Hey guys I am a newbie here and with single shot rifles so pls keep that in mind and be gentle ha.
I am looking at getting a  45-120 but don't really want to spend 1K. cheap huh. what do you guys know about the following company? are they reliable, are the rifles fair quality etc?
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also what realistic diffrences are there, velocity, range etc between a 28" barrel and a 32" barrel. I didn't know anyone else that could answer those questions for me and I know ya'll can. your advise is appreciated. " If you don't know, ask them that do"

I looked @ the link & here's my SWAG (Scientific Wild Arse Guess): the barrels don't look like they are a hvy. wt. barrel & w/ the drop on the stocks & the crescent butt plates, a.45-120 is going to pound you unmercifully.

Also loading White Powder (AKA Smokeless/Nitro) in the .45-120 is not generally advised due the small am't. of powder in such a large case.

When shooting BP, you be very meticulous w/ load development as the larger case generates more powder fouling.

I’ve shot more than few light wt rifles in big chambering w/ such stock & butt designs & they aren’t fun. Recoil will get to you real fast. Been there; done that.

Also none of the rifles listed are made by Pedersoli. I would save the $$ & money a Pedersoli in .45-2.1’ (AKA .45-70).

A bit of advise lots of guys want a 45-110 untill they get one. Somehow watching Quigly Down Under is a lot less painfull than actualy shooting the thing. But if you just gotta have one look in the Single Shot Exchange. There is always an add that goes something like 
For sale 45-110 Shilo Sharps with dies and 500 rounds of brass like new in box shot only 5 times.
Get a 45-70 or a 40-65 in the end you will get a lot more use out of them

40 Rod

Yeah I know it can punish ya pretty good. I kinda got my heart set on one and will more than likely remember your words of warning more than once. ha. I probably want shoot it a heck of a lot and think it would be a blast, no pun intended.  What reloading setup do you suggest? Nothing extravgant but would do the job.

Music to my ears DonH. Thats what I'll do. The 300-350 gr will work just fine. I have a .45 Long Colt I handload for so am some familar with the basics of handloading in smokeless pwdr. I only plan to use BP in the 45-120 and will get a book on reloading the behmouth. You guys are the best ya,ll didn't have to reply but you did and I got a lot from all the msgs. I appreciate it. Now I just gotta put in more hrs at work and get the baby.

DonH: if I recall, the 300-350 grn .45 cal bullet is a bit short. 

I wonder what would be the needed twist rate to stabalize  such a short bukllet?

Would a 1:20 work?

The twist that I am referring to is the number of turns in the rifling per inch. Twist determines the length of the bullet that will shoot well in the rifle for the particular caliber. Some .45' barrels have a 1:16, 1:18, 1:20, 1:22 twist.

For 'zample, w/ a 1:20 twist, the bullet makes one complete turn in 20" of barrel length. The barrel must have the correct rifling twist for the length of the bullet. 

Since you are admittedly knew to BPCR, below are some links to an on-line BPCR reloading & casting primers:

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You'll may also wish to visit the Shiloh-Sharps web site & do a search for this caliber in its archives. I do believe that there have been a few threads on this caliber there.

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greetings geetar,

at one time i had a 45-125...  never got it to shoot. couldn't figgure out why untill it dawned on me.. it was an ugly load... it was too long for it's dia. and looked gawky..

so.. i got a 45-110 and it was perfect. patched or plain, it looked well balanced. (you should allways be proud of how your ammo looks). it's no fun shooting if you have to hide your ammo from the eyes of other shooters.

now with a 45-110 you can allways use fillers... what are fillers you say????!!!. fillers take up the space of powder in a reduced load.. an example would be; 500gr bullet, 45grs. 2F and the balance fillers. this is a very accurate load and has the recoil of a 223 or less...  the filler also helps keep the bbl clean.. a mitey dandy 45-110 load..

good luck and ttfn..grampa..

howdy geetar,

i use special mix #47 from ballistic products.. it's a shot shell buffer. works pretty good.. there is also puff-lon as advertized in the journal and the sse. never tried it myself but heard good things about it..

i think reduced loads are a lot of fun to shoot and they are surprizingly accurate even with smokeless..   example would be, 30-06, 11gr. uniqe, 150 gr cast bullet.. in 'MY' tcr 83 will cut a 1/2 hole at 100yd for 5 shots.

..ttfn..grampa..

Sorry to chime in late, but here is my spin on this, based in large part on my own experience:

The Pedersoli built replicas can be quite nice.  I own a few in both the 1874 Sharps and the Remington Rolling Block iterations.  But, if you must shoot a 45-120 (and you can do so with out TOO MUCH pain) you MUST get the heaviest barrel and stock configuration they make.  This is not a 'cartridge' issue, but a 'gun-related' decision.

Weight and stock design are going to be the critical issues, and not simply in BPCRs.  I find shooting even a 45-70/300 grain load out of a Sharps Carbine (light gun, short barrel) much more rattling then when I am shooting the same load from a Sharps heavy barrel target set up for long range and not tied down to the competition weight limits.  Moving to the modern single shot era, I once shot a Remington 300 Ultra Magnum in a 700BDL hunting rifle, and even with a recoil pad on my shoulder, one round was enough.  By contrast, my 1000 yard long range benchrest 'of choice' is a Nesika-built 28 pound, long barreled, muzzlebraked single shot built for Richard Spurill, then Production Manager for Nesika and now filling that role for Dakota who bought Nesika a few years ago.  Recoil from this perfectly stocked and set up tack driver is akin to a 22 centerfire, and I can watch the bullets hit the target in the reticle of the boosted target scope (which makes doping the wind a lot easier.)

Moral of the story?  Shoot a 45-120 if you want, it is a lot of fun and I enjoy it.  Just get the right rifle to do so and load it properly.  If you want to go light, go 38-55 or 32-40.  Dave

And as to the difference in barrel length:

Generally speaking you can ussuallly expect an additional 25 fps for each additional inch in barrel length when ussing the same load etc.

You started this thread asking about the relative quality of the Sharps reproductions made by Pedretti and Sons.

They (and another maker) were turning out pretty poor stuff until Pedersoli and Armi Sport browbeat them into improving their product.

Since the advent of their 'Hartford' series, the Pedretti quality is much improved.  However, Pedersoli makes the best Italian reproductions, followed by Armi Sport.
CM

Quote:

Not as bad as it needs to be...

Last week we had some snow.  I had to plow three days in a row to keep one track open to feed cows, and another to reach the haystacks.  Then the Chinook started and blew it all away.  If things go the way they have been, we'll be looking at our eighth year of severe drought.

Plus, the country is filling up with folks who think all roads need to be paved, cows stink too much, and my baler is too noisy for them to hear their MP3 player.

We need a return to weather that is colder than a step-mother's heart...to convince them that they were better off in Mexifornia.
CM

guitarzann:

Another thought you might consider. When I had Shiloh build my .50/90 I had them install a mercury recoil suppression tube in the stock. Since I have no plans to shoot it in competion, the slight weight addition doesn't matter. One of my favorite loads for this rifle is a 650 grain Paul Jones Creedmoor bullet over 110 grains of Goex Fg. The recoil is not in the least objectionable, and in fact feels about like the recoil of my Shiloh .45/90 shooting a 540 grain PJ Creedmoor bullet over 90 grains of Swiss FFg.

I now have on order a Shiloh in .45/110 and have included the installation of a mercury tube in it's stock also. 

I shoot for enjoyment and the mercury recoil suppressors insure that I enjoy my shooting. 

Just a thought you might want to consider if you get a .45/110 or a .45/120. If you get a Pedersoli (I have a Pedersoli, and I also have a Pedretti, both in .45/70. Believe me, get a Pedersoli! The Pedretti is not all bad, but the difference in quality between the two is remarkable.) you can have any competent gunsmith install a mercury tube for you, or if you are handy, you could do it yourself.  

Oh, one other comment. It was mentioned above that the .45/120 cartridge just looks wrong. It's too long for it's diameter. The .45/110 is just a better looking cartridge. But then, that's opinion, and opinions are like noses, everybody's got one. I happen to be of the school of thought that the .45/120 doesn't look right.     

One possibility to consider is buying an inexpensive 45-70 (if you can find one) and then having it rechambered.  There is a company (maybe whiterock engineering) that rents chamber cutters.  Rent the cutter and have a local gunsmith convert the 45-70 to 45-120.  I did that with a Pedersoli Sharps.  Works fine.