I've shot the Gallagher .54 three different days now. The rifle, a reproduction of the 1860 Gallagher, was made by Erma in West Germany, probably in the '70s. It's a very well made gun. The original barrels had a twist of 1:72". This has a 1:18". It shoots a .540300 bullet or .535 roundballs. I cast some .535 roundballs out of lead from a diver's weight belt and some wheelweights. Someday I'll invest in the bullet mold for $100 plus shipping (single cavity).
The casing mouth is the exact same size as that of a 50-70. A 50-70 .515 bullet will seat easily but it's not wide enough for the barrel (.535).
The gun came with one brass casing, and I bought ten more ($2.50 each but they'll last forever). With a .540 bullet, the case would hold 45 grs of FFG or FFFG. With a roundball I can get about 50 grs in. I've tried FFG and FFFG - no noticeable difference. It uses musket caps for ignition but they have to be hot.
The balls or bullets are handpressed into the charged case (no dies or press). You can reload at the range. It can also be shot as a muzzle loader. I think the bullets will seat better (the balls tend to fall out of the casing if you don't give them a light smack with a mallet). The barrel breaks open and slides forward and down. The loaded bullet is placed in the barrel (like a shotgun shell). When you close the barrel, the bullet is seated further into the case. Drop a musket cap on the nipple and fire away.
I was surprised at how accurate the gun is. At 50 yds it's right on with pretty good grouping (for me anyways). At 100 yds it'll gong the gong every time (takes awhile for the ball to get there). The kick is similar to a .22 but the smoke is impressive. I fired the rifle one handed several times.
I haven't seen any other Erma Gallaghers around. Anyone here have one or had one? I'm curious how it shoots with the bullets.
The casing mouth is the exact same size as that of a 50-70. A 50-70 .515 bullet will seat easily but it's not wide enough for the barrel (.535).
The gun came with one brass casing, and I bought ten more ($2.50 each but they'll last forever). With a .540 bullet, the case would hold 45 grs of FFG or FFFG. With a roundball I can get about 50 grs in. I've tried FFG and FFFG - no noticeable difference. It uses musket caps for ignition but they have to be hot.
The balls or bullets are handpressed into the charged case (no dies or press). You can reload at the range. It can also be shot as a muzzle loader. I think the bullets will seat better (the balls tend to fall out of the casing if you don't give them a light smack with a mallet). The barrel breaks open and slides forward and down. The loaded bullet is placed in the barrel (like a shotgun shell). When you close the barrel, the bullet is seated further into the case. Drop a musket cap on the nipple and fire away.
I was surprised at how accurate the gun is. At 50 yds it's right on with pretty good grouping (for me anyways). At 100 yds it'll gong the gong every time (takes awhile for the ball to get there). The kick is similar to a .22 but the smoke is impressive. I fired the rifle one handed several times.
I haven't seen any other Erma Gallaghers around. Anyone here have one or had one? I'm curious how it shoots with the bullets.
