Edition 2014-3 Published by C. Sharps Arms Co., Inc.

Ole Buffalo Gal, page 3

“The business end of Ole Buffalo Gal”

Manufacturers of A WORLD FAMOUS SERIES of Classic Metallic Cartridge Rifles and Classic Sights P.O. Box 885, Big Timber, MT 59011-Pnone: 406-932-4353-Fax: 406-932-4443

2014 csharps@ttc-cmc.net * www.csharpsarms.com 2014

THE AMERICAN SHARPS SHOOTERS Publisher: C. Sharps Arms Co. Inc., John R. Schoffstall – President

Mike Nesbitt - - - Editor (miken54@aol.com)

Dakota Dick Savage - - Field Contributor (honodick@centurylink.net)

Dangerous Don McDowell – Field Contributor (ranch13@hotmail.com)

Table of contents: Ole Buffalo Gal by Dakota Dick Savage page 3

Outstanding Products ” 7

Shooting At The Big Hill by Dangerous Don McDowell ” 11

Ole Buffalo Gal

By Dakota Dick Savage

After long stretches of harvesting and processing buffalo in the wide open country that

stretched from Texas to Montana, dodging whatever mother nature could toss their way and

surviving hostiles of every kind, both two legged and four legged, buffalo hunters returned to the

hide and meat collection centers with their heavily laden wagons to collect both payment and companionship. Some of

that companionship was provided as a service by the soiled doves that worked in the many entertainment establishments

that inevitably popped up around the collection centers. The lot of the soiled doves did not treat kindly the frail or weak

of heart and those that flourished, were by all accounts, strong, handsome women that fit well into the frontier’s rough and

tumble lifestyle.

One of those soiled doves, who is said to have done very well for herself in the Dakota Territory, was known to

many as Buffalo Gal. A strong woman with quick wit who is said to have given as good as she got! Treated well and

handled with respect she left her acquaintances with a smile and a story to be embellished as seen fit around future

campfires. The very same can be said of a good rifle and that very trail of thought led me to crowning my next Sharps ‘74

acquisition "Ole Buffalo

Gal"...and I hadn't even placed the

order for her yet!

Inspiration for the next rifle (or the

blame if talking with my forever

understanding wife) came from

the pages of Frank Sellers’ book

Sharps Firearms. Should you be

lucky enough to own or ever come

across an edition of this golden

volume of historical bound pages,

take a gander on page 220 at the

16 pound, bull barreled, 50 caliber

sporting rifle reported to have

been shipped to buffalo hunter

Mark Biedell of Kit Carson,

Colorado in April of 1873.

Other than opting for a .45-110

and a standard shotgun butt, the

rifle pictured served as the template for the order I placed

for "Ole Buffalo Gal" with John Schoffstall at C Sharps

Arms. Like Buffalo Gal herself, this was to be a working

woman. Handsome with a strong back and with even just a

casual glance, leaves no doubt that she would get the job

done. A straight stocked, Number 3 rifle with 30" bull

barrel that should tip the scale not an ounce under 16

pounds without sights. Bone and charcoal case hardening

and dovetails cut for mounting buckhorn and leaf sights as

well as a dovetail mounted full length traditional scope.

The rifle shipped to Mark Biedell in 1873 was ordered and

delivered with just such a scope. And finally, to satisfy

my one vain failing...upgraded wood. But hey, the soiled

doves dressed up when working... Okay, when

advertising... so why shouldn't a buffalo rifle built in their

honor be a bit dressed up too?

It only took a short four

months from placing the order

until Ole Buffalo Gal was in

my hands. A real beauty at 16

pounds 1 ounce that took a firm

grip to hold and an equal

measure of strength to mount

(sorry just couldn't resist...).

The color and pattern of the

bone and charcoal case

hardening was enough to take

ones’ breath away and, only by

fate's hand, an "eye" appears on

the hammer's face at exactly the right location.

This is no off-hand rifle to be sure, each barrel flat measures over half-an-inch across and all but dwarfs the .45

caliber hole at the muzzle. (Look at the cover again.) With the rifle named and fingerprints adorning about every square

inch of wood and steel it was time to find out if this ole girl could shoot. But first I completed the C. Sharps Arms’

recommended barrel break-in procedure. To be totally honest I really find the break-in procedure monotonous but

experiencing the feel of the bore smoothing out during the break-in routine I became an instant convert. Ten shots down

the bore using 20 grains of Accurate 5744 and Hornady's .45 caliber jacketed 325 grain FTX bullet (or any .458” jacketed

bullet), cleaning after every shot with Sweets Bore Cleaner until no signs of copper fouling remain visible on the patch.

Followed by another ten shots, cleaning after every second shot. I have followed this procedure ever since getting

that first C Sharps Arms’ rifle some 12 years ago. The first time I used the procedure I was dumbfounded that I could

actually feel a noticeable change in resistance to the patch being pushed down the bore after just a couple of shoots.

Normally, between the 5th and 7th round fired, the felt resistance to the Sweets soaked patch will be a fraction of the

resistance felt during the initial cleanings. The patch will literally just glide down the bore. Additionally, copper fouling

will be a fraction of what appeared in the first couple firings.

Since that day, I have used this procedure on every new rifle I have purchased. Does it help? Well, Pard, it sure

can't hurt and being able to actually feel the change in the bore made me a real believer. From .223 to .338 Win Mags,

from .38-55 to the Big Fifty .50-90 the results have been the same...smooth bore with little resistance somewhere between

the 5th and 7th shot.

My previous load development efforts with other .45-110s, have shown that loads using both GOEX 1F and KIK

1.5 eventually yielded some excellent down range results when paired with .444-inch 20:1 paper patched bullets cast from

Buffalo Arms Company’s slick sided Money Bullet mold. Dry patched with two wraps of 9 pound onion skin paper the

final bullet bore riding diameter is .450-inches.

I have also found that Norma's .45-

120 brass when trimmed down to match

the .45-110 chamber length results in a

case wall thickness of .013" that when full

length resized, annealed, and the case

mouth just touched with a .450” expander

allows me to finger seat the .450 inch

patched bullet so that it is held firmly in

the case, this total combination shows no

indication of gas blow by on a fired case.

However, I have also found the thicker

walls of this case just a bit too thick for

.458- .459” grease groove bullets. The

case wall thickness when expanded to hold

the .008” larger diameter bullet results in

too fat a cartridge to fit in the front

chamber of most .45-110s.

With the Norma cases prepared for paper patched bullets as described above and primed with CCI BR2 primers, I

loaded ten each with 95, 100, and 102.5 grains of KIK 1.5 respectively. (I have found Powder Inc. to be a good, reliable

source for my KIK powders.) My preference is to load without

compressing the powder charge when using PP bullets...no special

reason other than the case capacity when seating the PP bullet well

out of the case, whether loading .45-70 or .45-110, is normally

sufficient to allow room for a full powder charge drop through a 30

inch drop tube. This still allows for adding a various mix of wads and

lube cookies and still have between .150 and .200-inches to seat the

paper patch bullet. For this load development work I used a .030”

inch veggie fiber wad over the powder, added a .125-inch SPG lube

cookie and finally another .030” veggie fiber wad on top of the lube

cookie. After finger seating the paper patch bullet I use a Lyman

taper crimp die to put just the slightest pressure on the side wall of the

case.

With a few extra load test rounds, I zeroed in Ole Buffalo Gal

at 100 yards and began the load development test course of fire. Five

rounds of each test load fired, wiping with one wet patch and one dry

patch after every shot. After firing 5 rounds of the same load, I

moved the Vernier sight up 5 minutes and fired the next test load and

so on until the target ran out of elevation or I ran out of test loads.

The results of that first load development testing is indicated to the

right.

Now I have been fooled before by initial test load results so I

have learned to take a "the jury is still out" approach until a good

performing load has repeated itself 3 times consecutively on different

days with a new batch of reloads. Ole Buffalo Gal remained true to her heritage and after 3 days of testing, the 102.5

grain KIK 1.5 load confirmed it would turn in a sub MOA performance consistently if the shooter did their job.

On the fourth day, armed with the fourth batch of

the top performing load, I took to the shooting sticks and

after fouling the bore to confirm sight settings and taking

more than just a few nerve calming deep breaths Ole

Buffalo Gal turned in the 8 shot group pictured. No doubt

this Ole Gal can give as a good as she got and will be one

remembered when embellished stories are told around the

campfire.

PS: Shortly after completing load development for Ole Buffalo Gal, I used up my first case of KIK 1.5 and started a new

one. The measurement of the 102.5 grains weighed load, from the top of the .030 powder wad to the case mouth,

averaged .350 inches. To achieve that same volume measurement with the new case of KIK 1.5 a weighed load of 106.0

grains was required. Once again several trips to the range were made to confirm that volume and not weight rules in

achieving consistence, repeatable results with Black Powder loads. The Standard holds! It was volume and not weight

that ruled the day and continue to turn in sub MOA performance. For this new lot of powder, 106.0 grains is the new

102.5 grains.

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTS:

WADS FROM JOHN WALTERS by Mike Nesbitt

My .50/70 gets to be “in the

news” a couple of times in this

issue just because it became the

test rifle for a couple of

different products. The product

about to be mentioned now is

nothing new to most shooters

but it is really on the new side

for me. I’m referring to the

vegetable fiber wads from John

Walters and let me begin by

simply saying they seem to be

every bit as good as other

shooters say they are.

After getting a good supply

of the .060” thick wads for .50

caliber, a test batch of .50/70s

was loaded. This ammo used

my favorite loading of 65 grains

(by volume) of Olde Eynsford

2F under bullets cast from

Lyman’s #515141, which weigh 435 grains when cast with 20-1 alloy (also from John Walters). Previously I

had used a card wad to compress the powder charge enough to seat the bullet in the case with my fingertips.

That procedure was not changed a bit except to use the .060” vegetable fiber wad instead of the thinner card

wad. Using the thicker wad did compress the powder a little bit more.

Five of those new loads were tried on a target at 50 yards and they produced the group shown. Yes, that

is a five-shot group, the bullet holes at 12 o’clock and at 6’o’clock are both doubles. While this group could be

a bit tighter I’m still very pleased because a score of 50 for five shots is hard to beat.

My main intention was to find out if loads using the thicker wads would hit well without any adjustment

to the sights. Those sights will stay right where they are and the remaining loads with the Walters wads simply

went into my ammo stash to be used when needed. And I do think I’ll be using Walters’ wads from now on.

I have yet to use these wads beneath paper patched bullets but that will be next.

John Walters offers pre-cut vegetable fiber wads in most all calibers, from .25 to 10 gauge, and they are

recommended for black powder cartridge rifles, cowboy action shooting, muzzle-loading, and for Schuetzen

competition. His wads are available in .010”, .015”, .030” or .060” thicknesses and they are priced at $20 per

1000 plus $1 for shipping and handling. Contact him by email at thetinwadman@cox.net. His mailing address

is; John Walters, 500 N. Avery Drive, Moore, Oklahoma 73160 and his telephone number is 405-799-0376.

PAPER PATCH BULLET LUBE FROM BUFFALO ARMS by Mike Nesbitt

Buffalo Arms Company has a special lube for paper patched bullets and to me this is something really new.

Not only had I never heard about a lube for paper patched bullets, I had thought that lube on the patch was

something to be avoided. So, I have learned just a few things.

My learning process or pathway had some bumps in it though. Please enjoy hearing about some of those as

I share some experiences. First of all, I asked the folks at Buffalo Arms how to apply the lube to the paper patch

and they gave me only very general replies with no specific information. I’m not throwing any daggers at

Buffalo Arms, far from it, but that does illustrate how new this lube actually is.

Of course, there are application directions

printed right on the bottle and it says, “Apply

lube to paper patches in advance and allow to air-

dry completely to a tough, dry, waterproof film.”

That should be plain enough but I had to ask “in

advance of what?” Were the patches to be lubed

before patching the bullets or lube the patched

bullets before being loaded?

We can quickly guess that if the patches were

lubed before being applied to the bullets, the thin

coating of lube would add to the thickness of the

patch enough to make unwanted changes in

overall diameters. So, my immediate course of

action was to lube the patched bullets.

My first try was to set the patch bullets on

their bases in a shallow tin and then pour lube

into the tin until the lube covered the patches.

This was done with some bullets for the .50/70

plus about eight bullets for the .44/77. They were

allowed to soak up the lube just for a short time

but it became a quick realization that they had

gotten too much. The bullet were removed from

the lube and they required over two days to dry. The lube had completely penetrated the paper which allowed

the silver hue of the bullets to show through. And when those bullets were fired there was no evidence of paper

falling to the ground just beyond the muzzle.

From that point my concentration was devoted to the bullets for the .50/70 and the next batch of bullets were

treated by “painting” the lube onto the patch with a Q-tip. That works very well and the lubed bullets will dry in

just a couple of hours. At the next shooting session there was plenty of “confetti’ falling in front of the muzzle

which shows that the patches were not sticking to the bullets. Grouping was good as well. Those loads were

also chronographed and they had an average velocity that was just 8 feet per second faster than the same loading

without the lubed patches. The sample size of my testing, however, is too small to be considered conclusive.

The load I used was charged with 70 grains (by volume) of Olde Eynsford 1 1/2F and that was compressed

under a .060” vegetable fiber wad from John Walters enough to add a 1/8” grease cookie of DGL lube plus a

card wad punched out of milk carton under the patched bullets poured with a 16-1 alloy from an Accurate

Molds’ #50-470T. Those bullets entered the case by about 3/8” and they were ‘taper crimped’ with the sizing

die. Shooting was done beginning with a clean barrel but the recording of velocities was preceded by a fouling

shot and the barrel was ‘blow tubed’ between shots. The average velocities were; 1180 fps without the patch

lube and 1188 fps with the patch lube. We can easily consider that as no difference at all.

Group size was also good but with the slightly tighter group going to the loads that with the dry patches.

Once again, my sample size is too small to draw real conclusions so let me simply say that the loads with the

lubricated patches hit nicely right along with the dry patch loads.

There will be more shooting done with this special paper patch lubricant done with other cartridges but for

now I want to say that I like this product. While it does not show any real advantage in performance over non-

lubricated paper patches it certainly can have an advantage with ammunition used on the hunt. What I’m

referring to now is the waterproofing qualities of this lube. Because I live and usually hunt on the “wet side” of

Washington State, having waterproof paper patches might be a real bonus.

To find this product for yourself just go to Buffalo Arms Company’s web site (www.buffaloarms.com) and

look for “Rooster Jacket Waterproof Bullet Film Lube.” A 16 ounce bottle is priced at $18.00 plus shipping.

Buffalo Arms Company is one of the main sources for black powder cartridge shooting supplies and this paper

patch lubricant should be well received. If you want to call Buffalo Arms, the phone number is 208-263-6953.

BPC LUBE by Mike Nesbitt

BPC Lube from C. Sharps Arms is available again.

It comes either in large or small tubs for lubing paper

patched bullets or in hollow sticks for use with a luber-

sizer. This lube was “out of stock” for a while and I’m

glad to announce that it is “on the shelf” at C. Sharps

Arms again.

As pictured, the half-pound tub of BPC Lube is $30

and the five 1 1/2 ounce sticks are priced at $18.

Individual sticks of lube are priced at $4 and a larger tub

is also available. To find some just check in the

accessories section of the on-line catalog at

www.csharpsarms.com.

LYMAN’S BULLET MOULD #410660 by Mike Nesbitt

A new .40/70 SS caliber rifle has come my way, a

heavy barreled Highwall from C. Sharps Arms. You’ll be

hearing more about that rifle, a lot more if my hopes prove

correct but right now I want to talk about the bullet mould

that I’ve selected to go with this new rifle. It’s the 385

grain pointed bullet, Lyman’s #410660.

That bullet style was selected for its long range

potential and yes, I have heard both positive and negative

things about this particular bullet. Whether I like the

bullet or not remains to be seen but it is certainly going to

receive a real good try. Right now I want to talk about the

Lyman mould that makes these bullets.

My experiences with casting bullets goes back for

over 60 years and the moulds I started with back then were

made by Lyman. Like many other bullet casters, I have

often wished that Lyman still had the very large list of

available bullet styles like they had back in the ‘50s and 60’s, especially for the obsolete calibers that we like so

well. But if Lyman does make the bullet style I’m looking for, they are usually my first choice for a mould to

make those bullets.

This new mould for the pointed .40 caliber bullets is treating me very well and good, smooth bullets started

dropping from its single cavity within the first dozen pours, casting with the pot and dipper method. The bullets

were cast with Walters’ 20-1 alloy and even though this report might be considered a little bit premature, just

because none of the bullets have been fired as this is written, I’m very pleased with the mould and the way it

drops good looking slugs.

There will be more to say, certainly, but for now let me conclude by repeating how Lyman has kept

producing top equipment for shooters and reloaders ever since 1878. That’s a good long time and lets all hope

their future as well as our shooting sports last just as long. You will find Lyman products in just about any

sporting goods store or if you want to contact Lyman more directly, perhaps to request their catalog, write to

them at; Lyman Products Corporation, 475 Smith Street, Middletown, Connecticut 06457. You can also visit

their website at www.Lymanproducts.com.

NEW

ARMED PATRIOT DRONE T-SHIRTS

C. Sharps Arms’ “Armed Patriot Drone” T-Shirts. Logo reads, “I AM AN ARMED

PATRIOT DRONE, CONTROLLED BY GOD.” These Tee’s are 100% cotton,

available sized Medium, Large, and

Extra Large. Colors, either red or

blue. Price $15.00 plus postage.

To get your shirt send orders to

or call C. Sharps Arms, P.O. Box

885, Big Timber, MT 59011-Pnone:

406-932-4353. You can also order

these shirts from our web site at

www.csharpsarms.com

These new shirts do make a “timely”

statement. Let’s spread the news by

declaring our loyalty and faith.

Shooting at the Big Hill

By Dangerous Don McDowell

There are many “buffalo gong” matches held around the country,

but without a doubt one of the premier events has to be the Big Hill

Match held every June on the weekend just before Fathers Day. The

location for this is on the Dale and Brenda Sweiggert Ranch, 10 miles

north of Baker, Montana on Highway 7.

What makes this match “premier?” Well, for starters, it’s one of those that you can take a car load of

guns of varying types and a trailer load of ammo while the whole family can have a blast (pun intended). On

Friday afternoon they hold a .22 revolver jackpot match. Saturday is a big day starting immediately after match

director Brian Hickey and his Segundo Mark Meccage conduct the shooters meeting. That’s when those

shooters who have paid their match fees to the lovely and kind Lori Hickey are assigned to squads so the lever

gun match can start. Any exposed hammer lever action over .25 caliber shooting cast bullets can be used to

shoot at a variety of steel targets set at distances from 60 to 225 yards with eight shots on each target. No cross-

sticks are allowed for the adult shooters.

After a brief break the handgun match begins where the legal arms are revolvers .32 caliber and larger

firing lead bullets at a maximum velocity of 1100 fps will engage a variety of steel targets from distances of 12

to 60 yards. The six-gunners shoot five shots on each target.

Believe it or not the top shooters usually have as few as two or three misses across the revolver course.

Following the handgun event, the .22 rifle match takes place. Any .22 rifle that can be single loaded (or

single shot) can be used in this match. It’s all done with iron sights, no scopes and again adults cannot use

cross-sticks. The targets here again are steel silhouettes at distances from 25 to 100 yards.

On Saturday evening after the 22 match the scores are totaled, and the camp gathers around to watch the

awards handed out for each match, with awards going to the various classes, which includes adults, juniors,

seniors, and the ladies. There is also a generous supply of door prize drawings, awards donated by various local

business and some of the shooters. Many of the prizes are donated by such well known and much appreciated

BPCR suppliers such as C. Sharps Arms, and Buffalo Arms Company, along with other suppliers such as Black

Hills Ammo and Cabela’s.

Then on Sunday morning the making of shooting

squads for the long range match begins. Here’s

where the big guns come into play. Those are

single shots or lever guns, .375 bore or larger,

sending slugs out to five targets with eight shots at

each. My pictures of the long range targets are not

the best, they have been cropped and expanded

just about to the limits but I hope they give you a

good idea about what we get to shoot at. The steel

targets are; a bucket at 225 yards, a standing

grizzly bear at 545 yards, a black bear at 400

yards, an octagon out at 298 yards, and then the

buffalo at a full 823 yards. Those targets add up

to a lot of fun for the big guns. The long range

match this year was won by Harvey Pennington

The white bucket at 225 yards. with the very good score of 36 hits.

After the shooting stops, the awards are again handed out to the various shooting classes. That also

includes the high aggregate for both Saturday and Sunday’s matches. Followed by more door prize drawings.

There is certainly no shortage of prizes.

The top all-around shooter was Corky

Atkinson with a total score of 117 hits. That

doing some real good shooting with every

gun.

This range is about as pretty of a place

as there is to shoot. Perched high on the rim

of a bluff overlooking two canyons that have

pockets of timber in them. A person can

almost visualize a squad of shooters on the

line as a line of old time buff runners making

a stand. The Sweiggarts, Dale and Brenda,

deserve a great “thank you” from the shooting

community for their generous donation of the

land use for this and the several other matches

that are held there throughout the year.

So if you’re of a mind to come along

for the eastern Montana shooting spree in

June, try to include Big Hill. The entry fees Here’s Don contemplating the black bear target

for the long range and lever-gun matches are $20 each.

The .22 match entry fee is $10 and the handgun match

entry is $15. You’ll be in good company because there

are usually around 60 shooters but they have had as

many as 116. And while you are in the Big Sky’s

“neighborhood”, the Big Hill matches are followed by

the granddaddy of all the long range buffalo matches,

the Quigley. The shoot at Quigley is just about 120

miles to the west and it is held on the following

weekend. Then you can return to the Big Hill site on

The standing grizz at 545 yards the weekend after the Quigley match

for the World Championship Long

Range steel match. Just be sure to

pack along enough ammo, or bring

the tools and fixin’s to reload your

empties along the way because going

through a few hundred rounds of

buffalo gun cartridges is not an

uncommon thing to do on this trip.

Good shooting all of the way!

And the buffalo at 823 yards