The Black Powder Cartridge News Winter 2021

Cody Smith, avid BPCR competitor and the “Main Man” at the Smithmoor Range in Carpenter, Wyoming, sent in a thought-provoking letter that we have included in this issue’s “Letters From Readers” section. He makes the argument that we may have reached the point in the history of BPCR Silhouette that requires a new organization, other than the NRA, to manage the promotion, recordkeeping and running of BPCR Silhouette matches at the national level. It does seem somewhat obvious that the NRA’s interest in BPCR Silhouette has seriously waned and it is doubtful that it will change in the near future. The NRA has many problems to deal with at the moment, most of them self-inflicted, and I have always questioned their dedication to a discipline that wasn’t a huge moneymaker for them. Those of us who participated in NRA BPCR Silhouette from its beginning have, quite frankly, seen this coming for quite some time. ...Read More >

Our cover for this issue has been provided compliments of Shiloh Rifle Manufacturing and Sheryll Garbe. Thanks to Shiloh for making the beautiful firearm and to Sheryll for taking the great photograph to show it off to its best advantage. ...Read More >

As an avid BPCR shooter, competitor and match director, I am wondering if the time is right for the formation of some type of BPCR organization. In the past, we have relied on the NRA to provide rules, keep track of records, run national matches and support local, state, and regional matches. I do not believe the NRA can be counted on to provide these services in the future. ...Read More >

Sometimes a special rifle needs a special barrel and that’s just the way it was when I started putting together the idea for a new Sharps “buffalo gun” in .50/70 caliber. To my way of thinking, most .50-caliber barrels made today have rates of twist that are too fast for the relatively light bullets of the .50/70 and even the .50/90 when the authentic 473-grain paper-patched bullets are used. So an order was sent to Oregon Barrel Company, in Springfield, Oregon, for the barrel I wanted. ...Read More >

Folks who discover the sports involving black-powder target shooting often remain involved for several reasons. Our September matches of Slug Gun versus Cartridge, King of the Slug Gunners, High Cartridge, and High Original Rifle all offer an opportunity for shooters at any level to get involved and have a good time. ...Read More >

The 22 BPCR Association held its National Championships July 12-14, 2021, at the NRA Whittington Center near Raton, New Mexico. There were 112 riflemen and women gathered from across the country to compete for the title of National Champion. As the smoke cleared after three long days of competition, 14-year-old Cole Sauer of Goshen County, Wyoming, came out on top, besting numerous veteran shooters and past national champions. Cole is the son of Torrington, Wyoming, business owners Cecil and Amber Sauer. Cecil, Cole, and younger brother Chase, all made the trip and competed in the event. ...Read More >

Historical narratives tell us that the linen cartridges provided by the Sharps Company were acclaimed by all to be the best available. In our last test of linen cartridges in The Black Powder Cartridge News No. 111 (Fall 2020), we didn’t quite have all the right components available, but it was still a groundbreaking first look and we busted several long-standing myths. Now, we have finally found all the right components to definitively answer the question, “How accurate were they really?” We discovered linen equal to what the Sharps Company contractor was using; plus, we used bullets cast from an original Sharps mould dated 1863. In addition, we used the increased powder charge specified by the Ordnance Department in 1864. To top it all off, we used an original 1863 Sharps carbine in order to test the cartridges in the actual gun they were designed for. As we know, the government accuracy tests in the 1860s were very sketchy; hence the need for a more modern examination here. This is, no doubt, as close as anyone has ever come to duplicating the top-quality Sharps linen cartridges of that era. ...Read More >

In 1875, the Sharps Rifle Company set about to redesign its legendary Model 1874 rifle into a more streamlined and efficient firearm. This was mainly due to the desire to offer the shooting public a rifle that was seen as being more competitive with other designs and specifically in the case of long-range competitions and would allow more weight to be put into the barrel without exceeding the 10-pound limit rule required in Creedmoor matches. Charles Overbaugh, gunsmith, head salesman and shooter for the Sharps Rifle Company was the driving force on this endeavor, and after some various alterations and designs, he came up with the “Overbaugh Long Range” rifle. After a time, the new rifle was simply referred to as the “Model 1877” and was definitely a refined Model 1874, having a much lighter frame, a shotgun-style lock and graceful hammer. ...Read More >

In International competition, shooting with a muzzleloader at 300, 500 and 600 yards has to be shot with a sling. At long range, 900 and 1,000 yards, shooters may use a wrist rest. Some shooters use a sling and a wrist rest. International rules require: ...Read More >

Back when Lynn Willecke and I were kids, just old enough to buy our own guns, we’d go to pawnshops and get old Smith & Wesson (S&W) single-action top-breaks in .38 caliber. Those old .38s would cost us only $20 each and the pawnshop dealers would likely give us a handful of cartridges just to get rid of them. We called those guns our “Baby Russians,” but in fact, they were the Second Issue .38s, while the real Baby Russians were the First Issue. Back then, we didn’t know or recognize the difference and probably didn’t care. But those old .38s shot quite well. Now that we’re “older kids,” the delight in shooting those old guns has returned. ...Read More >

James Wood Carver was born on November 26, 1858, at Pawlet, Vermont. He was the son of Chester L. Carver and his second wife, Emaline George Carver. James W. Carver broke upon the public scene in October, 1885, as a result of a “queer,” unschooled letter sent from the wilds of Pawlet, Vermont, to A.C. Gould, the urbane editor of The Rifle, who published the letter. The letter’s author touted Carver’s ability to perform remarkable feats with a rifle: ...Read More >

We have all read of Charles Jesse “Buffalo” Jones and his roping buffalo calves on the plains, maintaining a herd of buffalo and his experiments with crossbreeding cattle and buffalo. We also know that because he was quite a self-promoter. But there were others who captured buffalo calves and maintained small herds of buffalo as well. One such man was Richard W. “Dick” Rock. ...Read More >