Mark,
Please see my reply to your initial post on where to obtain replacement parts for your Sharps.
You mention in this post that you were "
soon to join a local shooting team". Since you mention the Sharps and 'shooting team' in the same post this has raised a red flag for me. I would strongly advise against using your original Berdan contract Sharps to 'live fire'. The pressures generated by a live ball and a 60 gr. load of black powder can be potentially disasterous unless the weapon has been thoroughly inspected by a qualified gunsmith, and ideally the gun scanned by X-ray machine for any subtle weaknesses that have developed in the 148 year old steel.
When I was growing up in Detroit the North South Skirmish Assoc. would hold shooting competitions at Greenfield Village (part of the Henry Ford Museum complex--the chair Lincoln was assassinated in was on display inside the first courthouse Lincoln began his legal career in--Henry Ford had bought and transported both them for his museum complex). I would hang around the skirmish units, who were exclusively firing original rifle muskets of all types. The weapons all had to be inspected by qualified experts before being allowed on the range (by their 'unit armorer' and the NSSA inspector). Occassionally I would hear a tale of a fellow loading up an original musket and firing it only to have the barrel burst, bolster/cone fly off to a different county and the hammer causing mayhem on body parts.
A word to the wise: One of my good friends recently bought a repop rifled musket that had been 'defarbed'. He took the weapon over to another friends farm to live-fire it. After the second rd there was a loud explosion and whirring sound. My friend looked down to find the bolster had split in half-the cone disappeared and shrapnel from the bolster narrowly missed the head of another friend who was on the firing line a few feet away. My friend called the seller and found out that they had removed the repop's original bolster and welded a new one on. The gun had primarily been used for blank fire; evidentally the pressures and associated stress from the live fire contributed to the failure.
Second, shooting an original Berdan contract is akin to entering one's 90 year old grandmother in a mud wrestling contest; she might acquit herself honorably the first match, but won't go the distance. When I was at Mansfield, OH CW show earlier this month DST Sharps (I hesitate to identify them as Berdan Contract since the range of serial numbers were at the outer range of the USSS production run); were selling for $10 to 14,000 range (NRA excellent condition dst Sharps will go for $30,000; even in today's economy).
Unfortunately, I re-read your post to see that you had
'recently restored' your Sharps. There were only 2000 Berdan Contract rifles manufactured (out of 9,000 CW range rifles-most are NM1863 that were produced in 1863-5). In the world of collecting, the Berdan Sharps (with its distinctive set triggers) is one of the most high demand weapons from the CW. Depending on what you had done to 'restore' the rifle, you may have reduced it's value significantly. At this point I would strongly recommend you buy whatever replacement parts you need on your family heirloom, hang it over the mantle. Then see about doing some serious geneology to see what ancestors served in the CW-you may be a descendent of a Sharpshooter; or one of the lucky Veterans who were issued Sharps that had been used by the USSS or Bucktails, during the closing months of the War. Either way the rifle has a long and honorable tradition. You have a unique talsman of America's bloodiest war-take care of it. Your children and grandchildren will thank you.
If you are intent on doing competitive shooting with a Sharps, I'd recommend trolling the NSSA website on their 'for sale' section. Once in a blue moon a Shiloh Sharps NM1863 will come up for sale. OR you can contact the NY Company (Co. B 1st USSS); as their group just purchased a complete USSS uniform and brand new Armi-Sport Sharps. You can contact Rich Simmons (
http://www.pages.prodigy.net/richsim) for details.
Bill Skillman
Randolph Mess-USSS