How many---

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Don McDowell
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Re: How many---

Post by Don McDowell »

:lol: Stephen that's cuz you keep shooting the poor misunderstood things... :lol: :lol: But at least you finally quit turning them into hat bands.
Did you get my email about that Hartford front sight?
AKA Donny Ray Rockslinger :?
Orville
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Location: Buffalo Wy

Re: How many---

Post by Orville »

2 pound coffee can at 400 yards, 45 2.4
Golf ball at 100 yards 50 2 1/2
20 pound propane tank at 680 yards 50-70 and 50 2 1/2
All shots were done with pp bullets and barrel sights.
I’ve studied old rifles and sights sense I was in high school over 50 years ago, many I looked at had sights with very thin (by today’s standards) front sights, the rear sight most were a semi buck horn or flat, full buckhorns were very few, but the notch in the rear sight was very small some looked as if they had been cut with a knife blade. The back of the front sight usually had a angle at the top to reflect light, the reflected light is what they wanted to see in the fine notch. If the didn’t want to see the reflect light they smoked them with a match which everyone carried. When I was in my twenties with good eyesight I built sights like those and they worked very well for small targets it really helps if your front sight is smaller then the target using a 6 o’clock hold.
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Shooting grease groove bullets in a sharps is new technology and just a passing fad.
Orville
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Re: How many---

Post by Orville »

2 pound coffee can at 400 yards, 45 2.4
Golf ball at 100 yards 50 2 1/2
20 pound propane tank at 680 yards 50-70 and 50 2 1/2
All shots were done with pp bullets and barrel sights.
I’ve studied old rifles and sights sense I was in high school over 50 years ago, many I looked at had sights with very thin (by today’s standards) front sights, the rear sight most were a semi buck horn or flat, full buckhorns were very few, but the notch in the rear sight was very small some looked as if they had been cut with a knife blade. The back of the front sight usually had a angle at the top to reflect light, the reflected light is what they wanted to see in the fine notch. If the didn’t want to see the reflect light they smoked them with a match which everyone carried. When I was in my twenties with good eyesight I built sights like those and they worked very well for small targets it really helps if your front sight is smaller then the target using a 6 o’clock hold.
Charter Member O-G-A-N-T

Shooting grease groove bullets in a sharps is new technology and just a passing fad.
Orville
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Re: How many---

Post by Orville »

Dam touch screen posted it twice
Charter Member O-G-A-N-T

Shooting grease groove bullets in a sharps is new technology and just a passing fad.
SharpsBig50
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Re: How many---

Post by SharpsBig50 »

I do! I have a 50-2 1/2 from another maker, my first shots were with the barrel sights and after a while I added a tang sight. All of my shooting is done at 2 and 300 yards at steel plates.

Since my rifle Is a hunting rifle I ditched the tang and went back to barrel sights, made myself a set of cross sticks and shoot it like the buffalo hunters.

I cast my own PP bullets and try and replicate the ammo that would have come out of a box of sharps rifle ammunition in the 1870's.
rdnck
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Re: How many---

Post by rdnck »

Now we're getting somewhere! I had hoped to flush some of you guys out into the open with the idea of illustrating just how capable these guns are when used in the same manner they were originally. Use of blade and buckhorn sights is a skill set that has languished and nearly been lost. The fact remains that no rifle in the world has a reputation for long range accuracy that matches the Sharps, AND that reputation was earned in large part by the buffalo hunters of the American West using barrel sights. The buffalo Sharps set the bar for hunting rifle performance nearly 150 years ago, and in my opinion, when properly used, it has yet to be eclipsed. They are also a hell of a lot of fun to shoot! Shoot straight, rdnck.
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Don McDowell
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Re: How many---

Post by Don McDowell »

Antelope are better eating than milk jugs, steel plates etc. (not much but at least you can chew them :mrgreen: )
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Kurt
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Re: How many---

Post by Kurt »

Buckhorn sights are very good for hunting. Personally I don't care for then because when out in the field the balance point of the rifle falls usually where the sight is and it tends to dig into the hand when I carry it for a long time. I like the Military Lawrence sight.
But the buckhorns have at least 5 preset aim points when you learn to use them by shooting at known distances and also it can be used for a range finder of known game size animals.
I have looked at Sharps rifles at collector shows of rifles that were used for hunting and I noticed a lot of the buckhorns have a scratch in the center of both horns. I think that scratch was used to align the blade or base of the sight as well as the front of the barrel as well as the top of the horns for known ranges and this is how I use my barrel sights. Then comes the ladder with the slide also. But for a quick shot the buckhorns have at least 5 points of aim.
Now days shooters rely on scope for hunting thinking the scope has an advantage, and it does for visual reasons but not for accuracy when a shooter knows how to use barrel sights.

Kurt
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mike herth
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Re: How many---

Post by mike herth »

Anybody want to share their prowess with rough and ready rear and beach front on a roller?
bobw
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Re: How many---

Post by bobw »

Back in 2016 at the Quigley they drew my name out of the hat for the 25 th anniversary Quigley shoot Shiloh 74. Never won a damn thing in my life worth talking about, I guess my turn was just waiting for a real prize. 30" heavy barrel Montana roughrider, checkered steel shotgun butt, pewter for end tip and a gold inlay saying 2016 on the left side of the receiver, really nice Shiloh. I have one just like it with a 34 " barrel for LR and gongs. I didn't want put tang sight on the "win" gun. A friend gave me a Lawrence ladder sight, I modified it to seat on the oct barrel and put it on. I shot the new gun some with loads for my target rifle and they worked fine. Went back to Montana a day early for the 1000 and went to Big Timber where Kirk put a 7 degree leade in it for me. I did all the measuring and calculating for where the slider needed to be for 1000 yds back home on my pc. I set the sight there to try it. Kurt A was on the line for sight in and practice. I asked him to spot a few for me with my target gun. When done with that he asked if I had brought the win gun with me as he would like to look it over. I had and showed him it, he asked if I had shot it yet and I told him about 50 rds, was I gonna shoot it at 1000? I said not the match but will right now if he would spot for me. Kurt noticed right off the bat that "you sure didn't get that gun from Shiloh with a Lawrence on it" I told him what I did. So with my calculated setting on those barrel sights I proceeded to miss to the right with the first shot corrected by Kentucky for the wind and hit the next 2 shots. 1000 yds barrel sights ,apply what you know and practice makes this easier than it would seem. 145 years a go with a Shiloh 74, the buffalo would not have lasted as long as they did, nor would have the Indians. Bill knows what he is talking about and if a guy has good vision them irons is just fine with practice. bobw
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Stephen Borud
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Location: Casper Wyoming

Re: How many---

Post by Stephen Borud »

Don McDowell wrote: Mon Aug 05, 2019 6:36 am :lol: Stephen that's cuz you keep shooting the poor misunderstood things... :lol: :lol: But at least you finally quit turning them into hat bands.
Did you get my email about that Hartford front sight?
No I didn’t Don. PM me.
MSalyards
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Re: How many---

Post by MSalyards »

So with much respect to all of you, is it just trigger time and practice ? Where do you start?
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Don McDowell
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Re: How many---

Post by Don McDowell »

Yes trigger time
Start by getting your sight folded down and get the front filed down so you’re on at 100 then stand the sight up and see where you need to set the slide for longer range
Hardest part is gauging how much to hold off the side for the wind
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John Bly
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Re: How many---

Post by John Bly »

I think I could have done it when I was younger. I've always like to shoot at long range. Once I shot a woodchuck at over 400 yards with a Win 94 carbine 32 special with iron sights and killed it with the 1st shot. I had two witnesses or I would never tell this story. Once after practicing on my ram silhouette at 500 meters a shooting buddy and I had our Colt 45 autos and decided to try to hit the ram with them. After shooting just one magazine for ranging we were hitting within a few feet from the ram. We never did hit it but we were very close consistently.

I've got an original Marlin 1895 in 45/70 and wanted to kill a deer with it. I can shoot it great out in the open with bright sun but had to pass on a shot in the woods in the early morning because I just could not put the sight and the deer together well enough to take the shot. I need good light to shoot well with open sights. I can still shoot with a tang sight and an aperture front with a large aperture with a heavy annular ring. 72 years takes a toll on one's eyesight.
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pacecars
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Re: How many---

Post by pacecars »

There are no matches in my area so my guns are for hunting. After you spent an hour or so talking to me on the phone a while back I have been using the barrel sights. I am amazed at how far I can shoot accurately with these. I haven’t tried a milk jug yet but paper has been no problem at that distance. I cast my own bullets and I refuse to use smokeless powder in my Sharps rifles
Real gun powder is black.
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