Cas City Forum Hall & CAS-L
Special Interests - Groups & Societies => BROW => Topic started by: PJ Hardtack on January 02, 2016, 06:13:40 PM
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Listen up Canucks .....
A guy contacted me about a Farmingdale Sharps he got from an estate sale. Beautiful rifle in pristine condition. He asked me about current value.
The bad news? It's chambered in 45-120. When he sent me the pics, he said the barrel was marked [45] and I told him to check again for the case length - 3-1/4".
He wanted to know if he could fire 45-70 cases in it and I advised him not to, unless he just wanted to hear it go "Boom!".
If you're interested in this rifle, send me a PM with your email address and I'll forward the pics and the email of the seller.
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Pass. :(
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If he shoots 45-70 in it it will FUBAR the chamber. They are not like a .38 in a .357 Mag.
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After I ID'd the caliber from the barrel markings, he said - "Now I know why there were several 45-120 cartridges dated 1981 in the lot." Duh!
I warned him that there was limited interest in rifles of the calibre. I suspect that he'll shoot them off, let the brass rot and hopefully clean the rifle.
It just ain't right .....
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I have heard in the past, rifles chambered in 45-Howitzer can be fun. For a masochist perhaps. I actually had the opportunity to shoot one once. ONCE!! That rifle ABUSED me. Recoil shy as I am.
Were it to become mine, I'd immediately form a monetary alliance with Cream-0-Wheat. Nice light Big-Lube bullets. Maybe get a full
carriage and trails for it. Even a Cason. Light Anti-Tank Weapon. Bet with a jacketed bullet it'd shoot clear through a 113.
Coffinmaker
Oh, and I certainly agree. Should NEVER shoot 45-70 cases. Just down-load the 45-Howitzer cases.
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It can be rebarreled to any calibre and barrel contour by Shiloh or any gunsmith. A lot less then buying a new Shiloh for him.
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You're right about the cost of rebarrelling to a lesser calibre. It would make sense for HIM to do it since he got it as part of an estate sale for well under list.
For anyone else, especially north of the DMZ, you'd have to incur the rebarrelling costs on top of export/import fees.
He'd swap it but I don't have anything that turns his crank. Being a Farmingdale, I like the [Old Reliable] barrel roll mark, for what it's worth, that Shiloh products cannot use. It's also part of the modern Sharps rifle story started by Wolfgang Droege and bears his "wolf's head" cartouche.
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When I was 31, I bought my Farmingdale Shiloh as a barrelled action in '79 in 45 x 3 1/4". I didn't know any better. I shot it for many years, won several 'long distance' matches, killed three moose that I can remember right off, and tested it thoroughly for many many years. I was never really happy with it and black powder, though I had some amazing results with Reloader 7 and IMR 4198. Eventually, becoming more aware of recoil, I rebarrelled it with a Harry McGowan .50 cal barrel in 50 Alaskan. Here we go again. I have it shooting tolerably well now with a BACo 600 gr. bullet and 90 gr. of 1 1/2 Fg Swiss, but it is still beating me up. I'm getting too old for that now. I'll pass on the advertised rifle too.
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I had a chance to shoot a Shiloh 50-140 ONCE, also! I fired 5 rounds with two gel pads on my shoulder and was bruised for a week. :o
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I fired a 50-140 Rolling Block ONCE, too. Didn't screw me into the ground, but once was enough.
45-90 is more than enough for my taste . . .
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If ever I bough a larger calibre than 45-70, it would be a 45-90. However, as long as I can seat out a bullet and get in more powder, I'm happy with a 45-70.
A guy has to know his limits!
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Yep, I expect a 45-90 would be about the limit of what is "fun" to shoot with a light-weight rifle. Any more "catridge" than that and I'd have to go to one of those 16# buffalo rifles!
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Shot three rounds of 45-120 in a Sharps about 18 years ago. I was ~30, weighed 340 and am 5'11', I was wearing a shirt, sweatshirt, jacket and coat (it was ~10 degrees F). Next morning you could see the screw heads marked in my flesh from the butt plate. 45-70 for me please.
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If keeping it Farmingdale is a must then keep a watch on GB and even ebay. Occasionally a Farmingdale barrel shows up in a more desirable caliber. I think Shiloh charges right at 650 to rebarrell
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Depends on the rifle. I've watched guys with light weight (8-9 lbs) rifles get pretty beat up with 45-70 loads. Try a 45-70 Ruger #3 with a Paul Matthews load to see what I mean. I shoot loads in my '86 and '74 that I wouldn't care to shoot from my H&R Trapdoor Carbine or OM.
Recoil is a subjective thing. I once knew a guy with a custom .458 Win mag who was enured to recoil. He was skinny as a rail and never flinched shooting that rifle off hand. He admitted he did not enjoy benching it.
A local South African Dr. has a nice European SxS rifle in.450/3-1/4". I've helped him when he was regulating and the guy shot like a Trooper from the bench. Off hand, it looked quite manageable.
I declined the offer to shoot it either way. I will load BP for him if ever asks.
Yep, I expect a 45-90 would be about the limit of what is "fun" to shoot with a light-weight rifle. Any more "catridge" than that and I'd have to go to one of those 16# buffalo rifles!