45-70 or 45-90, 45-110,or 45-120

[Preacher Curt]

i have it narrowed down between pedersoli or uberti .i am leaning towards the uberti for two reasons
1. because i really like uberti's guns ,attention to detail and their performance
2. my local gun dealer that i use most and enjoy dealing with handles ubertis but not the other.
now reason for question between the two calibers is uberti only offers their sharps in any model in the 45-70. i was wanting to get a somewhat larger caliber ( just to be different mainly and i like bigger stuff .dont know why really dont plan on hunting anything bigger that a whitetail )is there much difference in the two to warrent going with a different gun and dealer? i was really thinking about even 45-110 or 45-120 WOW .anyhow thoughts would be very apprecated folks from the experts .
 
preacher curt

[Pitspitr]

When I bought my Pedersoli the plan was to ream it out to .45-120, but that's been several years ago and it's still in .45-70. I don't recon it's going to change anytime soon. The .45-70 thumps me plenty hard enough and everything that's on the other end gets thumped plenty hard enough too!

[Bull Schmitt]

Unless you are either planning to shooting something big and angry or at targets at 1000 yds a 45-70 will be plenty. The 45-90 would be  better of the longer ranges. The 45-120 can be difficult to get to shoot right and was not a traditional cartridge of the Buffalo era. From strictly an economic point the 45-70 would be the least expensive to shoot.

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[Drydock]

To Quote Mike Venturino "ALWAYS GET THE .45-70 FIRST!"

For smokeless, the others are a waste.  For BP, it will teach you everything you WILL need to learn in order to load the others with any semblance of accuracy.  You can always ream out, you can't ream back. 

.45-70=common components, easy to load, best to learn on, just enough power enough for anything on the NA continent, factory loadings available.

.45-90=developed as a target cartridge, excellent for LONG range target shooting, trickier to load, more expense.  Not for a beginner.

.45-110=the ultimate, definitive Sharps .45 buffalo cartridge, long range killer of the Northern herd.  Advanced loading techniques, recoil suitable only for heavy barrel rifles, Very expensive brass.  If I was actually going Buffalo hunting, this is the one I'd want for BP.  Too much for anything else.  (Needless to say, I have one, and I'm hauling it to the Nebraska Sand hills one of these days.  But I had a .45-70 first, and still do.)

.45-120=an historical chimera, never chambered by the Sharps rifle co.  Developed by Winchester long after the buffalo were gone.  Near impossible to load to fine accuracy, suitable only for those who just have to have a torpedo on their cartridge belt.     IMHO.

[Lt. Col. Morgan Ricks]

In MY OPINION I would give some real thought to a base model Shilo Sharps or C. Sharps.  You would be supprised at how close they are in cost to the imports.  I have a Shilo Sharps in 45-110 and wouldn't part with it however, if I had to do it all over again I would get it in 45-70.   Just makes more sense.  As for the imports IN MY OPINION the Pedersoli are far above the Uberti's in fit, finish, quality and overall workmanship.  Just the way I see it...MR

[Haggis MacGurk]

Now, I may be blowing smoke, but I was told by one of the distributors here in Canada that the Uberti rifles are actually made by Pedersoli for them. This applies to the Sharps rifles only. Again, I may be wrong.

[James Hunt]

I will have to weigh in with the Lt. Col. here regarding rifle maker. Make sure this Italian rifle is what you REALLY want. If you are getting it because you can't afford a Shiloh do some thinking. You are going to spend a $1000 or more on this gun, that is painful in most of our books. For a few hundred more you could get the Shiloh, and yes they are that much better. I say this with a voice of experience. I have a very fine Pedersoli in the back of my gun safe that I occasionally look at. While the wait for a Shiloh is about a year you can hurry that up if you order it from Bill Goodwin, doing so I got my last Shiloh in 6 months.

By the way, the advice for the .45-70 is good - anything else is just testosterone talking. Once you get over 80 - 90 grains of powder in a case things happen to make shooting more difficult and expensive. (and yes I have the gamut from 38-55 thru .45-110 and a .50-70, the later being my favorite). Venturino describes putting a buffalo down immediately with one shot from a .50-70 at I think two hundred yards.

[Pitspitr]

I Have 2 Pedersoli's, a sharps and a trapdoor long range. The fit on the sharps is EXCELLENT! To the naked eye there is no way anyone's fit could be better. The same cannot be said of the trapdoor. While it's fit isn't bad, it could be better. The trapdoor's finish was better than the sharps. Again the sharps' finish isn't bad, but I like it better now that it has a little oil on it. Both had what I'd call semi-fancy wood. I know that the Pedersoli isn't for everyone, but I don't regret buying it. It shoots better than I can.  I don't plan on parting with it any time soon. In fact after I got my initials engraved on it, my son informed me that when I die he get's it. (He and I have the same initials)

[Pitspitr]

If I was actually going Buffalo hunting, this is the one I'd want for BP.  (Needless to say, I have one, and I'm hauling it to the Nebraska Sand hills one of these days.  But I had a .45-70 first, and still do.)

So,... are you coming to hunt Buff, bringing it to the GAF muster, or bringing it because I have a place on my land where we can get off a 1 mile shot?

[Preacher Curt]

well guys  i made my order out today for a uberti in 45-70 .after looking at a few and checking consrtuction i placed a order for a 1874 special with the 32 inch barrel .thank all of you for your info and halp in my questions it was apprecatied

preacher curt

[Tombstone Marshal]

I will have to weigh in with the Lt. Col. here regarding rifle maker. Make sure this Italian rifle is what you REALLY want. If you are getting it because you can't afford a Shiloh do some thinking. You are going to spend a $1000 or more on this gun, that is painful in most of our books. For a few hundred more you could get the Shiloh, and yes they are that much better. I say this with a voice of experience. I have a very fine Pedersoli in the back of my gun safe that I occasionally look at. While the wait for a Shiloh is about a year you can hurry that up if you order it from Bill Goodwin, doing so I got my last Shiloh in 6 months.

By the way, the advice for the .45-70 is good - anything else is just testosterone talking. Once you get over 80 - 90 grains of powder in a case things happen to make shooting more difficult and expensive. (and yes I have the gamut from 38-55 thru .45-110 and a .50-70, the later being my favorite). Venturino describes putting a buffalo down immediately with one shot from a .50-70 at I think two hundred yards.

No offense, the wait for a Shiloh is at least 22 months. I dont know about others, but I cant wait  nor afford the Sharps model that I want.

[Ranch 13]

No offense, the wait for a Shiloh is at least 22 months. I dont know about others, but I cant wait  nor afford the Sharps model that I want.

 The wait on a Shiloh varies abit. Sometimes they even have a rifle sitting on the rack with no home to go to, a phone call can reap many benefits.
 C Sharps has a pretty fair selection of rifles on hand ready for delivery as soon as they recieve payment.Check out the available list on the web site. If they don't have anything you like on hand 6 weeks will likely deliver just what you want, unless you get carried away with ordering the extras.
 As to price the differrence between an Italian rifle and one of the Big Timber made guns is so negligable nowdays , there's no need to even consider one of the Italians. Once the decision has been made to spend that much money, the few hundred extra to get quality and lasting value of the Big Timber rifles, is chump change.
 Another thing to consider, if you take good care of the new rifles, the Italian will be worth about 1/2 what you paid for it, within weeks of taking it home. The Big Timber guns will likely be worth what you paid ten years from now.
 One of the best buys on the market today is a C Sharps 1875 Sporting and target model with deluxe sights. For about 1600 you'll have a rifle ready and able to go to the firing line and win matches the day it arrives .

[Tombstone Marshal]

Sorry, I want a 1874 not 1875. The price difference that I have found so far is about 800 bones. I dont call that chump change. I found a 1874 Quigley model for around 1300. I cant find a Shiloh or C.Sharps with a pewter forarm tip for less than 2k. A Pedersoli with one is about 1700. Quite a diff in my mind. Dont get me wrong, Shilohs and C.Sharps are beautiful. My wallet just is not that fat. I sure wish it was. I will have to go to the dark side, (atleast in some eyes) and go with an Italian.


Let'r buck!!!

[Ranch 13]

 Cut the smokes , beer, pop and junk for a couple of months and save the extra money to get one of the Big Timber rifles. Like someone else said previously, do it once for less money than doing it twice.( experience is a very good teacher ) The little bit of extra wait will pay dividends down the road.
 The money difference isn't that large now days, so the added expense is well worth the effort. Not to mention the warm and fuzzies from using your money to help keep another american in a job, insted of some one on foreign soil.

[Judge Roy Bean]

Howdy the camp a pard has a Pedersoli Sharps in 45-120, & wont's to know if they can be down loaded, i.e.say with less powder & a filler? He shoots on two different ranges one at up to 200 yrds the other 1000 yrds , any advice.

[Cyrille]

I would have to give this question a tenitive "yes" in my opinon the cartridge can be downloaded, however I do not recommend doing so as accuracy may most likely suffer. But make damn sure that there is absoluety no air space between the projectile and the filler or the filler and the powder! This of course refers to a Black Powder load.
 I still believe that accuracy will still suffer if useing thet modern smokeless stuff too. Make sure if useing the smokeless stuff thet y'u don't use so little as to make a squib! I personally wouldn't load any less than the next step up from the minimum recommended in a reliable reloading manual with either type of powder.

[Judge Roy Bean]

Thanks Cyrille, he is only using black powder but he finds the full loads are thumping him quite a lot .
I think he should have got a 45-70 instead.

[Cyrille]

You're right I too would have recommended that he start with a .45/70 That's what I shoot and even though It kicks like a baby burro with my load I love shooting it.

[Ranch 13]

If you use a bulky powder lilke 1f or cannon it might be possible to get down around 85 grs or so without leaving alot of airspace, provided a long heavy bullet is used and deep seated.
 His best bet might just be to have the thing rebarreled to something a little more user friendly.
 It's almost impossible to get a smokeless load that'll save any recoil in that monster case.

[steve.lobo]

I have owned a 45/120 pedersoli Sharps for a few years now and have been very pleased with the gun, however like many others before me and after I only brought it in the first place because of its large size.
If I had known then what I know now I would like to think I would have gone for the 45/70, which actually shoots better and is said to be more accurate, its definately easier on the shoulder.
That said its more likely I would still have gone for what I call the big boy just because I really enjoy shooting it and its more of a challenge.
My feeling is youve got to go with your heart and worry about the consquences later. All i can say is go for it and have some fun and do not take things so seriously that the true spirit of what we do is lost.