"Typical" Buffalo Rifle?

[ndnchf]

While they don't get all the glory that a Sharps or Rolling Block gets, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a more typical buffalo rifle than a .50-70 trapdoor Springfield.  There were a lot of them compared to Sharps and RBs and there are many documented uses of them.  You can buy a very nice M1866, or M1868 trapdoor for well under half the price of a Shiloh, and have the real deal.  They are very shootable, parts are readily available and they carry real history.

I have both a Shiloh and a couple .50-70 trapodoors - I love them all.  But I think the early trapdoors are often ignored by collectors and shooters today.  But if they could talk - the stories they could tell.

[Pitspitr]

While they don't get all the glory that a Sharps or Rolling Block gets, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a more typical buffalo rifle than a .50-70 trapdoor Springfield.  There were a lot of them compared to Sharps and RBs and there are many documented uses of them.  You can buy a very nice M1866, or M1868 trapdoor for well under half the price of a Shiloh, and have the real deal.  They are very shootable, parts are readily available and they carry real history.

I have both a Shiloh and a couple .50-70 trapodoors - I love them all.  But I think the early trapdoors are often ignored by collectors and shooters today.  But if they could talk - the stories they could tell.

Absolutely! Plus you can use them for GAF shoots as well. 

[Galloway]

Id say theres not really such a thing as a typical buffalo rifle. The hunters were a diverse lot, some were able to prosper for years and some quit after the first hunt. You had market hunters, indians, and local settlers all killing buffalo during the period. Its been mentioned above some of the more ideal firearms used during he era, but depending on who you want to portray its almost hard to go wrong. Not every cowboy had a winchester 73 and not every buffalo hunter had a 16lb sharps, but at the same time we also know that some absolutely did!

[Forty Rod]

The 45-70 was not as rapidly adopted as many think by commercial makers as repeaters ruled the roost apart from serious hunters. The Buffalo hunters preferred something a little heavier at this time and Sharps NEVER loaded the 45 2.1 with a PP bullet larger than 420 gr. The military used the 405 gr. grease groove until the early 1880's when they switched over to a 500 gr. bullet. The first repeater utilizing the 45-70 was the 1881 Marlin. I think it was more of a gradual changeover to the 45-70 personally even though 45-70 was the most popular chambering in the Bridgeport era of Sharps production (1876 on) to be frank neither Sharps nor Remington sold many SPORTING rifles and both companies went teats up in the 1880's.

The Whitney-Burgess-Morse was the first .45-70 repeater in 1879.  About 3,000 of them were made.  Amazing gun.  Marlins have a lot of Burgess in them and the guns work about the same.  Whitney was old and tired and just couldn't get anything going with the big rifle.  He tried the Kennedy and Scharff later, but they didn't sell well and the company finally sold out to Winchester.

[Coal Creek Griff]

Thanks again, gents!  I really appreciate all of these comments.  I'll add that I already load an shoot one .45-70 (a Miroku Winchester 1886), so it is tempting to stick with that caliber.  On the other hand, I'd like to branch out a little bit, hence the draw to other cartridges.

Please keep the comments coming.  These are great!

CC Griff

[Ranch 13]

  A person needs to walk softly about what is the "first repeater" the Winchester Hotchkiss rifle was chambered in 45 US Government in the mid 1870's as well.
I really don't think many if any of the hide hunters used the 45 US or the 45 2.1 sharps, the 50's and 44's would seem to be a bit more prevelant, and the 2 7/8 inch sharps was particularly popular in the norhtern ranges, as was the bigger 40's.

[JimBob]

A person needs to walk softly about what is the "first repeater" the Winchester Hotchkiss rifle was chambered in 45 US Government in the mid 1870's as well.
I really don't think many if any of the hide hunters used the 45 US or the 45 2.1 sharps, the 50's and 44's would seem to be a bit more prevelant, and the 2 7/8 inch sharps was particularly popular in the norhtern ranges, as was the bigger 40's.

The Hotchkiss is one of those forgotten rifles.The Sharps company was involved with the early sale and manufacture of the Lee bolt action repeater in the 1878-1880 period with about as much success as Winchester in selling a bolt action.

According to available information on the 1874 Sporting Rifle the most common caliber shipped during the Hartford period was the .44-77.During the Bridgeport period .45-70 or .45-2.1 if you prefer.Those big .50 and .45 2 7/8 caliber rifles are everybodies idea of a buffalo gun but there is a reason they are a rarity today,there just weren't all that many made.

I pretty much agree with all the others regarding what caliber to get for a first one,.45-70.Vast selection of bullets,stuffs everywhere to load for them.Compared to some of the other calibers except maybe the .50-70 it's a lot easier to get to shoot.Some of the bottleneck calibers are a nightmare to get them to shoot.

[Ranch 13]

 During the "Bridgeport" era the standard chambering in the Sharps was the 45 2.1 for all the "sporting" rifles. The midrange guns were chambered in 40-70 and the Creedmoor and long range guns the standard was 2.4 longer chambers could be had for added cost. 44 and 50 calibers were still available but only on special order.
Whole heartedly agree the 45-70 is the "easiest" to get started with but may not be a real buffalo gun, the rest of them that were buffalo guns, aren't all that bad except for the added expense of cases.

[Forty Rod]

A person needs to walk softly about what is the "first repeater" the Winchester Hotchkiss rifle was chambered in 45 US Government in the mid 1870's as well.
I really don't think many if any of the hide hunters used the 45 US or the 45 2.1 sharps, the 50's and 44's would seem to be a bit more prevelant, and the 2 7/8 inch sharps was particularly popular in the norhtern ranges, as was the bigger 40's.

Yup, You're right.  I was focused on lever guns. 

[JimBob]

Get ahold of the Encyclopedia of Buffalo Hunters , there's a wealth of information in those.

+1 Bought Vol.1 recently.Good source of information on the hunters,what they used,the goods they bought,and the period.

[Ranch 13]

 Volume 2 continues on in the same fashion. Really great reading in those, will be glad to see the rest of the series come up.

[JimBob]

Volume 2 continues on in the same fashion. Really great reading in those, will be glad to see the rest of the series come up.

Who's got Vol.2? Couple of places I checked only had vol.1 in stock.

[Ranch 13]

I believe Shiloh has it. I had the local used book store get one just a couple months ago.

[JimBob]

I'll check it out.Thanks. Like you I hope they finish the series out.Small town,no book stores here.

[Fox Creek Kid]

The Military NEVER gave ammuniton to buffalo huntes nor settlers. That is just so much bunk based on the "infamous" speech by Phil Sheridan to the Texas legislature that NEVER happened.

http://www.unl.edu/rhames/courses/212/readings/buffalo-extinction.htm

[Ranch 13]

I'll check it out.Thanks. Like you I hope they finish the series out.Small town,no book stores here.

I don't know what possessed those folks to open their book store in Torrington, but I can tell you I am glad they did.. :(Biggest problem was tho I didn't get in there in time with money to spare to buy one of the 6 or so of Seller's  Sharps book.

Anyway got to slipping thru the E-K edition tonite and Wyatt Earp used a SHOTGUN during his winter of buffalo hunting.

[JimBob]

(Biggest problem was tho I didn't get in there in time with money to spare to buy one of the 6 or so of Seller's  Sharps book.

Wow,I ran the Sellers book on one of the bookfinder sites,didn't realize they had gotten that expensiver. I bought my copy wehen they first came out,hard to realize it was that long ago.

[Coal Creek Griff]

Thanks again for all the input.  This has been very informative!

Maybe I'll take everyone's advice and end up with 30 rifles.

CC Griff

[Marshal Deadwood]

Maybe I'll take everyone's advice and end up with 30 rifles

.

That's what I'm tryin' to do ! LOL

[Blackpowder Burn]

I just bought my first Sharps today.  I found a pristine C Sharps 1875 Classic model in 45-70 on Gunbroker for $1,250 and couldn't pass it up!  It may not have quite the iconic look of the 1874 Sharps, but at the price I'm really looking forward to getting it in my hands and making smoke.