Let's open a can a worms here.
I'm in the market for a single shot "Sharps etc." style .45/70 BPR. I've seen them (new) from $500 to $2500 and up. If past experience holds true I'll buy one and it'll be a long time, if ever, before I get another - so I'm willing to spend enough to get a "very good" 300-600 yard gun. This is for my own amusement not for desperately serious competition. In the future I may change sights, wood etc. to upgrade but I'd rather not have to buy a whole new rifle to feel like I'm not "undergunned" in the accuracy dept.
I'd like suggestions, based on experience, on brands, sight selection etc. anything that I might be able to put into the pot to stew over.

This is the one I'd suggest. Rock solid and not out of reason for price. Made here in America and just plain good shooting. At a suggested retail of 1095 and available for less than that most places I think you'd be pleased with it. Any sights up to and including glass can go on it.

http://ruger.com/Firearms/FAProdView?model=1327&return=Y

I have a 74 Pedrsoli & 74 C .Sharps like them both ,I don't like cresent butt plates,prefer shotgun style butt plates. prefer MVA sights, don't like Pedersoli sights.
I quit buying guns, but the next one will be a 1985 highwall C. Sharps in 40-70 sharps or 45-70 ,think you would be verry happy with any thing above,buy it once & be done with it , but becareful you may find these addictive

Bob came up with another good sugestion ,but iIwould recemend something legal for competion even though you are not thinlking about it now if you were to decide to compeat in the future it would save you a lot of frustration & money

When you say legal for competition I assume you mean something in the C. Sharps - Pedersoli group as opposed to the Ruger? That's actually what I'm 'shooting" for (pun intended). But I see the Quigly, the Billy Dixon etc and that's where I start wondering which style to look at. I'm assuming a longer barrel than, say a Sharps carbine, peep sights as opposed to buckhorn type but beyond that I have to rely on looks and preference rather than on real reason or need. I'm sure a C. Sharps or other mucho quality rifle would suit me just fine, but at $2500 plus, I want to be sure before I have to decide if I want to stay married or not.

Shilo Sharps, CPA ,C.Sharps, Pedersoli............ 30''-34'' barrel. NRA BPCR silhouette
hasa weight limit of 12#2oz with sights you may never use the rifle for that but it would shure suck to want to later and end up with something that you cant use because of restrictions you didn't consider.You can have a buckhorn that you dont need & if you someday wish to take it out hunting & want to use it it is there you may have to change out your front sight to a blade ,on mine the appeture sight is too tall to use with the buckhorn /ladder rear sight but it was there without having to go to the gunsmith and have him mill in a dove tail & drill& tap a hole.
If you are considering fancy wood do it now changing it later cost$$$$$$$
BY getting wat you need & want figured out the the first time will save a lot of $$$ &
frustration & from what you have stated a wife
You have to decide what you may or may not do and think of what you would never use this rifle for,throw down your money & hope you were right ,it's a crap shoot.
Hope you have a long run of 777777777
check out www.bpcr.net

For an inexpensive shooter to play with at the range, you might want to look at an H&R break open gun.
Pete

For an inexpensive shooter to play with at the range, you might want to look at an H&R break open gun.
Pete
The H&R is a good idea for a less expensive gun.
I got my Shiloh 74 about 1985 and cannot say enough good about their
customer service.
If I had the bucks, Shiloh would be my choice.

The H&R is a good idea for a less expensive gun.
I got my Shiloh 74 about 1985 and cannot say enough good about their
customer service.
If I had the bucks, Shiloh would be my choice.I started with an H&R break open 45-70 it just wasn't consistantly accurate so I traded it for a Rim Rolling Block 11mm egyption that had been rebarreled with a navy arms octagon & modified to shoot 45-70,I had a Unertyl target scope installed on it probably weighed 13 pounds but it was accurate.If I had to do it now with a single shot it definitely would be a TC Encore Rifle with a 45-70 barrel they're accurate and with so many barrel caliber choices.

I shoot a H&R Officer's Model Trapdoor rifle.It's fun to shoot,and I'm content with it's accuracy.
A fellow ClubMember/Shooter has a Pedersoli.It really lays them in there.
I would not spend the extra money for the Sharps.
Frank

I went with a Pedersoli 1874 Sporting rifle. It cost me about $1000. Just a plain jane Sharps, .45-70. I added a Pedersoli Soule mid-range sight and a Pedersoli globe front sight for about $300 more. That makes it good for out to about 1000 yards although I haven't shot it that far. The mid range 300-600 yard shooting is a piece of cake.

I, like you, wanted it for my personal shooting enjoyment and hunting. It is far more than adequate in both catagories. It can handle smokeless loads not exceeding 29,000 C.U.P. and black powder if you choose. They are used by many top competitors inthe BPCR game. I am very, very pleased with the rifle and recommend them.

I'm a real fan of the 1885 High Wall style rifle. You can find very nice modern Browning and Winchester rifles in .45-70 from around $900 - $2000, depending on what you're looking for. The rifles are strong, accurate, good looking, and available with a lot of variations (recoil pads, crescent buttplates, shotgun buttplates, 28, 30, and 34 inch barrels, etc.). Sight upgrades are easy as well.

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned or recommended an original Springfield "trapdoor" rifle. The 1884 and 1888 models are frequently found in fine shooting condition and are often found in the $500 to $1000 range. Another plus is the fact that rifles in nice condition and well cared for will increase in value on the collector's market.

These later Springfield models have the Buffington rear sight which is capable of producing precision shooting. Perhaps the only downside to this rifle is the fact that the steel is softer than found in modern production rifles, best limiting extended shooting use to black powder loads and lead bullets.

The Springfield is legal for Silhouette shooting and also for matches that are limited to trapdoor rifles.

I recently came across a dealer in a gun show in El Paso that sells 1874 Sharps clones made by I.A.B. I'd never heard of them before but some research showed they're made in the same area as the Pedersoli and Uberti rifles in Italy He only had one and it was a demo but the fit and finish was excellent. I can't seem to find any other dealers listed on the internet. Does anyone have any experience with this brand?

The H&R Buffalo Classic is a good looking rifle and has a lot of bang for the buck. The factory sights leave something to be desired, so adding better ones wouldn't be as hard on your pocketbook as having to add ones to a more expensive rifle. You can have the ejector on the H&R fixed so it's an extractor, if historical correctness is your goal.

Next type I'd recommend would be the rolling block type.

I agree with the comment about wood quality; if you're going to want high grade walnut it's much easier and cheaper do to it in the begining.

If you are looking at a Trap-Door type, stay away from the carbine, as you sacrifice accuracy and velocity with the short barrel.

Your mileage may differ.

I bought a IAB (pedretti) sharps,45-70 with 28 inch barrel.In order to use the buckhorn sight,I had to get a front sight 1/2 the height of the stock sight.I was told by someone at track of the wolf that there was some rifles that the barrel wasnt cut square .After the sight change it was alot of fun to shoot, but hasnt seen daylight since I bought my first 1885 winchester.

I recently came across a dealer in a gun show in El Paso that sells 1874 Sharps clones made by I.A.B. I'd never heard of them before but some research showed they're made in the same area as the Pedersoli and Uberti rifles in Italy He only had one and it was a demo but the fit and finish was excellent. I can't seem to find any other dealers listed on the internet. Does anyone have any experience with this brand?

Go to iabarms.com for more info on these guns. IAB is an imported/distributor for Pedretti guns. I have an 1866 Frontier Carbine and it is a fun gun to shoot.