Mark@Sea

Awww, heck, Cody. If things are tight don't worry about it. I'm not. Sue came to visit today, hurrah... showed her what I had intended to give away at the next get together at my place - bad plan. Having a hard time getting it out of her hands. Tower, a word of advice - wear thick jeans around the house for awhile. Your ah, asset has a bullseye on it.

A stroke of luck - I just started posting on another forum (cast boolits) and a guy there, who has trapdoor experience, lives near the gunshop and will check out the rifle for me. How cool is that?

They require a deposit, balance paid on delivery. They make everything inhouse - barrels, actions, stocks, the works. Yeah, they are some kinda nice. They only make rifles 'to order'. I was considering an italian reproduction, but the more I thought about it, the more I figured I wanted at least one firearm that is truly a work of art. I'd be buried with it, if I didn't figure to have a bunch of new friends at the funeral, with shovels.

clownsdd, in an odd way, you hit the nail right on the head. I WANT the federal government to butt out of my business and leave me alone. That'd make me happy. What've I got instead? Buy a gun lately? Fly somewhere? Buy a gallon of gas? - You know, don't you, the fed makes more than twice what the oil companies do, per gallon of gas, in taxes. Sheeyoot, Hillary wants to fix that by taxing the oil companies more - now who do you suppose will end up paying in the end? In a couple years, my taxes are gonna take a big hit. Hillary and Obama BOTH want to tell me how to handle my health care. Every time I turn around I find the fed regulating something new, generally taxing it, and turning what was good to bad, bad to worse, and worse to frigging hopeless. So yeah, I'd be ecstatic if the federales would leave me alone, but somehow I don't think Obama and I have the same thing in mind.

Mike, I just hate to do this to you. Drool warning, put a towel over the keyboard: Go to Rifle models / 1874 http://www.shilohrifle.com/ By the way, ODCMP has rack grade Inlands for $425, + $22 S&H. Thanks for the offer, Brother. It is on hold, I am waiting on payday (friday). It'll wait, and I am using the time I've got to try to find enough info to evaluate its' condition properly.

Yeah, and Jimmuh still gripes my hindparts every time he pops up in the news.

Yeah, thats' a good question. He has a carbine and a garand on the rack, which I don't need either of, having multiples already. This does sound like a lot of fun, if the rifle is shootable. I've been looking for a list of what to look for in that regard, but no luck so far. Hey, it'll be practice and give me something to do. Shiloh says 2 year wait for the sharps.

Well, I have found a source for a replacement stock if this one is too far gone. Asked the shop to hold it for me, will check it out my next day off (next Saturday). Workdays I am too beat to do anything but surf the net for a couple hours then crash. And of course, I don't have a vehicle here. These things do use paper-patched bullets. Mike, you ever do this? Guess I will be casting and paper patching a few. I still want the Sharps, but this'n was hard to pass up. This is from a collector who also had a Krag rifle and an 03 springfield on the rack last time I was there a few weeks ago. Those are gone now, (650 each) and this one is, I guess, the next one he's letting go. I've read that if in good enough condition these will fire modern low pressure 45-70 loads. If nothing else it will be a classic wall hanger. I've got just the spot for it, too - if I can talk Sue into letting me sell the front-stuffer I have hanging over the fireplace.

This one is the real deal. I don't know much about them, not enough to know if the price is reasonable - and I would like to know if I'm leaving a deal on the rack or (potentially) paying way too much.

Hoping someone can give me a quick answer. Got a ride to the local candy store here for some decent lightweight lubricant (my ship is in drydock) and they have an 1873 springfield trapdoor on the consignment rack. It looks complete, with good markings on the metal, and functions. Trapdoor locks up well, hammer is firm, trigger release is pretty good. Sights - a ladder type sight mid barrel. Very fine notch in it. Barrel is okay - a few pits, a little darker toward the muzzle, but good lands and grooves and reasonably bright. Wood has been repaired in several areas, doesn't look horrible, but is definitely noticeable. Comes with a bayonet w/scabbard, leather frog with a brass US badge on it. Overall, it looks like it ought to be shootable, if one could load up some BP 45-70 (these were paper patched, weren't they?) Price asked is $650 Worth it or questionable? Anyone have any experience with these at all? I know - useless post without pics but I don't have a camera here.

Convert them from 458's, I think.... still researching.

The 1874 is brass cartridge, there is an 1863 model that shoots paper cartridge. The 1874 in 45-70 will shoot either type, the other calibers shoot BP. The BP calibers are all 'roll your own', as nobody makes the rounds commercially. Bullets may be available, but I am thinking right now I will have to cast them myself. Thats' not that big a deal - I already have 2 lead melters. Want a deal on one? Looks like the one I found is going to someone else. What with me not being able to come home permanently until I get my mortgage paid, I am not going to let myself buy one until I sell something - or several somethings - else to pay for it. I'll probably be putting an M1A and a few other things on the block... My brother-in-law, a really big guy, shoots a lever 45-70. When I told him I was considering a 45-110 he allowed as how I'm nuts. Advised lots of padding....

Hey, a little recoil never hurt anybody. Well, not permanently, anyway. I'm hoping for a couple weeks at home in July. CAS, a knight? Inline?

Don't know about black powder? Really? (cue evil chuckle) It really isn't complicated. Show up in (hopefully) July and give it a whirl! Mike has some nice hardware. The cap'n ball pistols are easier even than flintlocks, and a lot of fun. The really good news is that the sport is usually a lot less expensive than newfangled smokeless powder guns. Mike, I'm looking real hard at an 1874 sharps - brass cartridges, black powder, 45-110. (45 caliber, 110 grains of 1F behind a 510 grain round-nose). I thought I had one, but the guy is wheeling and dealing with another buyer. If I have to order one it will take a while - 10 month wait right now from the factory.

They are a hoot... I couldn't find 4fg locally, so last time I tried mashing a bit of pyrodex as fine as I could (yeah, okay, not the brightest idea). It worked, but not well or consistently. I'll check out that shop in greeneville, see if I can get the real mccoy. This new rifle I am looking at presents a new challenge to me - casting my own bullets. Still have some research to do, but it will be in the neighborhood of 510 grains, 45 caliber.

Mike, darn you, you got me interested in the HB again. Don't be in a hurry to give up on it. I've got a couple of lead melters, if I get the rifle I am considering I will have to 'roll my own'. Currently I have a brass-frame navy, a queen anne pistol, a blunderbuss boarding pistol, and a 40 cal squirrel rifle. What I am looking at, though, is a sharps. I think that between us, we have enough hardware to sponsor a BP meet sometime, get other folks interested in it...

Mike, you'll have some company next meet I'm home for. I need to pick up powder, patches, caps, balls and a flint or two. Will have a brass-frame Navy, a couple of flintlock pistols, and a flintlock rifle to make smoke with. Can't let Dotsun get away with the crazy BP guy comment... hehehehe

Okay, next meet I am home for, make that 2 crazy guys. And if/when I end up with that 45-110, I'm bettin' you'll all take a shot!

Oh, and with a Garand, you're allowed to say "Clip".

Is reloading a lost art? I have maybe 4K tucked away for the carbines. Bought aguila while it was - not cheap, but less expensive - and the brass is good. A set of dies and a press pay for themselves PDQ. Cheap surplus isn't something I would depend on, it seems to be drying up and getting more expensive by the day.* Another reason to invest in a carbine - it is a fantastic way to introduce younger shooters to centerfire. You may have problems prying it out of their hands at the end of the day, but the big grin is usually worth it. I don't foresee any realistic scenario where I'd have to make a 200yd+ shot, but if it comes up, a Garand will do the trick handily. MUCH more accurate, and much harder hitting than an AK or SKS. Not saying the Garand is the ultimate battle rife - it was in WWII, less so today, but it gets the job done with a minimum of fuss and bother. I don't put spinners on my wheels, either, if that tells you anything. Is it my weapon of choice? If I had my choice I'd take a howitzer, thankyouverymuch. The Garand is probably more practical, though. Don't want to hurt any feelings, I played with AK's and SKS's (of the two, the SKS is the better choice). If I'd went ahead and put the money where I should've in the first place, I would have saved a bundle. My stamped-metal, old tractor axle, fencepost stock days are, thankfully, past. *Remember, at one point 30 carbine ammo and weapons were dirt cheap surplus.

M1 Carbine. .30 jacketed softpoints make dandy holes Low weight, low recoil, very handy - makes a good INSIDE the house gun, too. 15 or 30 round magazines FUN to shoot As or more accurate than any SKS or AK made Good to 150 yards, which is all the further you're gonna need to shoot Wife loves hers Available still through Civilian Marksmanship Program for under 500 for rack grades

5 M1A's 5 1911's 2 Garands 3 M1 Carbines Thats all the dupes I can think of at the moment

GCrookston, if I were home to take a photo I'd show you a pile of similiar junk... Nice smiley face on the plug, BTW

I feel for ya. I'm only working half days - 5am to almost 5pm. Shipyards are a very special fun that is reserved for, apparently, really hard-core sinners. I see your point with the snakes, though... good plan. Now how to explain it to the snakes.... well, never worry about the little details.

You're looking for a coachgun. Stoeger makes several models. Avoid the norincos like the plague. Look in the WTB forum for pics of mine, which is probably sold.