What got you started?

[Coltsmoke]

I've always had a gun in my hands, squirrel hunting as soon as I could hold a .22 rifle. Deer and Turkey hunting was a way of life for me. I found more enjoyment hunting with Black Powder instead of modern rifles. Always worked with wood and collected and refinished antique furniture with fancy wood. I was shooting Cap and Ball pistols and making some grips out of fancy wood and had restocked my Hawkens with some fancy wood. When I saw a Shiloh Rifle with the fancy Walnut stock and the BP cartridge, It was all over for me. It tied history, fancy wood, black powder, and shooting all together for me. I love tinkering with machines at work to see what makes them do what they do and why they won't do what they are supposed to do, so trying to master the BPCR game lets me do all the tinkering that I can find time to do. I have found my retirement hobby that ties it all together for me, if only I could retire.

[DAVE ROELLE]

One year our booth was really close to Wolfgangs booth at the Shot Show---------------------i drooled over those rifles all weekend----knew that soooooooooommmmmmmmmmm day

Well, I finally had the time and capability and bought a used Shiloh-------------------The learning-----the history----------the shooting its all tied together for me now

Dave

[pwDave]

What got me started was an old movie with Rory Calhoun in it as a buffler hunter, this was before any repos were being made so all of the rifles in the movie were sharps, and there were some really nice ones. I was about 9 or 10 at the time, but was aware of firearms as I had shot some with Dads .22 mossberg. I knew at that time that "someday" I would own one of those magnificent rifles. skip forward thirty years, a fellow at work brought a gun magazine of some kind to work one night, came over and asked if I was still interested in a sharps buffalo gun, (talked about it often) I said yes and he showed me the small ad in the back of the book. wow,wow,wow, Had one on the way in a matter of days, gave 520.00 full retail for it, long range express in 50/140. so the love of the sharps rifle has for me been an almost life long love. and thats how I got started. Dave.

[Jim Kidwell]

I'm admitting my age, but what stirred my interest was the movie "Valdez Is Coming", back in the 70's. I did nothing about it, but I did research on the Sharps off and on for 20 some years. Traveling six days a week does not leave a lot of time for the shooting sports. I finally discovered a young gun writer that piqued my interest again. I can't remember his name. I think it was "MVL or what ever". I'm not sure he is still around as I heard he had a unfortunate accident with a malfunctioning door on a "pick'em up truck" ................................................Jim

[58limited]

I have always loved history, especially the Old West and WWII. As a teen I read all of Louis L'Amour's books, many of which mentioned or prominently featured Sharps rifles. I saw them in various movies, old and recent, and always liked their style. I grew up shooting, starting with my grandfather's .22 ( I was a wizard with that thing) and I reloaded for my deer rifle. I also had muzzleloaders and cap and ball pistols but never a BPCR. I found out about Shiloh Sharps back in college but getting one was way out of reach financially. I rediscovered Shiloh a couple of years ago and finally bought one last December. I just love the look and style of the 1874 model.

[Lumpy Grits]

[quote="Jim Kidwell"]I'm admitting my age, but what stirred my interest was the movie "Valdez Is Coming", back in the 70's. I did nothing about it, but I did research on the Sharps off and on for 20 some years. Traveling six days a week does not leave a lot of time for the shooting sports. I finally discovered a young gun writer that piqued my interest again. I can't remember his name. I think it was "MVL or what ever". I'm not sure he is still around as I heard he had a unfortunate accident with a malfunctioning door on a "pick'em up truck" ................................................Jim[/quote]


Jim.....In MLV's(whoever that is)case, I think it was and "un-load'em truck"
Gary

[SIXSHOOTER]

In 1960 I was 8 and my dad stopped at an old shut down gas station in Irwin Idaho. A sign said guns for sale. My dad let me look around when a buddy of his came in and they got to talking. I followed the owner around and ask him about his guns. He showed me a kentucky rifle that was way longer than I was tall with lots of silver inlay. I ask my dad to buy it for $200 but he said no chance. The guy had lots of winchesters and a henry. I ask him what his favorite was and he showed me several Sharps that were not for sale. Showed me how they worked and what they shot. He had a couple that he would sell for $250. My dad said you could buy 2 .270's for that so quit asking. I talked him into letting me buy a trap door that had been modified from a long gun to a cavalry model sort of for $19. The guy said it was a .50-90 but lots of others have said .50-70. Dosent matter, I dont plan to shoot it. Got a sharps as soon as the kids left home.

[MLV]

I'm not near as old nor near as ugly as Jimmy Kidwell but the movie that got me going about Sharps was The Unforgiven (not Unforgiven) with Burt Lancaster, Audrey Hepburn and Audie Murphy. Not only where they fighting off Kiowa with a Sharps (among others) they were casting bullets while doing it.

MLV/MVL/LMV/etc.

[borderdogs]

MLV,
I remember that movie & if I remember right they were Sharps carbines. In the movie Valdez is Coming the Sharps used there seemed to be a heavy round (or part round) barrel you can't really tell. Another movie from the 70's was one with Gregory Peck where he is leaving an outpost and the guy after him gets the old hide hunter to pull down his heavy barrel Sharps to try to take him down. He gets a couple shots off kills Pecks horse & then the SHarps has a breached block or some other problem & it's out of commision. For the life of me I can't remember the name of that one. Of course Clint has featured Sharps in a few of his movies. Being the age that I am the Valdez movie was the one that peaked my interest but those others didn't help to quell the interest!!!!
Rob Drummond

[Woody]

My dad gave me a Smith Civil War carbine. That got me started in old guns. Being stationed in Long Island in the 70's put me into a prime collecting place to keep my interest going. Finally, one day in late 97, at a very small gun show in Craig, CO, I found a used Shiloh Long Range Express in .45 - 2.1. Saw an add in the American Rifleman for a BPCR Silhouette match in Watkins, CO and called Charlie Semmer. Shot my first match in 98 and my first Nationals in 99. Been shooting as many matches as I can since. Still got a lot to learn.

Woody

[mdeland]

I got started by making a BPCR and trying to sell it at a local gun shop. The owner got talking to me and said ,hey why don't you take it out to the Solstice shoot at Ft. Richardson and see what it will do. I took his advice and went out, I think it was a Thursday evening , and shot with a bunch like minded fellas making smoke and had a good time. At some point Bob Engelbach , who didn't know me from a load of hay , just sort of jumped into the cab of my truck and started talking guns.
Well we were fast friends from that day forward and I've been shooting and building them since. That was the summer of 98. MD

[boge]

I'm not near as old nor near as ugly as Jimmy Kidwell but the movie that got me going about Sharps was The Unforgiven (not Unforgiven) with Burt Lancaster, Audrey Hepburn and Audie Murphy. Not only where they fighting off Kiowa with a Sharps (among others) they were casting bullets while doing it.

MLV/MVL/LMV/etc.

Remember when Audie Murphy said ".44 Rimfire" to the woman?


I fired my first BP in 1973 I believe. I was a pup and my dad bought me a Lyman .44 Rem. revolver. My first BPCR was an Allen Arms 44-40 Henry Rifle in the Spring of '82 which I traded in August that year for a Shiloh 45-70 and a little "Jack" to boot. Shot my first paper patch late that Fall with bullets bought from Cache La Poudre Rifle Works in CO.

[Denali]

When I was about 7 years old (early 70s) my grandfather would get me a new Gun Digest and Shooters Bible every year for Christmas. Then Cartridges of the World. I would read that one over and over and see those big obsolete cartridges with my eyes closed. Finally about 20 years ago a fellow let me shoot a Shiloh heavy barreled 45-70 at a distant rock and told me about the long wait. I then new I had to have one at some point in the future.

[opencountry]

'Hole in the Wall' belonged to John Schoffenstahl (sp), who now owns C. Sharps Arms in Big Timber, MT. John had his start with manufacturing Sharps rifles in 'Hole in the Wall' in my home town, Richland, WA, back in the 70's. He had a display case in his shop filled with authentic Sharps rifles, including some original buffalo rifles. I bought one of his business rifles in 45-120, and later another business rifle custom chambered in 45-90. My wife and I had a wonderful time shooting them at longrange targets. I began casting my own bullets before I shot either one of them. I enjoyed the smell of black powder. Before owning/shooting the Sharps rifles I owned two custom made (G. Henry out of Missoula, MT) Hawken rifles.

Here are some of my early rifles. A 'G. Henry' on top, and a C. Sharps in the middle...

BTW, I made the cartridge belt.



I've posted this photo of my wife shooting my 45-120 business rifle before, many many years ago. We were shooting at rocks on the side of the hill past the river's bend, perhaps 800 yds. away...

[Robert Rogers]

Back in the mid 60s I visited an uncle who showed me an old Sharps that he had been given. I remember it stirring an excitement in me , but would be many years down the road before I actually got one.
That old Sharps was a carbine , marked "Old Reliable" , and 44 cal. At that time , I had no idea how to determine which 44 , or even know that there was more than one. My uncle told me that the old man who gave it to him had told him that the last times he had shot it was with .410 shotgun shells. After I got somewhat older and better educated on Sharps rifles , the opportunity to see and handle the old rifle was gone , as the uncle had died , and neither of my cousins could tell me where the rifle went. What a waste on my part.
By the way , the Gregory Peck movie with the Sharps scene was "Billy Two Hats" , not a great movie , but that was a good scene.
I got my first Sharps , and only one that I have now , in 1993. Shot a few silhouette matches , but have been inactive for several years now. Keep intending to get back in the game , even had barrel drilled and tapped and mounted an MVA scope so I could see targets , but hasn't happened yet. Maybe soon.
Keep 'em smokin' , Robert