EARLY Farmingdale Military in 50/70 on the way!

Billy Lo · Post by **Billy Lo** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 1:29 pm

Hi Guys,

This beauty will be on it's way to me soon and I wanted to ask for any loading tips or possible accuracy problems. I read while doing a search here that some were throated for paper patched bullets. I hope mine isn't! Its serial number 3xx and stamped Shiloh Rifle MFG. CO. Will post a pic once hunt 101 starts working again.

Thanks for any help!

Billy

Todd Birch · Post by **Todd Birch** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 9:03 pm

Hi Billy!

I've got a Farmingdale Military Rifle in .50-70, serial #3561. It was a recent acquisition and I believe it was unfired when I got it.

You'll be able to get StarLine brass, as the BELL brass is unavailable.
Stay away from the Bertram stuff!

Loading wise, I use the Lyman 515141 sized .512 ahead of 65 grs. Goex Cartridge. I have a witnessed 3 shot group fired at 100 yds from the bench with this load that is all but a one-holer.

Another load I can recommend for fire forming your brass and as a quick means of reloading is the same bullet ahead of a .54 calibre 60 gr. Pyrodex pellet!
I'd been using the pellets rolled with the same Lyman bullet in my Shiloh .50 calibre '63 Military Rifle with great results so one of the '63 shooters I know suggested I drop them into .50-70 brass as well.

I read an article by Mike Venturino where he used .45 calibre Pyro pellets in .45-70s which I have done with equally good results. I found that .50 calibre pellets also work in .45-70 brass.

They'll never replace BP, but they sure are a convenient way to reload in a hurry!

Good luck with your Farmer! Let us know the results.

TB

Billy Lo · Post by **Billy Lo** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 5:49 am

Thank you for all the great advice Todd! This forum is great.

I'm planning on using this for a hunting rifle and maybe even set it up with a scope as someone else has done already. I really liked the look of that. I was thinkin of going with a lighter bullet as well so I take less of a beating. I have an old injury that acts up from too much recoil. The rifle comes with plenty of brass and RCBS reloading dies so basically all I need is a bullet mold and a lubrisizer die and I think I'm set.

I would have just ordered a new one from Shiloh now that they are making them again but the only way I could really afford one now is the way I'm getting this one, by trading something else for it.

Thanks again,

Billy

Ray Newman · Post by **Ray Newman** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 11:39 am

On page 104, in "Shooting Buffalo Rifles of the Old West," Mike Venturino addresses the so called 'free bore' of the early Shiloh rifles.

According to Venturino, the rifles were ‘free bored’ in order to seat the bullet further out of the case so as to increase the charge. Modern BP brass cases were unable to hold the same am’t. of powder as the 19th century balloon head cases. He further states that such a barrel may not provide the best accuracy & was dropped in the mid 1980's.

As for reloding info, see the velow link for an on-line reloading primer:

http://www.ssbpcrc.co.uk/Resources/Intr ... oading.pdf

Here's another link to bullet casting:

http://www.longrangebpcr.com/8Phases.htm

The long BPCR site has good tips & pointers:

http://www.longrangebpcr.com/

powderburner · Post by **powderburner** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 3:35 pm

Ray ,
the frebore was an option ,I bought a rifle in 80 or 81 and they would only cut it for you if you asked I can remember Shoffstall writing back when I ordered mine and asking the question before chambering the gun
.............Dean

Dang Long Shot · Post by **Dang Long Shot** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 2:33 pm

Hi Billy Lo,

Congratulations on your upcoming arrival. As luck would have it, I was raised in N. Massapequa, L.I. NY and actually went to & graduated from Farmingdale High School. While I was attending College in sunny Tampa,Florida I found myself working during the summer break in a small industruial complex {Fiberglass Pipe manufacture} in Farmingdale NY. Can you beleive it, at that time in 1972-1973 I was in the same complex that the Shiloh Sharps Company was in.
Due to my youthfull ignorance I never realized that fact at the time. It took me another 30 years to get bitten by the bug....but alass I've seen the light. Too bad I'm quite sure I could have found a few excuses to have purchased a rifle or two, not to mention being able to have seen there operation & have spoken to their personel.
I am saving up for a shiloh presently. My first BP cartrige 45-70 gun was a Taylors "Quigley Model" and it is quite a shooter & I managed to take third place in the Florida State cartidge match last year {First time competing} even though I mamaged to bozo my last two shots....brain
damage!
Well good luck and good shooting....Load em up, cut em loose & let em fly

Billy Lo · Post by **Billy Lo** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 9:21 pm

Hey guess what the man in the brown truck dropped off at my house today? Yup she's here and as nice as described. It also came with 140 cases of Bell 50-70 GOVT brass, 200+ Buffalo Arms Cast and lubed bullets, wad punch, LOADS of wads and a set of RCBS dies. I am just about ready to rock and roll with it!

What primer do you guys recommend? The bore measures .500 at the lands and .510 at the grooves. I didn't figure out the rate of twist yet because I don't have a jag for it yet. The bullets weigh about 436 grains lubed and the base measures .515.

The bore is bright and shiny but it sure ain't as good as the modern barrels seen in the Shiloh's of today. Chatter marks down its whole length. Hope she at least shoots minute of deer for me!

CAN'T WAIT TO PUT A FEW ROUNDS THROUGH HER!

Any advice and tips on loading this cartridge will be greatly appreciated. I am looking to reduce recoil as much as humanly possible so any tips for that will be even more appreciated!

Thanks,

Billy

Todd Birch · Post by **Todd Birch** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 9:33 pm

Billy

Congrats on getting your .50-70!

My bore also measures .510. I size to .512. Before I got the die, I shot 'as cast' at .515 with no problem.
I'm shooting Lyman's 515141 bullet and using it ahead of 65 grs Cartridge grade Goex. I have a three round target that is virually a one-holer shot with this load.

It also recently got me a huge black bear, but I don't wanna go there. I posted the story under "Hunting Stories" and started a real brouhaha.

Suffice it to say your rifle is more than enough for deer and bear. Throw moose in there as well if you want.

Primers? Got some that go "Bang!"? You don't have a target rifle there, but a humdinger of a military hunting rifle. Don't ask it to be something it ain't.

Good hunting!

TB

Billy Lo · Post by **Billy Lo** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 5:54 am

Thanks TB,

I have a bear story of my own but I took mine with a 58 hawken round ball. It was in the last issue of Black Powder Hunting News. I haven't had a chance to read your story yet but I will.

I like to squeek out the maximum accuracy potential of any rifle I shoot without going over the top, just the way I am.

Boy I love this rifle, now its already got me thinking of ordering a new carbine to go along with it! Whats the wait on a Shiloh these days?

Thanks much,

Billy

Todd Birch · Post by **Todd Birch** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 8:16 am

Billy Lo

Hit GunsAmerica and save yourself the wait. Several Shilohs listed.

There are also several dealers who can supply you ahead of the line - at a price, of course. How patient are you?

I though about a carbine as well, but the three bander is so easy to carry with or without the sling, I can live without one. I like a sling when I'm dragging game out of the woods.

Gonna be interesting to see if the chatter marks affect accuracy. Would a lapping help?

TB

Billy Lo · Post by **Billy Lo** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 8:37 am

Todd,

Where and or what kind of sling did you get for your 3 bander?

It will be quite some time before I have the money saved up again for another rifle. You know how it goes with these things, get on gotta have another! I have a custom Gemmer coming in next month that I've been waiting for oh around 2 years I think. Oh and I am a very patient guy.

My next rifle will be another Shiloh though. These folks are great and the customer service is fantastic. I want what they used to call a business rifle but with a pistol grip, fancy wood, tapered round 30" 38/55 or 38/50 Hepburn and a Bridgeport forend that makes BPCR weight. I already have a 38/55 business rifle that shoots fantastic! Bought it off Bill Goodman back in the days when you had to wait quite a few years for the best.

I'm bringing the rifle up to my BPCR guru/mentor/yoda and gunsmith next month for him to have a look at it. Don't know how or what those chatter marks will do but for what distances I plan on shooting it won't matter much I bet. Lapping might work but I'll do whatever my buddy tells me, he's an old hand at this stuff. They are smoothed out but you can still see em, they aren't sharp or anything.

Still gotta read your bear story!

B

Todd Birch · Post by **Todd Birch** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 9:16 am

Billy Lo

I found a picture of a Berdan sling in a book. It's just a looped sling the width of the swivels with two keepers, one sliding, one fixed, laced at the bottom swivel. Harder to describe than make.

By all means, read the bear story, but like I've asked people, unless you've been there-done that, spare me any obvious armchair opinions.

A few had told me off the site that I was lucky to have had a real life experience that what was much like what life was like way back when men were men and women were damn glad of it!

TB

Billy Lo · Post by **Billy Lo** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 1:56 pm

Hey Todd,

Took a lot of guts and caring for you to but the bear out of its misery as fast as you could being the rotten situation you found yourself in. Lesson learned I'm sure, bring more ammo. :-) We all try to make clean kills but it happens to the best of us. Kinda like riding a motorcycle, its not if you'll go down once or twice its when.

I'd post my bear story but it was with a muzzleloader and the good folks at Black Powder Hunting Mag http://www.barrettwebs.com/ibha/ paid me a few bucks for it but its a heck of a story. I was up in my stand day before the season started and all I had was a tomahawk and a bowie knife. Bear decided to climb up the stand and check me out! Talk about premature ageing!

Thanks for the sling info.

Billy

Todd Birch · Post by **Todd Birch** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 8:46 pm

Billy

I pass the baton to you, my friend! That is really doing it the hard way.

I gotta look for that magazine. All of a sudden, I feel like a wuss. I mean, whackin' a b'ar with a club don't compare, even if the b'ar was hurtin' mighty bad at the time.

That tears it - next year I take my Walker Colt and a tomahawk. Anybody can shoot a bear with a Sharps.

T

Billy Lo · Post by **Billy Lo** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 9:39 pm

Todd,

Would that sling be like the old Martini slings from the Zulu days? Sounds like it. I found a pic of one in Sellers book but its on a Springfield Sharps 2 band. I think the 3 band like the Berdan might be closer to what would be authentic. The one in the book looks like it is attached at the top with a keeper and then the adj are made with a double hook like modern military slings with another sliding keeper.

If anyone has a pic of 3 banders with slings please let me know. I have a guy that can make em at a good price.

Thanks,

Billy

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EARLY Farmingdale Military in 50/70 on the way!

EARLY Farmingdale Military in 50/70 on the way!

Farmingdale .50-70

!!!

Military Rifle.

sling, etc.

...tomahawk & knife....

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