but a sling is useful if you have some serious climbing or work to do. May times I have slung my rifle across my back to climb or drag my game. Keep the sling in your pack when you don’t need it.

330 grains is the traditional bullet weight, but up to 380 grains is good. I prefer a meplat .28” wide, but .20” worked for the originals. PP bullets are intimidating for people not familiar with them, but once you understand them, they are really easy to use.
bryany
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Re: New Member with 1877 in Queue

Post by bryany »

For a contrary opinion, go with the front blade, full buckhorn barrel sight and barrel length as you mentioned. I agree with the sling studs for a hunting rifle. LEAVE THE CHAMBER ALONE AS THE STANDARD SHILOH CONFIGURATION. You don't need to limit yourself to paper patch only, especially if you don't do your own reloading. I like the 40-65 but you'd be better off with a 45-70. Your 1877 will be a somewhat heavy hunting rifle so recoil shouldn't be much of a concern.

We all have our opinions and most of your choices can be changed in the future if you don't destroy the standard chamber.

Bryan
“I wonder if God created man because He was disappointed with the monkey.” Mark Twain
Youngblood
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Joined: Tue May 15, 2018 3:45 pm

Re: New Member with 1877 in Queue

Post by Youngblood »

Just so i follow here-

The standard chamber of Shilohs can handle greasers or PP, but you can also have them cut the chamber specifically for one or the other??
nlb34
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Joined: Tue May 29, 2018 3:39 pm

Re: New Member with 1877 in Queue

Post by nlb34 »

Gentlemen, thank you all for the advice, I will check back in after talking with Shiloh about an order.

Thanks, Brad.
77 sharps
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Re: New Member with 1877 in Queue

Post by 77 sharps »

Bryan
The standard Shiloh chamber will handle both GG and PP bullets well, but the 7 Deg. lead makes it much less likely to cut paper or lead rings but still works well with GG bullets. A normal PP chamber will only chamber bore diameter bullets, GG or PP.
bobw
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Re: New Member with 1877 in Queue

Post by bobw »

You asked, I think you would be better off with a 45 cal also ( a good blood trail is to your advantage) bigger the hole the better the chance of that. 405-420 gr bullets in a 45 killed more buffalo in the 1870-80's than any other weight in the 45-70 until you step up to the 45 2 7/8" and it's 500 gr loads. I know I'm in the minority here on this, but get the semi buckhorn rear not the full, you want light in the rear notch not shade. Frt blade can be replaced with a copper penny or blackened for better visibility. 7* leade enhances what your chamber will do, not screw it up and is cheaper to do on the order than to take it back and have it done later. bobw
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bryany
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Re: New Member with 1877 in Queue

Post by bryany »

[quote="77 sharps" post_id=304506 time=1561340953 user_id=60678]
Bryan
The standard Shiloh chamber will handle both GG and PP bullets well, but the 7 Deg. lead makes it much less likely to cut paper or lead rings but still works well with GG bullets. A normal PP chamber will only chamber bore diameter bullets, GG or PP.
[/quote]

Nope, you are wrong
“I wonder if God created man because He was disappointed with the monkey.” Mark Twain
77 sharps
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Re: New Member with 1877 in Queue

Post by 77 sharps »

Bryant
Wrong about what?
bryany
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Re: New Member with 1877 in Queue

Post by bryany »

The 7 degree lead will make a rifle shoot a pattern instead of a group with grease groove bullets. Although second hand, I've heard too many stories about folks learning this the hard way. This seems like a terrible way to introduce new shooters to buffalo guns. Leave the chamber alone until if and when you can make up your own mind. You'll learn to load good ammo and manage the rifle better. Then, maybe, you'll want to try something new.

Bryan
“I wonder if God created man because He was disappointed with the monkey.” Mark Twain
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Don McDowell
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Re: New Member with 1877 in Queue

Post by Don McDowell »

Sometimes the 7 degree lead works well, sometimes it don't. The standard shiloh chamber will work well with either patched or grooved bullets.
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