TXGunNut said
I'm trying to learn how to anneal. I ruined most of my first batch of 38-55 brass trying to get two torches and a simple tittle machine to work as a team. Seems one torch is defective and it's too hot around here to try out the replacement. I made some 32-40 cases out of new 38-55 brass with fair results awhile back but I try very hard to use correct head stamp cases when possible. I don't think water quenching is necessary or even helpful but a pile of freshly annealed brass takes awhile to cool off, at least that's what my fingers thought!
 
Mike
  

Mike -

I also prefer correct headstamps.  This is not always easy.  I've never been able to do it when I load for my Marlin .25-36.  On the Winchester Model 1886 chamberings, .45-70 and .45-90 are easy but the rest not so much.  I recently loaded a batch of .38-72 for my Winchester '95 and those cases are stretched .444 Marlin cases (which turned my '95 into a single-shot as the cases will not feed through the magazine).  When I loaded for my '95 in .30-03, I never had correct headstamped cases.  I have been able to find correct brass for all M1894 chamberings without much trouble.

Mike

Jon

Mike

Honest Jon

In the Frank Sellers, Sharps book, in the back he has a cartridge section ans a paragraph on each cartridge describing and explaining the cartridges that Sharps used in their rifles. He shows several early linen cartridges, and percussion cartridges and also talks about the paper patch cartridges, and all the way up to the famed “Big 50″ cartridge,but no mention of the 50-3 1/4”, or 50-140, cartridge,(in which great discussions are had on another post), in his 1988, (third printing), book which is pretty detailed.

The first .45 caliber cartridge he lists: .45 CALIBRE 2.1-INCH STRAIGHT (.45-70 GOVERNMENT) Listed as the .45 2 1/4 in 1875 and .45 2 1/12 inch in 1876.

2 nd : .45 CALIBRE 2.4-INCH STRAIGHT Commonly called the 45-90 Models 1874, 1877, and 1878 Long Range rifles.

3 rd : .45 CALIBRE 2.6-INCH STRAIGHT The common load for this was the .45/100/550, Paper Patch.

4 th : .45 CALIBRE 2-7/8 INCH STRAIGHT This was the longest factory case loaded by the Sharps Rifle Company.

Tony

TXGunNut said

Mark Douglas said

TXGunNut said
Mike, maybe you can do some Texas re con and see if the story holds water! 
Tony
 
I'll get right on that, Tony! Have millions of miles of fence to check but will let you know when I find it.
I feel pretty sure some early surplus single shots were used as fence posts or tomato stakes but I can't imagine a highwall meeting that fate. 
 
Mike
  

Mike
Some great guns have met a worse fate.  I have an 1866 carbine that was discovered having been used as rebar in a concrete water trough when it was decommissioned and demolished in Northern Montana.  The trough was near where Chief Joseph and the New Perce were captured by General Miles' forces on their flight towards Canada.  Now if that old carbine could talk, the stories it might tell! Mark
  

Mark-
I wrote an article for the TGCA magazine awhile back about a Model 1841 "Mississippi Rifle" that was very likely buried in a S. Texas field by a member of the Texas 4th Cavalry unit returning from the Glorieta Pass campaign during the Civil War. It was discovered by a farmer about 50 years later and was apparently very well wrapped as it appears to be viable other than a broken lock. I deduced that a member of the unit buried it on the way to their next engagement in Galveston, planning on recovering it on their next trip thru. Most members of the 4th Cavalry were from that area of Texas. It obviously saw some heavy use, I was fortunate to discover part of its story but can only imagine the rest.
 
Mike
  

Mike,

Good to know that you're keeping an eye peeled along those fence lines.

That article you wrote in the TGCA magazine sure sounds interesting, as we can certainly understand that happening, allowing our Cowboy minds to drift a little!

Mark,

I'm glad that you started this thread in all honesty. It has brought out a lot of good information, along with some nice pictures, of a few of Chucks cartridge collection, and Brady's also. Along with Bert's never ending knowledge and survey information.

Being a guy that grew up in the concrete/construction field, we sure have seen a lot. Never a firearm buried as reinforcement, bit fencing, posts, and all kinds of what people thought would make good reinforcement in Concrete! In most cases the stuff that's used actually causes weakness in the concrete that their placing and trying to save money on rebar or the proper reinforcement. It's no different than any other trade where someone is trying to save a few bucks and surviving along the way.

To find a m-1866, now that would be something! A very historical find being in that area at that time of burial.

Tony

Mark Douglas said

TXGunNut said
Mike, maybe you can do some Texas re con and see if the story holds water! 
Tony
 
I'll get right on that, Tony! Have millions of miles of fence to check but will let you know when I find it.
I feel pretty sure some early surplus single shots were used as fence posts or tomato stakes but I can't imagine a highwall meeting that fate. 
 
Mike
  

Mike
Some great guns have met a worse fate.  I have an 1866 carbine that was discovered having been used as rebar in a concrete water trough when it was decommissioned and demolished in Northern Montana.  The trough was near where Chief Joseph and the New Perce were captured by General Miles' forces on their flight towards Canada.  Now if that old carbine could talk, the stories it might tell! Mark
  

Mark-

I wrote an article for the TGCA magazine awhile back about a Model 1841 "Mississippi Rifle" that was very likely buried in a S. Texas field by a member of the Texas 4th Cavalry unit returning from the Glorieta Pass campaign during the Civil War. It was discovered by a farmer about 50 years later and was apparently very well wrapped as it appears to be viable other than a broken lock. I deduced that a member of the unit buried it on the way to their next engagement in Galveston, planning on recovering it on their next trip thru. Most members of the 4th Cavalry were from that area of Texas. It obviously saw some heavy use, I was fortunate to discover part of its story but can only imagine the rest.

Mike

TXGunNut said
Mike, maybe you can do some Texas re con and see if the story holds water! 
Tony
 
I'll get right on that, Tony! Have millions of miles of fence to check but will let you know when I find it.
I feel pretty sure some early surplus single shots were used as fence posts or tomato stakes but I can't imagine a highwall meeting that fate. 
 
Mike
  

Mike

Some great guns have met a worse fate.  I have an 1866 carbine that was discovered having been used as rebar in a concrete water trough when it was decommissioned and demolished in Northern Montana.  The trough was near where Chief Joseph and the New Perce were captured by General Miles' forces on their flight towards Canada.  Now if that old carbine could talk, the stories it might tell! Mark

Tony

I'll get right on that, Tony! Have millions of miles of fence to check but will let you know when I find it.

I feel pretty sure some early surplus single shots were used as fence posts or tomato stakes but I can't imagine a highwall meeting that fate. 

Mike

We we're hanging out with some at the officers club having a beverage or two, and a card game was on the table, and the conversation was firearms and such, and the story was told that a High Wall was used by an ole' Rancher as a "Fence Post". Heck I called Bluff on it as we didn't even have Cell phones back then.

Nothing would surprise me if a guy couldn't get ammo or a an owner didn't have a need anymore for something,(hard to fathom), and ran out of fence post and decided to bury something like this. A Big ole' heavy barrel S.S. Rifle might fit the bill to an ole' timer winding down trying to keep his cattle in.

Blasphemy to  most of us collectors I'm sure. But sometimes I get to wondering!

Mike, maybe you can do some Texas re con and see if the story holds water!

Tony