1863 Carbine

Support for the 1863 shooter. Discussions of powders, loads, bullets, etc.
johnl
Posts: 812
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:59 pm

1863 Carbine

Post by johnl »

I got the itch for the SRC version. Wonder if Kirk will make them again? I guess I can always call and find out, I guess I'm just talking to myself. My retired buddies tell me it happen more as you get older :lol: Still would love a 1863 :D
dennis g
Posts: 18
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2011 6:34 pm

Re: 1863 Carbine

Post by dennis g »

There's one for sale on the N-SSA bulletin board. Supposedly unfired.
George Babits
Posts: 442
Joined: Tue Jun 16, 2015 10:53 am

Re: 1863 Carbine

Post by George Babits »

Not to knock Shiloh they are darn good, but you can probably get an original for what he is asking for that Shiloh carbine. I got an original a couple of years ago with a really good bore. It was missing a few parts. Lodgewood had everything needed and now it is complete. Cost me about $1700 altogether if I remember right, plus some time. Still haven't gotten around to shooting it; just too many other things of higher priority. Undoubtedly a Shiloh will shoot better than an original and be easier to clean; but there is something magical about originals (to me at least).

George
Salmon, Idaho
johnl
Posts: 812
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:59 pm

Re: 1863 Carbine

Post by johnl »

George Babits wrote:Not to knock Shiloh they are darn good, but you can probably get an original for what he is asking for that Shiloh carbine. I got an original a couple of years ago with a really good bore. It was missing a few parts. Lodgewood had everything needed and now it is complete. Cost me about $1700 altogether if I remember right, plus some time. Still haven't gotten around to shooting it; just too many other things of higher priority. Undoubtedly a Shiloh will shoot better than an original and be easier to clean; but there is something magical about originals (to me at least).

George
Salmon, Idaho


George, I hear what you are saying. Being in Canada the selection of originals are slim, especially clean ones. Must go to more gun shows I guess.
George Babits
Posts: 442
Joined: Tue Jun 16, 2015 10:53 am

Re: 1863 Carbine

Post by George Babits »

I got that one off GunBroker. A heck of a lot better price than anything I had seen at any gunshow. There are a lot of over priced rifles on GunBroker and at gunshows, but there are some real bargains as well. Takes a lot of looking to find them though.

George
Todd Birch
Posts: 2133
Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2004 12:01 pm
Location: Somewhere in the Cariboo ....

Re: 1863 Carbine

Post by Todd Birch »

You guys are making me feel bad. I've got a .50 Farmingdale '63 SRC with a beautiful fancy grade wood. Off hand it groups 2" at 50 yds. I rarely shoot it and have yet to take game with it or my .50 '63 Military Rifle.
"From birth to the packing house, we travel between the two eternities ....." Robert Duvall in "Broken Trail"
George Babits
Posts: 442
Joined: Tue Jun 16, 2015 10:53 am

Re: 1863 Carbine

Post by George Babits »

It's OK Todd, you don't have to take game with a rifle to justify it. I have yet to shoot the original Sharps carbine I've had for 2 or 3 years now. Really working up to it. But then last night I bought an early Farmingdale 54 caliber infantry rifle. I had one 20 years ago and let it get away and just couldn't resist. I guess it is a disease. I wonder if I can get some kind of a disability.
George
Salmon, Idaho
Todd Birch
Posts: 2133
Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2004 12:01 pm
Location: Somewhere in the Cariboo ....

Re: 1863 Carbine

Post by Todd Birch »

Disease? Disability? I've had worse. However, the six Shiloh rifles in my rack might be indicative of something akin to obsession. Life is too short to worry about such trivia.
"From birth to the packing house, we travel between the two eternities ....." Robert Duvall in "Broken Trail"
George Babits
Posts: 442
Joined: Tue Jun 16, 2015 10:53 am

Re: 1863 Carbine

Post by George Babits »

Obsession, disease, or disability? It doesn't really matter at all; just meaningless trivia. The disability aspect was aimed at some of the idiotic "disabilities" that people in the US come up with to avoid working for a living. The 1863 Infantry rifle makes my Shiloh total of only 3, but there are 4 or 5 more original Sharps rifles in the safe. I have shot them all with the exception of the 1863 carbine. I hope to shoot that sometime thif fall, probably with loose powder for starters; but that may take a back seat to the new toy. I've had another half dozen or so Shiloh rifles that got away from me.

George
Todd Birch
Posts: 2133
Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2004 12:01 pm
Location: Somewhere in the Cariboo ....

Re: 1863 Carbine

Post by Todd Birch »

Loose powder is said to cause cavitation of the gas plate. Might be better to make up some paper cartridges. Part of the mystique.
"From birth to the packing house, we travel between the two eternities ....." Robert Duvall in "Broken Trail"
George Babits
Posts: 442
Joined: Tue Jun 16, 2015 10:53 am

Re: 1863 Carbine

Post by George Babits »

Eventually I'll make up paper cartridges. But I think loose powder causing any problems is probably a myth. Once you close the breech and sheer off the rear of the paper cartridge, the powder falls into the breech anyway. The one thing I remember from the Shiloh I had before was that with the nitrated paper that extra salt peter made less fouling. The paper cartridge Sharps goes completely against everything held sacred with metalic cartridge rifles. I used the Lyman 54 caliber minie with the first one and will use it with both the origianl and the new (to me) Shiloh.

George
tazwellboy
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Sep 16, 2006 6:05 pm
Location: Colorado

Re: 1863 Carbine

Post by tazwellboy »

Good evening, everyone. I have a Montana pre-Bryan Shiloh 1863 Infantry rifle in .54 which was crafted in 1986.
You can't go wrong with Charlie Hahn tubes, a Steve Brooks bullet to fit the tuna, hair curler paper and glue for the ends and Swiss 1.5.
A few months ago, Kirk fitted an extra gas plate and cut a front dovetail for an asjustable blade front sight, so I'm good for about 100 k rounds!
"People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence in their behalf." George Orwell
tazwellboy
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Sep 16, 2006 6:05 pm
Location: Colorado

Re: 1863 Carbine

Post by tazwellboy »

Tubes vice tuna! I had auto correct!
"People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence in their behalf." George Orwell
George Babits
Posts: 442
Joined: Tue Jun 16, 2015 10:53 am

Re: 1863 Carbine

Post by George Babits »

If you need to use "tubes" in a precussion Sharps you should have bought a 50-70 infantry rifle or carbine instead of an 1863 precussion. Or get an original Maynard, Smith, or Burnside carbine. They were all designed to use a cartridge case with outside priming. The 1863 Sharps is designed for use with a paper or linen combustable cartridge, to shoot it otherwise is a perversion no matter how much more convient it may seem. By the way, the extra KNO3 from the paper makes them shoot cleaner too.

George
Todd Birch
Posts: 2133
Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2004 12:01 pm
Location: Somewhere in the Cariboo ....

Re: 1863 Carbine

Post by Todd Birch »

My '63s (Military Rifle and SRC) are both in .50, so Charlie's tubes were useless to me.

If the use of tubes offends some, a solution I came up with will really ruffle their feathers! I've rolled a .54 60 gr. Pyrodex pellet with a .510 lubed bullet that looks like an original compressed powder cartridge. They handle and shoot well.

By the way, I also have the same Military Rifle and Carbine in 50-70 - my go to rifles for hunting.
"From birth to the packing house, we travel between the two eternities ....." Robert Duvall in "Broken Trail"
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