Page 1 of 1
1853 Sharps slant Breech .46 cal
Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2023 11:22 am
by JamesW
I have an 1853 Slant Breech Sharps sporting rifle in what appears to be .46 cal. I have tried .455 Webley bullets in my rifle. While surprisingly accurate at 100 yards, it does keyhole. I am thinking about using round ball. Has anyone done this? What size round ball would I use with a patch? Thanks in advance. I've seen dug up bullets on eBay for this rifle, but so far, I've not found a bullet mold.
Re: 1853 Sharps slant Breech .46 cal
Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2023 11:35 am
by Ray Newman
Bullet mould needed?? -- contact Steve Brooks --
https://brooksmoulds.com/
He has made several moulds for me and others on this the Shiloh site and we are well satisfied with the results. Give him a call or drop him an Email explaining your needs.
Re: 1853 Sharps slant Breech .46 cal
Posted: Fri Nov 17, 2023 11:33 pm
by omgb
A patched round ball is likely to be a problem. Unless you load it from the muzzle it will not consistently hold the bullet. I think slugging the bore and having the right mold made is your best bet.
Re: 1853 Sharps slant Breech .46 cal
Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2023 5:20 am
by Woody
When the Hall rifle was current, they used an oversize round lead ball and loaded it with apparent good results. Just thinking out loud.
Woody
Re: 1853 Sharps slant Breech .46 cal
Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2023 11:16 am
by JamesW
Loading the ball from the muzzle is what I was thinking of with a patch and with a rattail powder cartridge loaded from the breech.