Uberti Sharps 45-70 *update*

[Lakedaemonian]

Sighted in the Sharps on a 100yd Deer target. 3 rounds dang near MOA w/ standard open sights. There's also a guy near my town that makes custom vernier sights, having him make me a set soon. The standard sights work okay at long ranges, but i'd like a vernier sight much more.

 

[DoctorOfLight]

That's some good shooting for iron sites. Will be watching for what happens when you get a good scope on it.

 

[JustsayMo]

Tell us more about the custom vernier sights. It's the only way to fly with a Sharps.

A friend of mine uses the excellent Montana Vintage Arms vernier sights on his Shilo Sharps and big bore Marlins of long range shooting. Spendy but worth it. Beyond 400-500 yards it sure makes it easier.

Here's a video of him making a 1,000 yard offhand shot with his MVA equipped Marlin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO6ihrcukcc

Long range shooting sure is addictive.

 

[DPris]

Before you spend large amounts of money on sights, there are some things you need to understand.

First- The .45-70 has what's often called a "rainbow" trajectory, which means as distances increase, so does bullet drop, and dramatically.

Second- A GOOD set of tang/vernier sights will run you several hundred dollars, and if you use them to their potential it'll mean you'll set them up for long distances. And that means the rifle will be pretty much useless for most hunting applications.

Third- You should decide what you want that gun to do for you. If it's long-range target shooting, by all means get better long-range sights. If it's hunting, you don't need to spend the money on expensive long-range sights for 150-yard shooting. The sights on it should be adequate for most practical hunting distances inside the .45-70's normal usage.

If you already know all this, disregard.

Denis

 

[Lakedaemonian]

I live in the great plains. Out here the .270 & 300 wssm are king for the long shot potential. Hunting shots out here are made out to much further distances than 150 yds.

 

[DPris]

It's not the terrain, it's the trajectory that limits the .45-70's practical hunting range. It shoots nowhere near as flat as either of the calibers you mention.

If you set your sights for a 150-yard zero, it can handle anything out to that distance or inside it with a pointblank sight picture (or very close to it, with minor hold adjustments at very close distances).
Using that same sight adjustment, with the bullet drop inherent to the caliber, if you try to take a longer shot out to 300-400 yards, you'll be shooting the ground. At 1000 yards, you'll be nowhere near your target.

Conversely, if you set your sights for 1000-yard target shooting, you'll lob your bullet waaaaay over a deer's head at 150 yards.

The .45-70 is a great cartridge, but few people try to make it into both a long-range target piece AND a shorter-range hunting piece in the same rifle.
Have you looked it up in trajectory tables?

Denis

 

[Ridgerunner665]

Depending on the load level (trapdoor, lever action, or Ruger #1)

With stout lever action loads and 405 grain bullets...300 yards is about the limit unless you have a scope or some other fancy sight. (thats 3 feet of hold over to hit where you want)

Mine has peep sights...and thats about all the hold over I can manage and not lose the target in the sight.

 

[DPris]

I have a good aperture on my Marlin, set for 100 yards with heavy Garrett loads. Bear shield.
I'm using factory buckhorns on both my Remington Rolling Block & Shiloh Sharps.
The Remmie is set for factory 405s at more or less Trapdoor levels at 100 yards.
The Shiloh uses 520-grain homecast lead at 100-150 yards.

Those are what I want my .45-70s to do.

I recently sold the Ruger No. 1, it was fixed with a good peep for 300-grainers out to 150 yards, but at handloaded speeds that could have carried to 200 with a little holdover. VERY accurate, but decided I had no real use for it.
Also sold the Winchester '86 that had a Lyman rear set a couple inches high at 100 yards for 300-grain Winchester factory loads. Good accuracy, but the Marlin handles levergun duties.

I sold a Shiloh a few years back to a buddy who uses it for black powder competition. He goes long-range with it, spent about $600 on the sights, and it's a competition gun only.

Most .45-70 shooters will use the guns for one or the other- practical hunting to 150 or so yards, or extreme distance targeting.
It's a poor caliber choice for both uses in the same rifle. You'd always be dinking with the sights.

Denis