The Galleries
- Robert E. Petersen Collection
- Ancient Firearms - 1350 to 1700
- Road to American Liberty - 1700 to 1780
- A Prospering New Republic - 1780 to 1860
- A Nation Asunder - 1861 to 1865
- The American West - 1850 to 1900
- Innovation, Oddities and Competition
- Theodore Roosevelt and Elegant Arms - 1880s to 1920s
- World War I and Firearms Innovation
- WWII, Korea, Vietnam and Beyond - 1940 to Present
- For the Fun of It
- Modern Firearms - 1950 to Present
- Hollywood Guns
Sharps Model 1874 Old Reliable Single Shot Falling Block Rifle (2)
The Sharps trademark "Old Reliable" was added to barrel markings in 1876 and is typically found only on rifles manufactured in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Its presence on Hartford-manufactured rifles indicates that these arms were manufactured from leftover parts. Many Sharps cartridge rifles were built up from former percussion receivers and lockplates. These conversions were easily and inexpensively done; for approximately $1.50 per rifle, the breechblock was replaced with a new design, and the barrel was re-lined.
Christian Sharps (1811-1874) was the originator of a line of
sturdy, practical, and popular military and sporting rifles and
handguns that were associated with several events that shaped
American history in 19th century, including armed conflict in
Kansas during the 1850s, the Civil War, the era of the Plains
buffalo hunter, and the rise of modern long-range competition
shooting during the 1870s.
Sharps worked at John Hall's Rifle Works in Harpers Ferry,
Virginia, where he learned the principles of arms manufacturing.
His first breechloading rifle design was patented in 1848, and the
toggle-linking trigger guard and vertically operating sliding wedge
breechblock of later Sharps rifles and carbines date from that
patent. These features are still with us today, and have seen use
in both rifle and artillery breech mechanisms. The spring
lever-toggle-breech mechanism of the Borchardt-Luger semi-automatic
pistol also had its roots in Christian Sharps' lever-linked
breech.
In 1850, Sharps moved to Mill Creek, Pennsylvania, near
Philadelphia, and contracted with the firm of A. S. Nippes to
manufacture two of his sporting rifle designs, which became known
as the Model 1849 and Model 1850. Faced with difficulty in
obtaining financing for further ventures, Sharps left the
Philadelphia area in 1851 and relocated to Hartford, Connecticut,
where he formed the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company. Lacking
production facilities, he contracted with the Windsor, Vermont firm
of Robbins & Lawrence to manufacture his new breechloader. This
venture continued until 1855.
Among the Sharps-designed firearms manufactured under this
association were the Model 1851 "Box Lock" Carbine, which featured
the Maynard tape primer system, and the Model 1852 and Model 1853
"Slanting Breech" Carbines, which were equipped with the
Sharps-patented pellet primer system as an integral part of its
breech mechanism. Model 1853 Carbines were nicknamed "Beecher's
Bibles," after noted New York clergyman and abolitionist Henry Ward
Beecher. 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. One of the most famous Free Soilers was John
Brown, who later used 300 Model 1853 Carbines in his ill-fated
attempt to capture the U.S. Armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia in
1859.
Christian Sharps served as technical advisor to the Sharps Rifle
Manufacturing Company, receiving royalties on the manufacture of
their firearms. His relationship with the company was a rocky one,
and in 1853, Sharps severed all connections with the firm. There is
no evidence that he ever had any further association with the
company that continued to bear his name. In 1855, the Sharps
company introduced the Model 1855 Carbine. These arms retained the
slanting breech and buttstock patch boxes of earlier models, but
featured the Maynard tape primer system. Approximately 800 .54
caliber carbines were manufactured for the U.S. government, and an
additional 6,000 Model 1855s in .577 caliber were purchased by
Great Britain.
While these carbines were in production, both Robbins &
Lawrence and Sharps suffered serious financial losses. The latter
corporation went bankrupt, and their operations were taken over by
Sharps and moved to Hartford. The Sharps New Model 1859, introduced
in that year, was available as a carbine, and in round-barrel
military rifle or octagonal-barrel sporting rifle versions. Its
straight-breech design is credited to Richard S. Lawrence, formerly
of Robbins & Lawrence, who had become the superintendent of the
Sharps Rifle Company.
This design, in conjunction with a breechblock-mounted plate
capable of slight rearward movement when under pressure, created a
moderately effective gas seal. New Model 1859 arms also employed an
improved version of the Sharps pellet primer system which allowed
the pellet feed mechanism to be disengaged. Ordinary percussion
caps could then be used, with the supply of pellet primers held in
reserve. Like earlier Sharps designs, the Model 1859 fired a glazed
linen combustible .52 caliber cartridge. When closed, the
breechblock sheared off the rear of the cartridge, exposing the
propellant. During the Civil War, the Federal government bought
over 80,000 Sharps carbines and nearly 10,000 Sharps
Rifles.
These arms were highly regarded by the troops who used them. Sharps
Carbines found favor with Federal cavalry troopers, and New Model
1859 Rifles were used with great success by famous infantry units
such as Colonel Hiram Berdan's U.S. Sharp Shooters, perhaps the
first specialty troops in the history of modern warfare, as well as
the 5th New York (Duryea's Zouaves) and the 13th Pennsylvania
Reserves (Bucktails). Even the Confederate government recognized
the superiority of the New Model 1859 Carbine, contracting with the
Richmond firm of S.C. Robinson for the production of 5,000 copies.
The New Model 1859 was followed by the New Model 1863 and New Model
1865 Carbines and Rifles. These were nearly identical to the New
Model 1859, differing primarily in barrel stampings, the omission
of buttstock patchboxes, and in the design or absence of bayonet
lugs. Many versions of all three arms were later converted for use
with .50-70 and .52-70 caliber metallic cartridge ammunition in the
years following the Civil War. The New Model 1869 Carbine and
Rifle, available in .44-77, .50-70, and .60 calibers, were the
first Sharps arms designed for use with metallic
cartridges.
In 1874, the firm was reorganized as the Sharps Rifle Co., with
operations remaining in Hartford. In 1876, manufacturing was moved
to Bridgeport, Connecticut, where it remained until 1881. This
period saw the manufacture of some of the more notable of Sharps
longarms, beginning with introduction of the Model 1874 Rifle.
Nicknamed "Old Reliable," this arm, available in a variety of
calibers, barrel lengths, sights, and other features, became a
favorite with both Plains buffalo hunters and competition shooters.
Many Fancy-Grade models featured engraving which ranged from simple
scrollwork to elaborate hunting or western scenes on their
surfaces. The Sharps Model 1877 shared in the popularity of its
predecessor. These deluxe-grade heavy-barreled .45 caliber rifles
were designed specifically for Creedmoor and other long-range
target shooters. Only 100 of these were produced, and they are as
sought-after today by collectors as they were by competitors at the
time of their introduction.
The last rifle to be produced by the Sharps Rifle Company was the
Model 1878 Sharps-Borchardt Rifle. This arm was developed by Hugo
Borchardt, who later became famous for his automatic pistol
designs. These rifles, with their flat-sided frame and hammerless
appearance, differ notably from earlier Sharps designs. Like the
Model 1874, the Sharps-Borchardt was available in a variety of
stocks, barrel lengths and weights, sights, calibers, and other
features, including deluxe grade models. These popular rifles were
produced until 1881, when the Sharps Rifle Company went bankrupt
and ceased operations.
Although his association with the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing
Company ended in 1853, Christian Sharps continued to work as a
designer and manufacturer of firearms. He returned to Philadelphia
and formed C. Sharps & Co., a manufacturer of percussion
revolvers, breechloading single-shot pistols and pistol-rifles, and
four-shot pepperbox pistols. In 1862, Sharps entered into a
partnership with William Hankins. Their new company, known as
Sharps & Hankins, continued to produce pepperbox pistols, as
well as the single-shot .52 caliber Model 1861 Navy Rifle and the
Model 1862 Carbine, both of which featured sliding breech actions.
The partnership was dissolved in 1866, and Sharps reverted to the
C. Sharps & Co. name. This firm ceased operations in 1874 with
the death of Christian Sharps on March 12 of that year.