Reeder Custom Guns - Anyone here shoot .45-90?

Not sure if it is weird enough for Waterboy. :)

I bought a C. Sharps M1875 rifle in an on-line auction. It was advertised as .45-70. I got it yesterday and it is .45-90. Honest mistake on their part, as C. Sharps marks the .45-70s as .45 2 1/10" and the .45-90s as .45 2 4/10". Their "4" does a good job looking like a "1" unless you have good eyes.

The seller offered to take it back, but I decided to keep it after talking to a buddy who does some BPCR shooting. He got me really excited about the prospect of a new, historical cartridge in the stable. Just curious if anyone here has experience loading and shooting for it.

The seller did tell me he'd send me some dies and brass if he finds them. Better than nothing. :)

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LOL just teasing. I had a late Winchester 1886 in .45-90 and enjoyed it like you guys for the exotic flavor. It's NOT a .45-70 Govt., but shoots it too just fine.

The reality is a .45-90 is only good for shooting black powder where you need the extra capacity for power. Today with smokless the .45/90 has excessive capacity, the old .45-70 is all you need to surpass the .45-90 using smokless. Now you can lower pressures with the larger capacity but you really can't outperform the old .45-70 by a good amount. You guys know that with black you can't have any airspace between the bullet and powder. This leads to all sorts of cork and felt wads to fill that extra gap in the .45-90 that does not exist in the .45-70.

But hey I get it. It's different and fun. I'm hip to that too. Out past 200 yds. if you miss-judge the distance by 25 yds. with such a looping trajectory you might miss! Those tall ladder sights take real skill in range determination to pull a Quigly shot.

barrels in 45-90, 45-110, 50-90, 50-110, and up to 50-140 and most of the time they want it in a 12" barrel. I try to persuade them into staying with the 45-70. Most of the time they just get pissed off at me because I don't get all excited with their choice of calibers.

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called the various companies to check on a 50-70 for one fellow and they told me it took a 1 in 24 twist barrel. But the guy didn't want to wait the several months to get it. He asked me to check on a 50-140. It took a 1 in 54 twist and was going to take even longer so the guy passed and went for the 45-70 barrel. Thru the years we have built several 50-70 barrels in both the Contender and Encore but nothing bigger than that.

for a young man named Joel Sherman
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I'm almost positive. Which I think was fantastic. While it is way over capacity for the shorter barrels and such it can also manage the .50 Special, .510 GNR , .500 LB and Max. Just too much fun to pass up.

The .50-95 WCF is a neat little number, sort of a shortened and improved .50-70 Govt. The brass is just under 2" long for the big frame 1876 Winchester. It would make a fine big bore being low pressure and big capacity but honestly the straight wall AK is better all round or even the .510 GNR is all that's efficient in truth.

I can understand guys wanting exotic numbers. They will actually be quite collectable in the future. Most guys, in your position, just won't do the odd ones, that makes them rare.

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We built 5 of them.

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Is purely sentimental my great grandfather had one and sadly the old 86 went to other family members. So I decided to build my own and by using the encore i have her scoped. I've got 45-70's also but there's something about using a cartridge with family history.

but I got a pretty good deal on the gun. I will likely shoot black powder most of the time, just for kicks.

I rechambered a Encore rifle barrel (45-70 Bergara) to 45-90 Winchester. Lyman has data. Best accuracy I've got has been with ultramax 45-90 300gr factory loads groups at 100yds of 1-1/2" (mine has a good scope on it). Give Dave at Buffalo Arms a call he's won a lot of black powder competition s with the 45-90.

Encore 45-90 unless you have a muzzle brake?

Its a 24" encore rifle no brake or porting but stock is laminated (went with laminate for strength at the grip area) and she's got a recoil pad . Recoil is pretty much the same as a 45-70 with normal 45-90 loads but can be loaded up to 450 Alaskan territory (at your own risk with dave scovill and Clyde williamsons warm 45-90 data) then it does change personalities. But I just like using it at it's older level just as potent today as it was in the 1880's.

I use it almost exclusively for 1,000 matches in BPCR competition. It gives a little extra velocity to your heavier 525 grain + bullets. It is a very accurate caliber and fine shooting rifle. I use straight black when required but prefer using a duplex load to minimize fouling. Shooting 45-70 in the 90 is ok but you will have to clean the chamber very well and will also require setting your bullets farther out of the case to reach the rifling.

Brass is easy to get as Starline makes it. Dies also not a problem. If you plan to shoot BPCR competition I would be happy to give you some info on moulds, loads, powders, lube etc. It is what I have learned for my rifle over 10+ years of shooting it. If you talk to any BPCR shooters you will find a lot of variation in favorite bullets etc. You may email at tssermer@charter.net. Enjoy it Tom

they replied that the gun was built in 1988 (way earlier than I expected) and that the barrel would have been either Douglas or Badger. They also said the twist rate is likely 1:18. I wanted to know the twist rate so I'd know what bullets it might like best.

I look forward to seeing what this one will do this fall. Doubt I'll be shooting much this summer, as we are moving both home and business.

I don't have a .45-90 but I do have a .45-100 or .45 2.6" its original loading by Sharps was 90 grs of powder. It is a blast to shoot and recoil is not bad at all.

https://youtu.be/TwGKVma-NHc

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