About my old Pedersoli Sharps rifle...

[Erwan]

Hi guys,

I've again a other problem with my Pedersoli Sharps sporting and I need some help if somebody can help with a very simple language and simples words too because I'm not really American and this make some explanation very difficult for me...

So the problem of the day is:

The floating chamber of my rifle doesn't move anymore because it is oxydized since a really long time, till now I did can support that but now the falling block doesn't close correctly and I want know if someone of you cans tell me something about the adapting of O ring on it. I know that some guys did it but I don't know how.
One falling block with O ring is (or was) existing on the Pedersoli but I can't get any answer about this and also if it works fine without a floating chamber or if I can replace one by the other.

My apologies fort the poor words that I write I just hope that you can understand what I mean...

Have a nice day.

Erwan.

 

[Jimster]

The removable plate needs to be machined thinner and then a rubber O ring is placed behind it to give it some movement. I can fire countless rounds in my 1859 Infantry rifle without any binding.

 

[daboyleroy]

Morning
“You should never have gas blowback in a Sharps if the gas seal is operating properly. If your gas seal plate is not moving properly to seal the chamber, then you may have blowback and a problem. I forget how the plate is set up on a Pedersoli but if it's like a Shiloh, it is set in the breech in a very tight fit but moves back in the breech block when the block is opened. When the block is closed and the gun fired, gas is channeled behind the block, forcing it to move forward against the rear of the barrel and sealing the back end of the barrel, thus not allowing gas to leak out. If the gas seal plate is rusted or damaged, it might not be able to move forward to seal the rear of the barrel.


Another problem could be gas cutting on the gas seal plate. Hot gases from the barrel actually erode the plate, cutting channels in the plate, and the gases escape out of the action. You need a new gas plate to fix this problem. Many of us in the North-South Skirmish Association have our Sharps (both Shiloh and Pedersoli) modified by replacing the gas seal plates with ones made from chrome plated steel or bronz. This eliminates gas cutting of the steel plates. As a further modification, our gas plates are made slightly undersized so that they move very freely in the breech plate. A rubber "o" ring is then placed at the back of the gas seal plate, next to the breech block. When the gun is fired, the seal plate is forced back againe the "o" ring and seals the breech from escaping gases. After 300 or 400 rounds over the course of the summer shooting season, I'll replace the "o" ring.


We routinely shoot 40 to 60 rounds or so in a match without cleaning the breech block assembly with no gas leak problems. After the match, of course, we completely strip the breech block assembly for cleaning and make sure to take the gas seal plate out of the breech and clean it and the inside of the breech. Then we put grease on the seal plate before putting it back into the breech so that it moves freely. “

https://shilohrifle.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5528

Please check out this thread

The above is part of it

Hope this helps

 

[daboyleroy]

Also check out
https://www.n-ssa.net/vbforum/showt...s-Check-System/page2?highlight=Pedersoli+ring

About half way down

recently acquired a Pedersoli 1859 Sharps in trade.

This is the version of the Pedersoli that uses an attempt at the "Sam Dobbins" modification - they have their gas check plate backed up by an o-ring. They also use a sliding chamber bushing. This is what my stock breech block and gas check plate looked like:



Like you, I could only get off about 10 shots before the action became too stiff to operate.

I sent my Sharps to Larry Flees, who removes the sliding chamber bushing and replaces it with a fixed bushing, and he replaces the stock gas plate with his own.

My first time using it after getting it back I fired 89 consecutive shots without cleaning the action.

See my review here:

http://www.n-ssa.net/vbforum/showthr...Carbine-rework

I highly recommend Larry Flees' Sharps rework. If you are needing your Sharps to fire off many consecutive shots as in a competition environment, it is a necessity.

If you are just doing shooting range plinking if you dribble a few drops of Ballistol onto the breech face when the action is open that will generally get the gun running again for a few shots......

 

[Erwan]

Hi everybody,



I thank you all and especially daboyleroy for clearly explaning a relatively simple for a non English/American-speaking.



Well, I think that I have understood what you told me about the place of this O-ring and How to place it. I think I can do it by myself with my lathe.

In first I'm going to buy another moving plate for to be secure and work over the old one.

I left a picture here just for you can see if I have really well understood the thing an there you can see one point of detail: I need to know if the fire channel is screwed or not in the falling block (breech ?). If it is so is it really important and is it an obligation to do in this manner I do the same way. In this case I have to buy a block too (yep: to be secure) and work on the old like for the moving plate...

If this is unimportant I save the old block...



It's very interesting that transformation of the Pedersoli Sharps, till now with good cartridges like those ( ) I can't shoot more than 15 ctg. Then if you say that you can shoot 89 of them this is very impressive...

 

[4v50 Gary]

2that’s neat