Home Forums Hunting & Shooting BPCR Source for 50-70 loaded ammo

I have an original Sharps carbine that was my Dad's.
I'd like to fire it and need a source for safe loaded ammo.
I'd welcome any suggestions.
Thanks in advance.

Dies, press, mould and so forth.

Otherwise touch base with players in the BP cartridge gun bidness such as Shiloh or C. Sharps and they can probably steer you to someone who can help. With any luck they won't rape your wallet.

Try buffalo arms company

Buffalo Arms only lists one load for 50-70, box of 20, Black Powder & lead bullets--US$61.00.

http://www.buffaloarms.com/.46_caliber_and_up_black_powder_ammunition_pr-4444.aspx

Black Dawg Cartridge Co does not lists any 50-70.

I do not think that 50-70 ammunition -- smokeless or black powder --is or will be readily available. And if you do find it, like ammunition for all obsolete calibers, it will not exactly be economically priced.

As another suggested, it might be worth a call to Shiloh-Sharps or C. Sharps for any leads. Good luck

Remembered what I trying to recall as I wrote my earlier post.

Did your father ever fire this original Sharps carbine?

Reason I ask is that it not unusual for rifles of this vintage to be missing or have broken parts, such as the firing pin.

Do you know if the carbine is a US Civil War carbine?

Post-Civil War, Sharps Rifle Company, under government contract, re-built Sharps carbines to fire a brass cartridge. From what I read and told by Sharps collectors and shooters, during this re-building process, some barrels were re-lined.

If the bore was under .5225� diameter, the barrel was not relined. If larger, the barrel was re-lined. Original 6 groove barrels are oversized for modern .50-70 bullets; re-lined barrels are 3 groove, about .515�.

Now if you are going to shoot it just to say �I shot it� or bust rocks at 50 or so yards, an original barrel with modern day ammunition may work for you.

If it is a �civilian� carbine, modern bullets should work.

Anyway you could post some pictures? Many of us are always interested in seeing original Sharps.

Old Western Scrounger lists some.

.50-70

Buffalo Arms has it too.

.50-70 ammo

Thanks for all the suggestions.

To my knowledge, my Dad never fired the rifle. Dad said that the guy he got it from used to take it out on the 4th of July and shoot it a couple of times.
I got the rifle after Dad died. Along with it I found 9 rounds of loaded ammo.

In March I brought it to the 24 HCF Hog Hunt and some of the guys were kind enough to look it over and educate me about it.
Thanks again 'Sharpsguy', 'Evil Twin', Gunner 500, et. al.
It was decided that I should not fire it since the source and contents of the 9 rounds I had were unknown.
'Sharpsguy' looked it up in a book on Sharps rifles and determined that is's a original Civil War carbine. He also pointed out some additional details (which I forgot).

I've never done any reloading, let alone casting and loading so I thought I'd try to find a few boxes of loaded BP cartridges that would be save to fire. If I can, I plan to bring it to the 2014 Hog Hunt so the guys who helped me with it can try it out.

I'd be glad to post pictures but don't have a clue as to how.
If someone would pm me their email address, I do know how to email pictures.

After a few initial "technical difficulties" I got these up into photobucket,......

R1150R's little carbine looks like more fun than a barrel of monkeys, don't it ?

GTC

That is a nice one. Bet it could take a hog, no problem Reminds me of my High Wall .45-90 carbine.

Bill, I could likely bring a reloading press and bench/jawhorse to the Hog Hunt in March. If'n you want to start rounding up proper bullets/cases/dies, etc, there is no reason we couldn't load at least a few rounds there, and shoot it.

Other folks here have much more experience than myself running BPCR, so follow their advice, but I'd be happy to contribute, to see a Sharps rise again.

Gad custom bullets, has them. $50 per box