New Model 1859 arms also employed an, improved version of the Sharps pellet primer system which allowed, the pellet feed mechanism to be disengaged. Additional funding is provided by public television viewers. @RoadshowPBS. Serial Number Ranges. The Sharps Model 1877 shared in the popularity of its, predecessor. Action of the test gun, a Model 1852 Sharps carbine, serial number 5737. The only other breech-loaded firearms to see greater use were produced by the Spencer Repeating Rifle Company, of Boston, Mass. Approximately 800. I have measured the barrel with a pair of calipers and it is in fact .450. Antiques Roadshow on Facebook, William Austin Burt patented the U.S.'s first "typographer on July 23 in 1829. From 1869 to 1871, the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company produced their first entirely new made cartridge model the Sharps New Model 1869. longarms, beginning with introduction of the Model 1874 Rifle. As a side note it has been converted to fire 50-70 cartridges. Specifications and prices are subject to change without notice. No other official military arm of the Civil War went on to remain as popular with civilian shooters and hunters, not even the Remington rolling block rifles. found on the reverse buttstock at the upper wrist (stamped cartouche), and sometimes on These arms retained the slanting breech and buttstock patch boxes. This model incorporated a totally redesigned receiver and the new Sharps primer mechanism. Sharps' markings on lockplate and tang. The only real variation from the originals they copied was that Shiloh elected to make the Lawrence priming system non-functional. Barrel; A Sharps Model 2A four-barrel pepperbox pistol SerialA Sharps Model 2A four-barrel pepperbox pistol Serial no. These popular rifles were, produced until 1881, when the Sharps Rifle Company went bankrupt, Although his association with the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing, Company ended in 1853, Christian Sharps continued to work as a, designer and manufacturer of firearms. 1875 Sharps. I also have questions about the letters and cartouches on the wood. He was present until November 1865 when he reported to the hospital at Camp Chase, Ohio. A term of the trade the Custer range refers to the range of serial numbers borne by firearms whose dates of manufacture make it possible that they were issued to Custer and his men, and therefore used during Little Bighorn. if the gun was a conversion. TOM SELLECK= A Shiloh Sharps Number 3 Rifle is today's featured gun. Two of the rifles happened to be chambered for the 45-70 Government, and at that time Italy imposed a ban on the importation of any arms chambered for military cartridges. It was a single-shot weapon with an unusual action to lever the barrel forward off the frame, and several interesting technical feature. Approximately 900 of these arms were shipped in heavy, crates marked BIBLES for use by anti-slavery Free Soil settlers, who were fighting against pro-slavery forces in Bleeding Kansas, during the 1850s. The Sharps 'New Model' 1859 rifles in this serial range, roughly 39,XXX through 40,XXX with saber bayonet lugs are typically considered part of the 'Mitchell Contract' of Sharps rifles acquired by the US Navy during the Civil War, after the US Army declined to purchase the guns equipped with saber bayonets, preferring to stay with socket bayonet rifles. Both were 44-caliber rifles, built with automatic priming systems. Army Inspector's marks: John Taylor, assisted by four or five civilian sub-inspectors On the other hand, the rugged construction and longer-range accuracy of the Sharps made it revered among foot soldiers. Model 1853 Carbines were nicknamed Beecher s, Bibles, after noted New York clergyman and abolitionist Henry Ward, Beecher. The company offers Elephant Gigantes seeds, as well as free seeds that come with recommended shelf life information included. Approx 1.15 full length Exc at reciever - flared to match reciever. Firearms manufacturers such as Davide Pedersoli and Shiloh Rifle Manufacturing Company have credited these movies with an increase in demand for those rifles. 50-70, and. The Blue Book of Gun Values lists the serial numbers for those guns. 110 year later came this "The Gold Royal" typewriter Our top quality barrels are sourced from Green Mountain and McGowan. Ordnance Board during the Civil War, nearly 20 percent were produced by the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company, of Hartford, Conn. Portions of the N-SSA official website's Bulletin Board has been closed to the public in the best interest of the association and its members. My gun is serial numbered 33322 and not one of the Navy rifles. (As the Sharps Rifle Company was failing circa 1880, another 75 Model 1877s were assembled from parts and given their own serial number range of D1 through D75. Only about 100 of the rifles were produced, in 45 caliber, in 1877 and 1878. Likewise, 'NEW MODEL 1859' can be made out to rear of sight. Like earlier Sharps designs, the Model 1859 fired a glazed, linen combustible. Along with the demise of the great buffalo herds of the West also came the demise of Sharps rifle production. 53858, in .40 caliber with a 32-inch barrelis in the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. forestock in place. As a side note it has been converted to fire 50-70 cartridges. Before making the decision to completely manufacture a reproduction of the famous breech-loaded rifles and carbines, he was manufacturing extremely high quality bullet moulds for blackpowder shooters. order rifle. If it is a number, and matches the one on the lower tang, might that not indicate a remanufacture somewhere along the line? Model . Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company. Mounted cavalry troops tended to prefer the 7-shot repeating Spencer lever-action carbines and easier loading self-contained cartridges over the slower loading single-shot percussion breech-loaded Sharps with combustible paper or linen cartridges. Rifle production continued in Vermont while a new Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company was formed in Hartford, Longarms Sharps Models, Production years, Calibers, Serial Numbers. Oddly enough, the man whose name became known around the world, thanks to the quality and accuracy associated with Sharps rifles, had very little to do with the company during this period. Three spring held type oval barrel bands are used to hold the The surviving rifles are much scarcer. RECORD for 1859 as a result of its association with that event. His initial "T" has been seen on some barrels in the normal In 1876, he was one of the scouts for, C. Sharps Arms, Inc.100 Centennial DriveP.O. William H. Bennett was born in Shelby County, Ohio in 1840. CLICK ON CONTACT US' AT THE TOP OF ANY PAGE ON THE SITE, This slant breech specimen is attributed to use by John Brown, in his 1859 raid on the U.S. Armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. However, RST 106 on large potato leaved types did well when grown in grow bags. serial range may have been produced. moved back, lest the primers escape. Forum. consisted of a few rifles that were "on hand" at the beginning of the Berdan "Physical Evidence and the Battle of the Little Bighorn," Albert Winkler, Brigham Young University, 2017. 4 | "War in an Age of Wonders" By Michael P. Musick The information most sought after in ordnance records is data on the issuance of arms by serial number. In 1870, Springfield Armory additionally converted about 1,300 more Sharps rifles and carbines to the newly designated 50-70 Government cartridge. This, period saw the manufacture of some of the more notable of Sharps. Is it 52 or 56 caliber? Those familiar with twentieth-century records often assume that official records of some kind will enable the possessor of a particular Colt percussion Army Model 1860 revolver (for . A draftsman and technical illustrator by trade and blackpowder shooter by heart, Len Mule was the real mastermind behind what would become known as the Shiloh Sharps. A forum community dedicated to all firearm owners and enthusiasts. 1874 CREEDMOOR TARGET RIFLE. If it is indeed .45 caliber the barrel has been lined. But, says Arms & Militaria appraiser Tim Prince, if provenance can be firmly established, you can expect a Custer-range firearms value, generally in the neighborhood of $5,000 to $10,000, to rocket up at least tenfold and in one recent case, much more. This book traces the history and development of Sharps rifles and carbines and contains short histories of a number of regiments that carried them. The fit and finish of the Model 1863 percussion rifle and carbine, along with the many versions of the Model 1874 metallic cartridge rifles produced by this maker, is superb and in no way second to the quality of any other maker. That production also included about 200 sporting rifles that would set the stage for the famous Model 1874 Rifle, which became the favored gun of the professional buffalo hunter. The Sharps was the only carbine in actual production at the outbreak of the Civil War. known to have carried rifles in the 54000, 55000, 56000, and 57000 range. The fact that the owner was in a regiment composed entirely of proud veterans who were allowed to keep their weapons at the end of their service explains the rifles excellent condition. The Sharps rifle would play a prominent role in the Bleeding Kansas conflict during the 1850s, particularly in the hands of anti-slavery forces. Among the Sharps 1874 models you can find the Sporting model with octagonal blued barrel, adjustable front sight and double set trigger. Actually, at that time the Italian manufacturer reproduced everything but the barrel, and the parts were all shipped to Navy Arms facility in New Jersey, where the actions were fitted with a 45-70 barrel. In addition, the Sharps rifle was expensive to manufacture (three times the cost of a muzzle-loading Springfield rifle) and so only 11,000 of the Model 1859s were produced. In all, the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company converted 31,098 carbines and 1,086 rifles to accept one or the other of the experimental 52-70 rimfire, 52-70 centerfire or 50-70 centerfire cartridges. And the Sharps was one of the designs selected for conversion. either 700 or 800 yards. During that same period, Spencer produced a total of 94,196 carbines and 12,471 rifles for the war. Army inspector's location at the breech. Breech, lock and triggerguard show hints of case colors but are mostly dark. Sharps rifles are a series of large-bore, single-shot, falling-block, breech-loading rifles, beginning with a design by Christian Sharps in 1848 and ceasing production in 1881. (The company also produced a few Model 1874 Creedmoor rifles chambered for the 44-90 Sharps Bottleneck cartridge.). The lines of the new lockplate were a lot cleaner. We just sent you an email. Pat, there is a new Sharps book out by Roy Marcot that may shed some light on your rifle. The 1874-pattern Sharps was a particularly popular rifle that led to the introduction of several derivatives in quick succession. The rifle is a paper cartridge rifle in .54 cal. with exposed S shaped hammer and pellet primer system, a thirty inch round barrel, marked The plates of earlier percussion models, built with the pellet priming system, were 3/8-inch thick, as was the plate of the New Model 1869. Through 1973 the 1974, Len Mule devoted much of his life to researching Sharps breech-loading rifles and carbines. I would insure it for 2500.00 to be safe. This was done by the US Gov't after the war. Shotgun Buttstock ONLY Extra Fancy Wood (Shown with Presentation Grade Wood) No Cheek Rest Pistol Grip Single Trigger ONLY AA. I have a sile sharps rifle centerfire 45/70 and would like to . the front sight stud to lock it in place, no separate locking nut was on the Only about 200 each of his percussion Model 1849 and Model 1850 drop-block action rifles were produced by Pennsylvania based manufacturer A.S. Nippes. Sharps Carbine Serial Numbers. He is buried in Harris Creek Cemetery in Bradford, Ohio. the death of Christian Sharps on March 12 of that year. The C stands for 100,000. .52-caliber 475-grain projectile with 50-grain (3.2 g) cartridge, later converted to .45-70 Government in 1873. 1875, in our Appraisals Archive. The muzzle area has just the slightest pinprick pitting otherwise the barrels appearance is very pleasing. In 1876, manufacturing was moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut, where it remained until 1881. A notation in his military records states the he retained (1) one sharps rifle.. . IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS retrieved 20 September 2008 from Google. When I get home I'll check my Sharps books. In 1874, the firm was reorganized as the Sharps Rifle Co., with operations remaining in Hartford. The partnership was dissolved in 1866, and Sharps reverted to the, C. Sharps Co. name. The rifle has Berdan features of double set triggers, no lever catch, the OW Ainsworth sub-inspection mark on . Withdraw In the U.S., the heart of Sharps rifle manufacturing today is located in Big Timber, MT. Nelson's request for 300 Sharps carbines was sent by the Ordnance Department to the Sharps Rifle Mfg. Ben Phelan is a freelance writer in Louisville, Kentucky. By 1874 the rifle was available in a variety of calibers, and had been adopted by the armies of a number of nations. The RST series, Estamino, and Fortamino are all good choices for shorter growing seasons. The 115,000 rifles and carbines produced from 1859 to 1866 represented approximately 65 percent of the total number of Sharps breechloaders ever manufactured. closed as on the single trigger Sharps rifle. Right side of lock features Sharps and Lawrence patent marks. Set Descending Direction. The Sharps rifles supplied to anti-slavery factions earned the name Beecher's Bibles, after the famed abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher. NEW! Rear sights are found graduated to John Brown, was one of many anti-slavery settlers who fought against, pro-slavery Border Ruffians in Kansas prior to the Civil War, and, some of these guns found their way with Brown to Harpers, Sharps carbines were manufactured with identical serial numbers on, both the tang and on the underside of the barrel beneath the fore. . Sharps worked at John Hall s Rifle Works, in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, where he learned the principles of arms, manufacturing. 8 lbs. Can you tell me about it? A number of dings and wear as is usual. The carbine version was very popular with the cavalry of both the Union and Confederate armies and was issued in much larger numbers than other carbines of the war and was top in production in front of the Spencer or Burnside carbine. MAY BE PURCHASED THROUGH OUR LAYAWAY PROGRAM. have a lever locking latch which was on the trigger tang to hold the lever The priming magazine charged, the cover must not be Cheers. 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