Elk hunting with Black Powder Cartridges?

[MtPockets]

Anyone on here ever elk hunt with a Sharps or the like?
I know LRH is primarily a smokeless powder site, but I've always lusted after a Shiloh Sharps 45-110.
I know they regularly shoot them out to 1000 yards, and that really intrigues me, however I do not know what size targets they shoot.
I was a muzzleloader hunter for many years before finally buying my first centerfire rifle, so I do know black powder.
Has anyone ever killed an elk with one? Care to share stories or experiences?

 

[bigngreen]

Yes is always the answer to Sharps!! A 45-110 has some snort, I personally have not shot an elk with one but my late father in-law shot everything with Sharps or Rolling blocks and I have a number of versions of both. If I remember right the bullseye is 40 inches at 1000 yards, my dad may see this and correct me but I think that's right, he's done some hunting with his 40-65 and it's fun!

 

[MtPockets]

No kidding? Is there any rifle you DON'T have experience with?
I have wanted a Sharps rifle since the very first time I saw one, and it's very high on my wish list. I've always thought shooting them like they did way back when would add to a hunt.
Is the '110' the grains of black powder? I shoot a .54 caliber muzzleloader with 100 grains, so I'm thinking (hoping) it won't be too bad?

 

[bigngreen]

Ya, I believe it's grains, also know as the 45 2 7/8ths.
My father in law used to do the stock work for one of the sharps companies and some of the custom work. He lived and breathed anything you could load and shoot. He built some if the most beautiful flintlocks! My dad and him shot BPCR all the time.

 

[MtPockets]

Rhian, did he work for one those in Big Timber? I've heard there are two manufacturers there. I just wondered if you know which one puts out the better gun. I WILL have one before I go to pushing up daisies.
Any idea what kind of range they are effective to? Is there a better choice than 45-110?
I can't imagine shooting open sights to 1000 on game (ok, I'm not even remotely close to shooting 1000 with smokeless and a scope) but I'd like to think that 4-500 may eventually be doable.

 

[BallisticsGuy]

The hard part really is getting a load dialed in if you want to go long range. Many competitors I know doing BPCR shooting don't even resize their brass. They bring their loading kit to the match. Between rounds they'll re-prime, pour in the powder, set the bullet on top and stuff it in the pipe. It's a little strange to the uninitiated.

Coach and I were horsing around a while back doing the Quigley shots from a replica Sharps. We put a .45-70 505gn onto a 28" wide plate at 800yrds. Not on the first shot. It was launched around 1300fps and hit the 60lbs plate hard enough to swing it like a flag. A .300WM at the same distance didn't put half the swing into the 800 plate that the big slow .45's did. At 500m it absolutely knocks the living hell out of life size steel ram silhouettes.

It's a pumpkin slinger for sure too. We were near 4 degrees of elevation at 800. IIRC the actual dial was something like 184MOA on the tang sight. It's been a while so I don't recall exactly. I do recall I initially measured the elevation correction with a tape measure and did the Pythagorean calculation by hand because it was so big that I actually could do it and relatively quickly.

The shots at 800 take a while to land too... 4 seconds of flight time.

If you want to do it, it's super fun but do yourself a favor and hang around a couple BPCR or black powder metallic silhouette matches, talk to the competitors and get some proper info.

 

[MtPockets]

Thanks for the reply!
I know there is a BPCR shoot down in Worland in May, so I'm going to go do exactly as you mentioned.
Being that new rifles are in the $3k range, it is still going to be awhile before I have the cash to make this work. Like I mentioned earlier, it's just something I have always wanted to do- more of the hunting than competitions.

 

[Ndfarmer]

Stock makers daughter, lucky guy!

 

[bigngreen]

Rhian, did he work for one those in Big Timber? I've heard there are two manufacturers there. I just wondered if you know which one puts out the better gun. I WILL have one before I go to pushing up daisies.
Any idea what kind of range they are effective to? Is there a better choice than 45-110?
I can't imagine shooting open sights to 1000 on game (ok, I'm not even remotely close to shooting 1000 with smokeless and a scope) but I'd like to think that 4-500 may eventually be doable.

The range you can hunt to is a huge variable, I have a ram gong set at 500 yards and some days it's an easy hit other days the light is such I can't even see it in the apature. Really maybe 300 and in would be best due to sighting conditions with open sights. You can put on an authentic scope for the time from MVA and that's how I would set up one that was really for hunting, I've dialled in a ballistic app and everything for them specifically to hunt cause while I like the idea of hunting them I don't like shooting at the whole animal which is what you'll have in an apature with much distance.
Personally I'd probably do a 45-70 just to keep it simple and keep the recoil down for a little lighter rifle. A 45-90 is getting stout and the 45-110 really needs weight or your kids will feel the recoil when you pull the trigger.
There so fun to shoot, it's always fun to have a BBQ in the summer then pull out the Sharps and Rollers and have a lazy evening of shooting.

 

[RoyB]

I have not hunted elk with black powder cartridge but I have tried to hunt whitetail deer. The big issue is the rainbow trajectory and you have to know the range to the nearest few yards. if you don't care to keep it totally traditional you could always use a laser rangefinder. But I don't think they had them back in the Buffalo days.even under 300 yards with my 4570 sharps it was hard to estimate range properly in the woods.

 

[Durango]

So I have taken an elk with a 45-70 rolling block, and I mainly shoot long range with black powder cartridge. You will definitely be limited on your hunting distance due to the trajectory and the sight set up. Mine had a Montana Vintage Arms scope, and it was still a challenge to find the crosshairs on the elk. As to cartridge, it's up to you. But, you will find it easier and cheaper to obtain either 45-70 or 45-90 (which will pack plenty of punch) than you will 45-110. As to quality between the two Montana manufacturers, I own at least two of each, and they are both very fine quality. You wouldn't go wrong with either! Hope this helps, good luck.

 

[Durango]

Oh, I forgot. The bullet performance is different than anything you've used high power wise. You could eat right up to the bullet hole, and there wasn't the shock like you see with high power. Bullet selection with your black powder will need to be carefully chosen. I will recommend the old flat nosed ones vs the round nosed ones that most of us use for target shooting. You will want to created a 'leak point' and cut the hole through. The flat point will help do that.

 

[RoyB]

"The bullet performance is different than anything you've used "

So true...I shot a small doe this past season with a 1859 Sharps that was converted to 50-70 (Read all about the restoration on my web site www.rvbprecision.com )
The deer wasn't more than 50' away. Bullet went right through her and not a drop of blood was spilled. Nothing to track. Zero expansion with a 10-1 lead bullet.
She ran over 100 yards with a 1/2" hole right through her lungs and then layed down and bled like crazy. Strangest thing I ever did see.
The hole was very clean. Almost like a 1/2" puncture. Nothing like a modern bullet with it hydraulic shock.

 

[markopolo50]

Anyone on here ever elk hunt with a Sharps or the like?
I know LRH is primarily a smokeless powder site, but I've always lusted after a Shiloh Sharps 45-110.
I know they regularly shoot them out to 1000 yards, and that really intrigues me, however I do not know what size targets they shoot.
I was a muzzleloader hunter for many years before finally buying my first centerfire rifle, so I do know black powder.
Has anyone ever killed an elk with one? Care to share stories or experiences?

MtPockets, I am like you and have lusted after the 45/110. That darn Quigley movie, HA. Probably never get one but am amazed at the guys that shoot them and hit at such long range. I've shot elk but never with a BPCR, good luck