vintage firearm shooters
 

How many of you guys out there like to shoot the old school vintage stuff?
I expect Cat to chime in, cause he got me into these dang hammer guns for upland (I think that was about 16 guns ago now).
I'm not just talking Grandpa's 30-30 here, but real old-school black powder cartridge rifles (BPCR's) and shotguns, and anything with hammers.
It seems the trend is for semi-auto 3 1/2" shotties, and tupperware rifles designed to shoot 1000 yards, that require a two day course to figure out how to make it work.
I am SOOO uncomfortable with a semi, that I cant even enjoy myself while packing one in the field. I cant break it open to cross a fence, jump a ditch, or crawl through the thick stuff chasing dogs. The break-actions are too ingrained into me anymore. But, to each his own.
This last year, I was determined to really christen an old SXS hammergun for big game. It is a BPCR in 577/500no2 (I know, sounds like quite a pedigree, right?) that shoots duplex loads and a 360 gr paper-patched bullet that we cast ourselves. Obviously open sights, and my bi-focal prescription makes that a challenge in itself. I had previously shot a couple of spring blackbears with the old cannon, and this year was successful in using it for my moose and whitetail tags. I know I should be good out to 200 yds with it, but I try to keep it within half that distance. In the heavy bush, this shouldn't even be an issue.
Bringing these old shooters out of the closet and putting them back in the field where they belong brings me a lot of enjoyment. The satisfaction in shooting game with hand-cast bullets, and loads that we have had to develop ourselves is a real treat. Incidently, if you are wondering about bullet performance, I have never recovered one! On a broadside or even slightly quartering shot, the bullets have all sailed right through,even on my moose.
How many others out there like to go old-school?
Interested to here any experiences from other members about hunts using guns of yesteryear.

Brought up on bolts and semi-autos.
Ordered a Sharps carbine in 45-70 just before Christmas, should be hear in another week or so...very excited.
Can't wait to 'old school' it...be sure of that first shot because the 2nd isn't going to happen instantaneously.
My sons (14 and 16) are going to learn hunting this year...I want then to learn the basics before they move on to 'new technology' (I guess you can't really call the 100+ year bolt action 'new' :) ).

I've always liked shooting the holy black I like the nostalgia of the smoke and smell.
I shoot
TC .50 Hawken
H&R Trapdoor carbine 45-70 (I cheat with this one and use triple 7)
1866 Uberti Yellowboy 44-40
1860 Uberti .44 Army cap n ball
1873 Pieta SA Amy 44-40

Only semi I own is a 10-22 for gophers

Ya gotta love vintage guns to shoot them for sure, otherwise they are no fun at all!:)
This is a Haenal 8.5X46 Shuetzen rifle, basically the Winchester 32/40 s much the same.
I only shot t n warmer weather however!:thinking-006:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...es/Haenal1.jpg

This Snider an absolute riot to shoot and hunt with!:sHa_shakeshout:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ps135f348d.jpg
Cat

bpcr
 

I have a Bison on the wall that I used a Hiwall 45-90 black powder, 525 grain cast bullet, about 115 yards.2 shots quartering away, got both bullets back and still have them in a pill bottle. Old school fun.

vintage
 

can you imagine packing my highwalls with the #4 & #5 barrels, it would be a short spot and stalk. by the way I am out of 45-90 reloads. also you have my rolling block it's shot a lot of badgers.

Your 38/55 was originally ordered as a hunting rifle I think because of the heavy barrel and the original straight stock?
Cat

Tese old calibers is what started my collecting disease. I find the reloading for these obsolete guys just as rewarding. Good thread

Love the old calibers. Thats what started my collecting disease. The reloading for these guys is just as rewarding as shooting them. GOOD thread

CVA .50 flintlock. Not vintage but a copy thereof, browned octagon barrel and all.

Reliable gun (or maybe lever arms?) in vancity has a Martini-Henry for sale that I'm sorely tempted to sell something else off for. I'd love me a rolling block too

I don't shoot old guns, but am considering a 45-70 as my next rifle:)

Great thread

Sent from my LG-H812 using Tapatalk

vintage guns
 

Figuring out the loads (especially in a SXS where the goal is to get the two barrels to shoot to the same point of impact) is greatly satisfying when it finally comes together. I thought I was an experienced reloader when I got started into this new game, and now I find I am just beginning! Duplex loads (black powder over nitro), and the art of paper patching were unheard of before I started down this road. Incidently, paper-patching is highly recommended to all you 45 shooters who roll your own! Check out the book by Paul Mathews on the subject. Guys have been shooting thousand yard targets with black powder guns and this "old school" technology, far longer than a "kestrel" was ever invented.
New projects for this fall, will be the J.Beattie & Co. SxS in 450 3 1/4". To give you an idea, the cartridge is almost identical to the 45-120, for anyone who is familiar with that load.
I have been waffling on shooting another project that is in the works as well. I have an over-bored 10 gauge rifle. It slugged out to a .810 diameter. When I found someone to make a roundball mold for it, a cast wheelweight ball for this cannon ended up weighing in at 760 grains! The gun only weighs in at 9 1/2 lbs. I think it's gonna hurt when I pull the trigger on this one!!!!

Vollmer swiss 1851 feld stutzer
http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...pssgvvxsfv.jpg

Anyone kill anything with an antique snider or old rolling block?

When I was young my father bought up old guns and I was the guy that tried them all out. He had over 100 old guns and I shot them all when he brought them home. He had 50 or 60 really old winchesters, from the 1866 to 1905 models in various calibers that were fun to shoot. My favorite to shoot was an early 1887 winchester lever action 10 gauge shotgun. We only had one brass shell for it that had to be reloaded.

Unfortunately the collection was sold 25 years ago.

vintage play day!
 

Red, I would have loved to hang out around your house! I have only had the privilege to handle and shoot a few of the old winchesters. 45-70 being the most common, and the '74's in 45-90, and 45-120.
The true "old-school" winchester cartridges that were responsible for their names, left quite the cloud of smoke by the time you emptied the tube!

Maudite, I have never seen that old stutzer design before. What caliber is it in?

I'm going to take a wild guess and say .40!:)
Cat

Just partridge, but the gun I am holding in the pic killed more than a few bears and deer at the hands of my uncle and Grandfather- oh, and woodchuck by me ( long story....)
Cat

I have a .45-70 Uberti High Wall replica (sorry Cat!), and I'm waiting for warmer weather to sight in a MVA vernier sight I've picked up for it. Not vintage, but she's a beauty and great fun to shoot.

1905 .303 Ross rifle
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...eer2007003.jpg

During the CWD days I killed 3 mule deer with my trapdoor 45-70 loaded with 777 under a 405 cast bullet I never recovered a bullet went right through.

What is your load? Bullet diameter, filler etc..

That's smokeless and not an antique.

Old school
 

I haven't jumped into a black powder cartridge rifle yet but it's on the horizon. I absolutely love shooting my 50 cal. Underhammer muzzleloader though. A double rifle shooting real black would be wonderful to hunt with.

Yea but it's 112 years old,lol
How bout this one then.....not an "antique",but a replica.
TC Hawken .45
90gr FFFg GOEX,225gr Powerbelt

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...er/photo-7.jpg

My buddy has 58 cal. double barrel Kodiak rifle, he shot a mulie buck in the right front shoulder the minne ball exited 2" left of the tail. Nice rifle but you need a moose to pack it around.

Here's a .45cal 325gr Buffalo Bullet I recovered from a WT that I rattled in to 40yards,head on shot through chest,bullet recovered from hip.
.45 cal RB and 250gr maxiball for comparison.
iirc it mushroomed to .830??
Nasty!!
BANG!!!.....wobble....tip over. ;)
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...ts45cal003.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...ts45cal002.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...ts45cal001.jpg

bullet recovery
 

Still waiting to take some pics of recovered bullets! As I mentioned earlier, they have all sailed right through the animals so far! Those wheel weights sure do show some serious expansion!

I have yet to find a cast bullet, I have found a .50 round ball flattened out on a shoulder bone once and this 250 gr. sabot round from my TC Hawken weighed 183 grs, found under the skin on the offside of a mulie buck.

[IMG]http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/...psuxhr64dr.jpg[/IMG]

75 grains ( thrown in an Uncle mikes measure not weighed)of FFG with rolled oats filled to the top and a Jennkinson single groove bullet.
Bees wax base wad.
I also use 23 grains of Trail Boss with no filler.
This is what works in MY rifles, no guarantee a different rifle will hold together.
A person should really work up loads on their own:thinking-006:
Cat