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April 15, 2005
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Pete,
Your old Sharps rifle is very nice 
Someday I will own one, as it is the only other Single Shot rifle I feel is worthy of owning beside an original Browning and the Winchester Single Shot.
For what it is worth, it is not just you fellows who shoot old original Sharps rifles that get bruised. The first time I shot my Winchester Single Shot 405 WCF rifle, I had to quit after just 8-rounds. I looked much worse for wear than you did! It was a very painful lesson in Physics 101.
I have not ever shot any of the original 50-95 Shot Shells… they are way too expensive to acquire. I suspect that they would shoot a decent pattern though. The rifling twist rate Winchester for the 50-95 WCF high-wall rifles was 1:56 and the rifling is relatively shallow. When looking down the bore, it almost looks like a smooth bore.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
March 31, 2009
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There are guys that shoot highwalls and Sharps repos at the range every week. Mostly 45-70’s with 500 grain bullets. They all have some sort of padding. Add on or built into a shooting vest. The 35 Win is just slightly better than the 405.
You can make any case a shot case. Use an over shot card that has some rubber cement on it. Just enough so the shot doesn’t fall out.
January 13, 2010
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Now that this is morphed into a hunting with old guns theme, I can add plenty to that myself. I’ve killed all sorts of big game from grouse to deer, elk grizzly bear and antelope with all of these old guns and that makes the hunt way more special than the animal you’re hunting…
April 15, 2005
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Nice… and that is exactly what those old guns were made for!
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
February 17, 2022
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Gotta find me some of that hunting for my 45-90’s!!! Great stuff there.
March 23, 2007
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I’ll add to the hunting with vintage rifle theme. In June of this year, I shot these two black bears within 32 minutes of each other with a Remington model 81 chambered in 35 Rem. I used vintage 200 grain Core-Lokt ammunition. While not a Winchester, the model 8/81 was designed by JM Browning too. And yes, the quick semi-auto feature was needed and appreciated. As my son was taking the photos, another bear wandered in and he shot it with a Ruger No. 1 in 45-70. The bears were everywhere. In four hours of hunting, our party of three shot seven bears. While our limit was five apiece, we had a boatload and could handle no more. I’ve never experienced hunting big game like that before.
March 23, 2007
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March 23, 2007
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Please no demerits for rotated photos. I’m not a technophile.
October 14, 2024
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Wow! That’s a lot of bear meat. Did you render any of the fat?
March 23, 2007
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kevindpm61 said
Wow! That’s a lot of bear meat. Did you render any of the fat?
No fat was rendered. My son and his buddy turned in over 300 pounds of meat to be made into sausage, hot dogs, hunter sticks, etc. In the zone we were hunting along the Yukon River, you’re required to salvage either the skull and hide, the meat, or both. We took it all out. However, some of the hides were rubbed badly (not my two bears!). Our river boat wouldn’t get on step with all of those bears, gear, and ourselves. The plan morphed into leaving me behind with all of the gear while my son and his friend made the three hour one-way trek back to the launch site. But good fortune intervened and a single boat on that mighty river was flagged down as it passed by. They had room for myself and the gear, eliminating the need for the “boys” to return later to retrieve me. I got them to agree to next year to only shoot one bear apiece. We’ll see if that stands the test of time. I’m thinking next year I need to use one of my Winchesters. But the Remington model 81 in 35 Rem is a classic black bear combo. Since I had never killed anything with it, I have it some time in the woods.
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