Range Report 04302023: Mk. IV Martini Henry and Mk. III Snider

My Martini Henry had some severe rot in the wood of the forestock, to the point where the screws would rip out every time I fired it.  I sent the rifle out to David Stavlo at Lodgewood Mfg. <https://www.lodgewood.com/> and he glass bedded it for me.  This is the second piece David has worked on for me, and I cannot recommend him highly enough.  There is no evidence of the screws ripping out, even though 20 of the cartridges I shot today were loaded with the full 85-grain government charge (see below).

I fired 30 rounds with it today, 10 for "plinking" and to get a sense of how it would hold together, and two scored tables of fire of 10 rounds each.  The first table of fire had a load consisting of 1:20 alloy paper patched bullets weighing 540 grains over cotton wadding, two card wads, a grease cookie, a third card wad, and 85 grains of Swiss 2F powder.  For a detailed explanation of how I load the cartridges, see the link HERE.

The second table of fire used cartridges with a bullet I cast in 1:20 alloy from an X-Ring Services mold.  They are .470 in. and weigh 475 grains, and are not paper patched.  I pan lube them in my normal tallow and beeswax grease.  They have the same cards and grease cookie, but only 70 grains of Schuetzen 2F powder.

I then fired two tables of fire with my Snider.  The first ToF went well, but midway through the second the extractor on my rifle became stuck such that I could no longer close the block nor extract the cartridge in the chamber, so I had to pack up and go home.  For a detailed explanation of how I load cartridges for my Snider, see the link HERE.

The targets I used for today's shooting are 2/3-scale reproductions of the Third-Class qualification targets used by the British for the Snider and in the early years of the MH.

About the String Test:
If you are not yet using the String Test as a way to track your shooting results, you should be since it is both historically correct and far more meaningful and useful than just looking at group size.  To learn more about the String test and how to use it, go to:  https://historicalshooting.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-string-test-measure-for-historical.html

Shooting Conditions:
65 deg., sunny, 42% humidity.  Wind extremely variable, blowing from 11:00 around to 3:00 and ranging from 4-5 mph to ~25 mph.
Range:  100 yards.  Firing position: Seated unsupported.

Table One: Martini Henry, 85 grains 2F, paper patched bullet.

Table One.

String Test:  75 in./10 rds. = 7.5 in./rd.

My point of aim was at the center of the bottom edge of the Outer using a full sight.

Table Two:  Martini Henry, 70 grains 2F, grease groove bullet.

Table Two.

String Test:  66 in./10 rds. = 6.6 in./rd.

Since the previous load shot high, and since this was a lighter load, I aimed at the center of the bottom edge of the bullseye with a full sight.  They still shot a bit high, so if I had used the same point of aim that I use on Table One I would have most of the rounds in the bull.  I have had very few chances to work with this rifle because of its problems, so I have a lot to work to do with regards to how to shoot it best.

Table Three:  Snider 65 grains of 1.5F Swiss with a 530-grain X-Ring Services .600 in. bullet.

Table Three.

String Test:  57 in./10 rds. = 5.7 in./rd.
(NB:  I wrote 9 rounds on the target, but the clump of hits just below the top of the bull on the left actually had three hits, and I missed that the first time.)
My point of aim was the center of the bottom edge of the outer with a fine sight.

Table Four:  Snider 65 grains of 1.5F Swiss with a 530-grain X-Ring Services .600 in. bullet.

Table Four.

String Test:  26 in./5 rds. = 5.2 in./rd.
(NB:  Another miscount--I thought I had fired 7 rounds, but actually only got off 5 before the extractor malfunction.)
My point of aim was the same as before, the center of the bottom edge of the outer with a fine sight.

Range Report 15APR2023: The 1859 Sharps Infantry Rifle

I have long wanted a Sharps Infantry Rifle, but since they are so scarce all I could find was a second-hand Pedersoli reproduction.  Sharps are notorious (and rightly so) for poor ignition and severe fouling, so the previous owner had had it converted from the factory condition to be more reliable.  Unfortunately, when I got it I was unable to fire a single round from it—it simply would not set off the charge, which, naturally, was intensely frustrating.  At the advice of several people, especially Mike Beliveau of the Duelist 1954 YT channel, I sent the rifle to Larry Flees (<larryflees111@gmail.com>) to have him rebuild the rifle according to his conversion system.  Today was my first trial of the rifle since getting it back.

The cartridges I used are close copies of the flat-based linen cartridges used during the War, except instead of the 2-band bullets used by Federal suppliers I use the 504-grain Richmond Lab bullets I cast using an Eras Gone bullet mold.  The cartridges have a linen shell with a tissue paper base and contain 65 grains of Schuetzen 2F powder, just as was used in period.  The cartridges were packaged in historically accurate 10-round boxes which very closely match one style of the originals.  To learn how I load the cartridges, read the essay linked here:
https://historicalshooting.blogspot.com/2022/10/loading-ammunition-for-1859-sharps-rifle.html

Location:  Lytle Creek
Conditions: 58 degrees; dry; sunny; winds highly variable gusting up to 20 mph from 12:00 to 3:00.
Shooting Position:  Seated unsupported.
Sight Picture:  Full sight, 6:00 hold.
Range:  50 yards. 

I was only able to fire three tables of fire today, which was intensely frustrating, but the good news is that the Flees conversion does actually work, and the rifle did shoot.   Unfortunately, seven rounds into the third table of fire I discovered that I could not get the breech to fall, and so I was unable to continue firing.  After getting home I was able to use a hammer and a plastic rod to tap the block down for cleaning; more on this in the Conclusion below.

The first table of fire was five rounds made with paper tubes instead of linen.  My intention was to use the paper tubes for casual plinking since they are easier to make than the linen cartridges.  Unfortunately, their accuracy was appallingly bad, as will be seen on the first target below.  I believe that the paper does not combust (it is not nitrated) as the linen does and so clings to the bullet as it flies downrange, acting as a drag on the bullet.  I didn’t bother to determine a string test score for this first table of fire as there was obviously no point; needless to say, this experiment was a failure and won’t be repeated.  The bullet holes covered in blue tape on the first target represent Table One using the paper cartridges.

Historical shooters who are not yet using the String Test as a way to track their results should be since it is both historically correct and far more meaningful and useful than just looking at group size.  To learn more about the String Test and how to use it read the essay linked here:
https://historicalshooting.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-string-test-measure-for-historical.html

Table Two

Table Two
5 rounds, 17.25 inches.
String Test:  3.45 in./rd.

Table Three

Table Three
7 rounds, 22 inches.
String Test:  3.14 in./rd.

Conclusion
Overall I am pleased—a rifle that shoots is far better than one that does not.  Moreover, the string test results are pretty good for a first time out with this piece, although naturally I hope to do better with practice.

Of course, having the block lock up was intensely frustrating.  I initially blamed this on fouling on the breech since the Sharps is widely known to have this problem, but it seemed odd given that I had only fired 17 rounds, and as bad as the Sharps is, that’s pretty extreme.  When I got home I carefully tapped the breech block out and discovered a lump of linen had been jammed between the breech and the block, effectively locking the whole thing in place.  This was confusing at first since these cartridges are nearly exact copies of those used in period, but I recalled that as I fired more rounds the cartridges started to protrude slightly from the chamber, no doubt because of the fouling which built up there.  This led me to realize that the breech was cutting off a small piece of linen that protruded from the chamber and that this was getting caught in the action.

It is essential to measure the length of the cartridges correctly when making them to ensure they fit the chamber perfectly, which I had done, but I didn’t take fouling into account.  The difference isn’t large, perhaps 1/32 or 1/16 in., but it’s enough to catch on the edge of the block when it closes.  That means that I have to go back and trim the former I use to make the shells slightly to make the overall cartridges slightly shorter so that they remain fully inside the chamber even when it is fouled.

Every step is a learning process, and I learned a lot today.  Still, I am thrilled at being able to shoot this piece at all, and I think that with a little work on the cartridges and a lot more practice I can improve my results significantly.