What are the best powders/caps to use to avoid misfires? I've had a Armi-Sport Berdan .54 for several years, and probably 1 in 7-10 shots is a misfire. Hoping there is a "best" powder and cap out there to avoid this. Thanks

I had one of these rifles back a number of years and had the same problem you are experiencing, only more so. I tried drilling out the fire channel from the cap but still missfired a lot, so an old boy told me to try some real good quality musket caps not the cheap ones I was using. I can't remember now the name of them but they cost me a good third more per tin but I never had a missfire after that unless I messed up the load. I made my own nitrated paper, rolled it and glued it with a slug in one end the other piched glued and folded over. I formed these just long enough so the slug hit the end of the chamber and left a little tab of the fold outside so the breach block would cut it off. She fired every time. Good luck.

Am thinking those might have been RWS Musket Caps...which at least were the best at the time. Don't think they wee "hotter" in the traditional sense, but the flame lasted longer (not a bigger "boom" but a longer flame).

I converted everything I could to musket cap nipples. Worked well with pyrodox and triple 7 and they are harder to ignite. I used CCI musket caps, but they are made here.

I purchased a tin <plastic actually> of German caps yesterday, Dynamit Nobel @ $10x100. Heard they were the preferred cap of the Civil War re-enactors as they don't split and spray metal after being struck.
Vulture: how does one make nitrated paper? Can it be bought?
Has anyone ever used those heavy brass reloadable casings in their breechloaders? Need some correct bullets for them. Randy

When I was reenacting I used the Russian made caps, I'll take a look and see the brand name, as I need a good excuse to go play in the gun room. I have never used the nitrated paper, but would like to potassium nitrate was easy to find a pick up but now who knows???

Hi folks, yesturday an 1859-1863 Sharps .54 paper found me... Armi Sport brand new...
The question I have is first which is a boolit mold should get? Have Looked at the Lee Real Bullet Mold 2av 380gr and the Maxi 425 or 430gr ... Second question is the groove dia. of the Sharps .5145" and the o.d. of bullet .540" do thay have to be sized to the driving band?
Brass tubes, where is the place to get them and the "chamber Hsg. Plate"for lack of the
term available for the Armi Sport?
Have found them at Fall Creek for Armi Sport but no mention of the plate installed to take up the space in the breech.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance,

SG

Hi folks, yesturday an 1859-1863 Sharps .54 paper found me... Armi Sport brand new...
The question I have is first which is a boolit mold should get? Have Looked at the Lee Real Bullet Mold 2av 380gr and the Maxi 425 or 430gr ... Second question is the groove dia. of the Sharps .5145" and the o.d. of bullet .540" do thay have to be sized to the driving band?
Brass tubes, where is the place to get them and the "chamber Hsg. Plate"for lack of the
term available for the Armi Sport?
Have found them at Fall Creek for Armi Sport but no mention of the plate installed to take up the space in the breech.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance,

SG

Re the brass cartridges and plate (if that's what you are talking about), try this site:

http://possibleshop.com/sharps-rifle.htm

Thanks Natty Bumppo,
That was one of the sites in question as they have Armi Sport and will order them.
Thanks again,

SG

The Armi Port or Perdersoli's use of the Brass Tube's in leu of paper cart or loose powder are only for the 1859 Sharps Infantry Berdan Rifles.
So I best figure out how to make salt Peter (possasium nitrate) and get ta rollin. The read below is where I'm at. The site is posted below.

The Percussion Sharps is a breechloading, black powder firearm. Originally designed to fire combustible paper or linen cartridges, the rifle can also be loaded by dropping a loose bullet into the breech and filling the chamber with black powder or a suitable substitute such as Pyrodex. A standard musket cap provides ignition for both types of loading. When using paper cartridges, the breechblock rises and cuts off the rear end of the cartridge, exposing the powder charge to the flash channel leading to the nipple. In the days of the muzzle loading musket, the Sharps rifle was considered a rapid fire weapon. Unique to the Sharps was the Sharps Patent floating chamber. This was a cylindrical steel insert in the breech end of the barrel that was forced rearward towards the breechblock during ignition, sealing the breech from escaping gasses. Further aiding this seal was a steel "gascheck" plate that was forced forward from the breechblock to meet the chamber.

http://www.jesseshunting.com/articles/guns/category16/35.html

SG

A blackpower shooter friend likes the Mag-Spark adapter. It uses a shotshell primer he told me it works great, the only complaint he has is it is a little slow to replace the primer.

There where a lot of the Sharps Model of 1850 that used the Maynard Tape Primer which for all the world looked like the rolled paper caps used in cap pistols. In order to use the Maynard ignition system today if you have a shootable original is to get the rolled paper caps used in the kids cap guns take two rolls and glue them back to back. These combined rolls will nicely fit in the recess where the original roll went and it does a fairly good job, not as good as the original but they will work.

Rolled caps can be had here:
http://www.cowboyneeds.com/Toys_Caps_Badge.html

This is the link the the Mag-Spark
http://www.warrencustomoutdoor.com/pl-spark-start.html

The Armi Port or Perdersoli's use of the Brass Tube's in leu of paper cart or loose powder are only for the 1859 Sharps Infantry Berdan Rifles.
So I best figure out how to make salt Peter (possasium nitrate) and get ta rollin. The read below is where I'm at. The site is posted below.

The Percussion Sharps is a breechloading, black powder firearm. Originally designed to fire combustible paper or linen cartridges, the rifle can also be loaded by dropping a loose bullet into the breech and filling the chamber with black powder or a suitable substitute such as Pyrodex. A standard musket cap provides ignition for both types of loading. When using paper cartridges, the breechblock rises and cuts off the rear end of the cartridge, exposing the powder charge to the flash channel leading to the nipple. In the days of the muzzle loading musket, the Sharps rifle was considered a rapid fire weapon. Unique to the Sharps was the Sharps Patent floating chamber. This was a cylindrical steel insert in the breech end of the barrel that was forced rearward towards the breechblock during ignition, sealing the breech from escaping gasses. Further aiding this seal was a steel "gascheck" plate that was forced forward from the breechblock to meet the chamber.

http://www.jesseshunting.com/articles/guns/category16/35.html

SG

Sorry bout that - I've got a '59 Berdan - didn't know it made a difference. Another option besides making nitrate paper is to use cigarette paper. It burns clean, is very easy to use, and can be picked up cheap at every corner store. If you get the Sharps bullets designed for the paper to be tied to, and use a .50 inch wooden dowel, you can "roll your own" pretty quickly. I've found 1.5's to be the best.