Was in my local reloading supply store and they usually have a few guns for sale, nothing big mostly consignment stuff, and they had a sharps rifle in the rack, since I've always wanted one of these I had to take a look at it, and it was a Dixie gunworks sharps with long heavy bull barrel, (lot heavier than the standard sharps barrell) with pistol grip shotgun styled stock, double triggers and a nice eye cup tang sight with globe front sight. Only markings on the barrell was 45/70 and Dixie gunworks, was in mint condition and I'm still thinking about getting it but could anyone tell me who makes Dixies sharps and what these are worth, they are asking $900 for it. thanks
Chris

Mongo:

Do a little research before laying down $900. The Sharps rifles listed in the Dixie 2007 catalog are made by an Italian firm, IAB. On some of the black powder cartridge forums, guys often say that IAB stands for "It's Always Broken". I believe that Dixie, in the past, has also sold Sharps rifles, under their trade name, that were made by Pederosoli. This rifle would be of much higher quality.

If you can obtain the serial number of the rifle give Dixie a call, 800-238-6785. They are nice people and I'm sure that they can tell you who manufacturer is.

Hello Mongo40,
I recently drove from central Alabama all the way to Union City, Tennessee to get one of their Sharps. If you go to their website you can view every longgun they offer, including several sharps. Click on the thumbnail and it will enlarge so you can see each one. You will see the one you saw at the store.

The one I wanted was the Dixie/Pedersoli Sharps Business Rifle, with octabonal barrel, shotgun buttpiece, etc.. It was $950.00 and looked great but before I pay that kind of money I want to handle it and check it out. So I had a couple of days off, my income tax return in my pocket and I was ready for an adventure.

So I drove up there. I went northwest from central Alabama into Miss and then straight north on Hy 45 all the way into Union City, Tenn where Dixie Gun Works is. I caught the dickens too because on the way back I went east on I-40 into Nashville and then south on I-65. That was that Tuesday not long ago when the tornadoes tore Tennessee and other places up. I got caught in all that bad weather and crap on the interestate on the way home that Tuesday evening and night. I finally had to get me a motel room down 'round Athens, Al, and call it a night.

Anyway, I wound up getting the Dixie/Pedersoli "Lightweight Sporting Rifle" which had a price tag of $1,100.00. That is steep, but $950.00 is about as low as I have found any Sharps rifle. Those American made ones by Shiloe and C. Sharps in Montana are even more expensive and have like two year weight lists on their rifles.

Anyway, my Sharps is not all that light weight though, with a 30 inch octagonal barrel. But it is chambered for .45-70 and is absolutely well balanced and is a joy and a thrill to shoot. Anyway, it is a beauty! The wood is beautifully finished and the wood to metal fit is perfect. And not only is the reciever, triggerguard/loading lever beautifully color case-hardened, but also the curved metal buttplate. The barrel is darkly and richly blued. The sights are a simple blade type front sight with a dovetail base and the rear sight is the standard standup ladder type rear sight with the sliding bar which goes up to 900 yards. One day I might try to put a globe front sight and tang sight on it. It is a beauty and I don't regret it one bit!! Well, actually, I would rather have the Sharps "Big Fifty", but $1600.00 is a bit steep for this working man!

Just thought I would add my two cents about my Dixie/Pedersoli Sharps.
Take care,
Freebooter,
Millbrook, Al.

Freebooter:

Isn't Dixie a great place to visit. I hope you also saw the antique car collection. It's well worth the travel to Union City Tennessee, although not in such dangerous weather!

While there, I also pick up a supply of black powder and avoid the has-mat shipping fee. I only load black powder cartridges for my Sharps and Springfield Trapdoor rifles.

By-the-way, the Axtell rifle company, www.riflesmith.com (http://www.riflesmith.com) is having an "inventory reduction prior to taxes" sale on their tang and globe front sights. These sights are perfect reproductions of the original Sharps sights and will fit the Pedersoli rifles also.

Hello,
Yes, it is a neat place. But I got kind of aggrevated with them in a way. I spent $1350.00 in there, not to mention three tanks of gas getting there and back and motel room. I ask could they throw in a catolog with my rifle and the lady said no they could not to that. I started to say dang, you mean someone can spend $1300.00 bucks here and you can't throw in a 5 dollar catolog? That is cheap!

Anyway, I have a quick question. I have ordered me one of those "Classic Lee Loaders" for my Sharps 45-70. I have one for my Colt 45 and have reloaded both modern smokeless and BP and the substitutes. What do you think shoots the best out of the Sharps. Do you reload with BP for historical purposes or does it shoot better with BP or do you just like the deep boom and smoke?
Thanks,
Freebooter
Alabama

Freebooter:

Maybe things have changed there. Back in the Turner Kirkland days they would have shoved a catalog at you before you even had time to think about it. I believe that one of his sons is now President. Why don't you send him an email. I'll bet you get a good response.

Regarding loading cartridges for your Sharps; All.....and I mean all......of the present shooters in Black Powder Cartridge Silhouette competition load their cartridges with black powder. Even though pyrodex is legal, it apparently gives inferior results.

Loading black powder cartridges presents a little bit of a new learning curve, however, the 45-70 is easy. I like to use six dies, FL sizer, Neck sizer, Neck expander, Compression die, Seating die, and taper crimp die. This set-up will enable you to load competition quality cartridges. For sake of convience, I mount them in a Lyman Mag II turret press, however, I have also used them all in Lee's hand press with good results. All of these dies are available from Lyman and others, with the exception of the compression die. I purchased the compression plug from Buffalo Arms, www.buffaloarms.com (http://www.buffaloarms.com) and then screwed it into the body of a Lyman Universal Decapping die - thus giving me the essential compression die. While you are at it, purchase two universal decapping dies. I like to take one to the range with me in a Lee hand press to decap the fired cases before tossing them into a bucket of soapy water.

I use 65 grains of GOEX Cartridge black powder. A .030 Walters veg. fiber wad then goes over the powder and the powder column is compressed about .2 inches, actually to the exact bullet seating depth. finally, the taper crimp die gently removes the remaining "bell" on the case mouth from the neck expanding die. I cast my bullets and lube with SPG. However, bullets can now be purchsed from many sources. Best results will be found with bullets cast with or swaged from 1 in 20 or 1 in 30 Tin - Lead alloy.

I know a lot of guys shoot smokeless loads, some downright stiff, in their Sharps rifles. The steel may be modern, but the design is vintage, and I don't think this is a good idea for continued use. Smokeless loads are not really necessary. The black powder loads will do anything you want to do. Good luck.

Hello 8Iowa,
Yep, I have always loved history of all sorts and eras. But being raised up by my grandmother until I was around ninie and then still spending a lot of time with her over the years I heard a lot of old stories about our people iin the Rev war, and especially Civil War. I was in CW reenacting for like 20 years off and on and during that time own and shot nothing but muzzle loaders, cap and ball pistols, etc. I love BP and those great guns of yesteryear. I love the old west, having grown up reading Louis Lamour's paperback westerns and others' I grew to love the old west and its guns and have had several of them over the years as well.

Eventually I got sort of oldish and burned out on reenacting so got rid of all that stuff. But I still love the old west and have an 1860 Henry, 1993 Winchester pump shotgun, a double barrel "Coach Gun", my Sharps, and of course a good ol' Colt .45. Uberti made the Henry and Colt copy. Pedersoli made my Sharps and I forget who made the shotguns.

But I have two or three boxes of 45 I reloaded, one or two with BP and Pyro. I have a box and a half of the Sharps rounds. When I get my Lee Loader for it I will reload them with either BP or Tripler 7, a BP substitute.

I have some quality dies for a 45-70 by RCSB or something like that but no press to mount them in. So I will just use my Lee Loader when it gets here. I am excited about that too.

Speaking of shooting, I wish there was a long range shooting range or group around here. I took it out the other day to shoot it on some land of a friend of mine in the country. I walked off close to 300 yards and got ready to shoot but my rear ladder-leaf sight was stuck and I had no tiny screw driver to loosen the tiny screw head on the side of the slide. I fired at 265 yards with the rear sight laying down, just basic sight and missed. But when I walked up to the 100 yard mark I was ready to go, irritated, and just threw up and shot three rounds pretty quick offhand (standing). When I walked up and checked the target I got all three rounds within about a nine or ten inch circle in the center of the piece of plywood I was shooting at. I was not really trying for pinpoint accuracy, just to see if I could get a round in there just throwing up and firing a quick offhand shot. I would imagine that if I used a bench and took my time it would make a good group on the target.

One more thing, do you know if there is a forum or thread devoted to nothing but Sharps rifles?
Take care,
Freebooter
Alabama

Freebooter:
check out http://shilohrifle.com/forums/ This forum has very knowledgeable shooters. They are definitely pro Shiloh, but are nice enough guys to not look down too badly on us guys who shoot "other" Sharps rifles.

Thanks Iowa. I will check it out. Here is another pretty good western oriented discussion forum website: http://www.theopenrange.net/forum/index.php ; One of the boards is about longrange single shot rifle shooting. And some of those guys sound pretty knowledgable too.
Take care,
Freebooter
Alabama