Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots Where are my fellow Trapdoor and Sharps guys?

Lets hear from the guys that shoot the original single shots....
I have other guns, but I feel that I must hunt at least one day a year in deer season with both my 1879 Trapdoor carbine and my 1859 Sharps conversion carbine. Usually in the second week where antlerless deer are legal. Given our antler point restrictions here the use of a gun without a scope is sometimes problematic. Yes, I have missed opportunities due to the time it takes to confirm number of antler points with binoculars and then bring the Sharps into position.

I just sold my Shiloh Sharps 1884 in 50/70. Still have the same gun in 45/70. I’ve killed two antelope and an elk with the 45/70, but have not shot it much the last few years.

Most of 'em hang out on the BPCR forum.

I dig them - just can't afford them.

While if I did buy one - prob be 45/70 because I'm fairly sure I can figure that one out, the 45/90 or 50/110 etc - all that's greek to me.

I shoot my 1884 (with 1873 marked trapdoor) occasionally. I had a hard time getting the front sight height and bullet/weight/velocity adjusted for a 100ish yard zero. Got it but now the front sight is now too high to get the bayonet on.......

Well it's not a Trapdoor or a Sharps....... maybe I could call it an 'Original Savage' ....... but it certainly qualifies as one of the original single shots.......













And what I think is the neatest part of all: DR. Edward Maynard, my 4th cousin, several times removed......



Always wanted a gun with 'my name on it'............. Allen E Maynard Jr..............

Muffin, I like that Maynard and the display you made for it. Very nice

Trapdoors and similar era guns are regulated for "battle sight" distance of 165 yards. With the rifles, not much you can do about it. I prefer the carbines which feature a replaceable front sight blade. I buy sight blades for 1903 Springfield and swap them out. Or make one from brass stock. Carefully drift out the pin and then install the higher new sight blade and replace the pin after CAREFULLY drilling a hole in the new blade.

I have an 84 have shot it plenty , this year instead of using the Lyman 457125 Gov't bullet I am going to work with the Saeco 1881 which is a direct copy of the original 500 gr Gov't bullet. MB

I shot the 500 grain a few times and didn't care for the recoil. Especially out of the carbine.
I will stick with the Lee 405 hollow base copy of the original 1873 bullet.

My original guns are mostly original. The rifles are both highwalls. One gun, a 40-65, was put back together after parting an old built up varmint rifle for the action. An original #4 barrel was relined for this rifle. The other is a 45-70. This is a nice old rifle. The original barrel had been shortened with a file cut dovetail for a rear sight. A new barrel was fitted. The new barrel was an original factory #4 that was rebored and re-rifled for 45-70. It's like a resurrection putting these old rifle back in their original form.

I've got two modern Sharp's replicas. The Pedersoli 45-90 Sharps is the rifle I shoot most. These modern made guns give excellent performance. I think the Pedersoli is good value and a good shooter. In all fairness the OP needs to share how addictive single shot rifles can get.

Most of the threads I have seen in recent years are from people who want make up modern magnums loads for the Sharps replicas. The idea is the modern Sharps action is as strong as a Number One. After one shot these guys will figure out how they went wrong. Gun will be OK but the shooter will know the true meaning of recoil. Put that under it seemed like a good idea at the time.