I have a C.Sharps model 1875, in .45-70 of course, which I purchased new at least 25 years ago. During that time I have shot it a lot, almost exclusively at targets, both paper and reactive. It's taken a few varmints (coyote, crow, feral cat, skunk) but they have all been stupid or unfortunate enough to present themselves at exactly the wrong time, rather than being actively hunted. The closest it has come to actual hunting was the time that I dragged a road-killed deer into the far corner of the field adjacent to my yard, and then sniped a couple of coyotes at a carefully lasered distance. When you use a picnic table and sandbags as shooting aids...you ain't hunting...
I've shot a number of deer and bears with the .45-70 cartridge, in leverguns, #1's, 1885's, etc...but never used the Sharps.
This year I finally removed the Vernier rear sight and globe front, and installed a much simpler tang sight I purchased on the EE from gunlaker (thanks, Chris!). I also re-attached the original full-buckhorn rear and experimented with several front sights in an effort to find a worthwhile hunting combination. I eventually settled on the original silver front blade. I spent a ridiculous amount of admittedly very pleasant time sighting this thing in. It now shoots 400gr jacketed bullets (yeah, yeah, I know...sacrilege...so sue me!) to POA at 100 yards using the buckhorn, and 200 using the tang; a very versatile set-up for hunting.
So, yesterday was the big day...I took it hunting...
I was struggling with a cough and having a hard time keeping it quiet. I had prepared a gound blind in a likely spot under a semi-fallen tree in the corner of a field roughly 200 yards across; no tree-stands or elevated blinds for such a momentous occasion. A nice little forkhorn passed by just at the start of legal light, but "legal" does not translate to "shootable" when dealing with iron sights and my 61-year-old eyes; he got to walk. Over the first few hours after dawn broke I passed a couple of does, and even one little spiker who probably would have received a bullet if he had presented a better shot angle. When a reasonably big-bodied buck appeared, his small antlers didn't slow me down a bit; one of the joys of using odd-ball rifles is the fact that they give you an excuse for lowering your trophy standards.
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He took a bullet behind the shoulder, broadside at maybe 100 yards, staggered, and ran at right angles to me for about 50. Stopped, swayed, and I put another round on the same point of aim. A second shot was unnecessary, but if they're still moving I'm still shooting. As I walked up I experienced no ground shrinkage...but that's only because he never looked big to begin with. Both bullets passed through the top of the heart about 2-inches apart.
So, I shot a little buck at close range only about a 5-minute walk from my back door...and yet, the combination of the gun, the sights, the cartridge and the timing produced a trophy that will make me smile every time I walk by. And, yes, it will go proudly on the wall...as a Euro, naturally (I'm happy with the trophy but I'm still cheap...).
I've shot a number of deer and bears with the .45-70 cartridge, in leverguns, #1's, 1885's, etc...but never used the Sharps. This year I finally removed the Vernier rear sight and globe front, and installed a much simpler tang sight I purchased on the EE from gunlaker (thanks, Chris!). I also re-attached the original full-buckhorn rear and experimented with several front sights in an effort to find a worthwhile hunting combination. I eventually settled on the original silver front blade. I spent a ridiculous amount of admittedly very pleasant time sighting this thing in. It now shoots 400gr jacketed bullets (yeah, yeah, I know...sacrilege...so sue me!
) to POA at 100 yards using the buckhorn, and 200 using the tang; a very versatile set-up for hunting.So, yesterday was the big day...I took it hunting...
I was struggling with a cough and having a hard time keeping it quiet. I had prepared a gound blind in a likely spot under a semi-fallen tree in the corner of a field roughly 200 yards across; no tree-stands or elevated blinds for such a momentous occasion.
A nice little forkhorn passed by just at the start of legal light, but "legal" does not translate to "shootable" when dealing with iron sights and my 61-year-old eyes; he got to walk. Over the first few hours after dawn broke I passed a couple of does, and even one little spiker who probably would have received a bullet if he had presented a better shot angle. When a reasonably big-bodied buck appeared, his small antlers didn't slow me down a bit; one of the joys of using odd-ball rifles is the fact that they give you an excuse for lowering your trophy standards.
He took a bullet behind the shoulder, broadside at maybe 100 yards, staggered, and ran at right angles to me for about 50. Stopped, swayed, and I put another round on the same point of aim. A second shot was unnecessary, but if they're still moving I'm still shooting. As I walked up I experienced no ground shrinkage...but that's only because he never looked big to begin with.
Both bullets passed through the top of the heart about 2-inches apart. So, I shot a little buck at close range only about a 5-minute walk from my back door...and yet, the combination of the gun, the sights, the cartridge and the timing produced a trophy that will make me smile every time I walk by.
And, yes, it will go proudly on the wall...as a Euro, naturally (I'm happy with the trophy but I'm still cheap...).
