Centerfire or percussion Sharps?

[RobW]

At the last gun-show (going there for entertainment, unbeatable!) a local BP arms dealer had a very nice percussion-Sharps with set-trigger and vernier sight. Now you can use them with brass cases that can be preloaded (they have a small hole at the bottom for ignition by the cap). I don't know the brand, but overall finish was very good (may be it's a Pedersoli).

I'm just not sure if a center-fire model would be better. It seems reloading of the centerfire brass is more hassle than the percussion brass case.

Does anyone have experience with these models?

BTW, the price tag was $ 1047.00.

 

[mainmech48]

Must be something new. All of the percussion Sharps replicas that I've seen were set-up for the original nitrated linen/paper cartridges.

My only concern would be if the new version that you're talking about is subject to the same regulations that apply to later cartridge models. If that was the case, I'd just as soon get the 45/70. At least one could use moderate smokeless loads when you didn't feel like doing an immediate detail cleaning when you got home.

I also wonder about the special (I'm assuming here) cases. How available are they, how much do they cost, and what are they made of? Brass cases used with black powder take some special care to get the maximum life out of them. FWIW, the Spencer replicas made in the authentic caliber use SS cases to get around this problem.

Reloading shouldn't be much different from 45/70, unless it takes some sort of special projectile, eg: paper patch or odd size. Since it's a single-shot, neck sizing only would work with either. It might involve some sort of provision (piece of cigarette paper or similar) at the base to keep the powder dry and in-place if the ammo wasn't to be used immediately.