Range Report 07AUG2023: 1859 Sharps Rifle and Smith Carbine

 It was a beautiful day at the range today, and I had some decent results.  I took my Pedersoli 1859 Sharps Infantry Rifle and my Pietta Smith Carbine out today, and was pretty happy with the results.  I found that I still need to shorten my Sharps linen tubes for the cartridges as they still stick out just slightly when the chamber is fouled, which can cause the block to get clunked up.  Still, this was the first time I was able to actually shoot a large number of rounds from the Sharps, and it’s a truly remarkable weapon, although fussy and problematic.  I cleaned the bore after every 10 rounds, and ran a brush through the chamber after every five rounds, then removed the block and cleaned and oiled it after 20 rounds, yet despite this fouling was still an issue.

I shot 30 rounds for score, plus 20 rounds with some cartridges I bought that are made with the Charlie Hahn tubes and the ugly, modern “Christmas Tree bullets.”  I’ll say this:  The modern cartridges are easier to make, and I plan to make some of them myself for casual plinking, but they were massively disappointing compared with shooting real, historically accurate linen cartridges with the Eras Gone Richmond Labs historically correct bullet.  They have their place, but I will never like them.  My linen cartridges have 65 grains of Schuetzen 2F powder over an Eras Gone Richmond Labs bullet.  To see how I load linen cartridges for the Sharps, see HERE.

1859 Sharps Infantry Rifle with linen cartridges and period-correct cartridge packages.

I had another good day with my beloved Smith Carbine.  This is, hands down, the best carbine of the Civil War.  I had a problem (again!!) with the front sight.  I accidentally knocked the carbine over, and the soft brass front sight was bent off to the left slightly, causing all my rounds to hit slightly to the right of my Intended Mean Point of Impact.  On the second table of fire I shot with the Smith (see Table 4 below) I was very careful to aim off, and, as a result, I got what I believe to be my best String Test ever with the Smith:  1.7 in./rd., a score I consider to be truly excellent, especially since I had to aim off by guesstimate (I normally consider anything less than 3 in./rd. to be good shooting).  I am so very pleased.  I am still shooting just slightly low, so I need to take one or maybe two more licks of the file to the top of the sight (as well as straightening it, of course).  I really need a sight protector.  My last table of fire with the Smith I tried using some cartridges loaded with 40 grains of 2F Schuetzen powder (as opposed to my usual 35 grains of 3F), and the results were a little disappointing (see Table 6 below).  To see how I load Smith cartridges, see HERE.

Smith carbine with nylon cartridges, a correct cartridge box, and correct cartridge packages.

As always, the scores shown below are *not* the crude, nearly meaningless “group size” numbers most people use.  Instead, I use the historical String Test to gauge my shooting, and so should everyone else.  To learn how to use the String Test (including a link to a video I did), see HERE.

Lytle Creek Shooting Conditions:  Clear and very bright.  Temperature: 87 deg.  Humidity: 61%.  Wind: 10 mph from 4:00.  Barometer: 19.9 inHg.  All Sharps rounds were fired from 100 yards and all Smith rounds were fired from 50 yards, with all shots fired from a seated unsupported position with both weapons.

Table One:  Sharps.

Table One:  Sharps
100 yards, 65 grains Schuetzen 2F, linen tube, Richmond Labs bullet.
String: 27.75 in., 10 rounds.
String Test:  2.8 in./rd.

Table Two: Smith.

Table Two:  Smith
50 yards, 35 grains Schuetzen 3F, nylon tube, Smith bullet.
String: 22.25 in., 10 rounds.
String Test:  2.2 in./rd.

Table Three:  Sharps (NO PICTURE!  Sorry!)
Same range and load as Table One.
String: 30.25 in., 10 rounds.
String Test: 3.2 in./rd.

Table 4: Smith.

Table Four: Smith
Same range and load as Table Two.
String: 17.25 in., 10 rounds.
String Test: 1.7 in./rd.  (YES!!!)

Table 5: Sharps.

Table Five:  Sharps
Same range and load as Table One.
String 22.0 in., 10 rounds.
String Test:  2.2 in./rd.

Table Six: Smith 40 grain 2F.

Table Six:  Smith
50 yards, 40 grains Schuetzen 2F, nylon tube, Smith bullet.
String: 31.0 in., 10 rounds.
String Test: 3.1 in./rd.