The other experience I had that was a real surprise was shooting the Sharps in 45/70. This rifle was a gift for my 50th birthday and I had always wanted one to work with cast bullets. After "going to school" on bullet alloys, casting techniques and lube recipes I spent over a year at the bench shooting a variety of smokeless powders under them (no BP--been there done that). When I hit on the right combination I was putting five rounds in ONE HOLE, and using a tang sight to boot, at a hundred yards. THAT was eye-opening! Those old-timers could really shoot, even without fancy optics.
So I learned two things: a peep sight can work as well as a scope (at least to 300 yards) and the first cartridge rifles were excellent platforms for building an accurate rifle.
|