Sharps 45-110 price advice PLEASE

[Kev18]

A couple months ago I went to a gun show and saw a Sharps 1874 Old reliable in 45-110, with one box of RCBS reloaded cartridges. The guy was selling it for 2700$ with abit of room for negotiation. Now the gun show is coming again this saturday so Im trying to see if the price is decent. Iv'e been thinking about it since I saw it! Im debating between a sharps, if its still there. And a Winchester 1873.

Any advice on the rifle, price, or anything is appreciated! Thanks

[country gent]

A lot depends on the rifle and the options it was ordered with. Be nice to see the build sheet on it. Upgraded wood can add several hundred dollars, Shilohs fee for checkering is around $300.00, Sights are another Buckhorn and blade are usually standard, a long range soule tang sight and spirit level globe can add $500-$600.00. fancy finishes add to cost. You need to go to C SHarps and SHilohs web sites and price out a build as close to the rifle as possible and this will tell you new cost. Adjust from there

[Kev18]

Alright, Il check it out. Thanks

[Don McDowell]

Cases for the 110 aren't cheap, and it consumes powder veraciously. Price isn't bad, but you want to think about getting long and hard before you jump into it.

[marlinman93]

I see the big .45's going for much less than shorter .45 calibers. I think a lot of guys think it's a great idea until they start shooting them. Then they later sell them and buy a shorter case to shoot.

[sharpsguy]

What model is it, and most importantly, when was it made. Is it a pistol grip gun, or a straight stock? Does it have the letter "B" in the serial number? Without the letter "B", I wouldn't touch it. Don is right, cases are at or near two bucks each, and it is gonna kick. And use lots of powder--black powder, by the way. They are a pain in the rear sometimes, but I have three of them in my gun safe. Be that as it may, there is not another gun like a Shiloh 45-110 Sharps.

[Gunlaker]

I would want the rifle to have a heavy barrel in order to be manageable. I have two .45-110's ( or .45-2-7/8" Sharps rifles. One is a C. Sharps 1874 with a 32" heavy barrel. It's just under 13 lbs IIRC. It is a bit much shooting from prone, although a Buffalo Arms recoil pads helps a lot. It is very tolerable from sitting with cross sticks, and surprisingly good off-hand. I use 105gr of Fg and a 540gr paper patched bullet in that one.

My second .45-110 is a 14lb Shiloh Sharps ( actual weight 15 lbs ). The extra weight makes it very pleasant to shoot. Much more so than the lighter rifle. I shoot 93gr of Swiss 1.5 and a 535gr bullet in that one these days.

The brass is expensive, but it will last for many years. When I bought my rifles I bought 350 pieces of Norma 2.88" brass. That was 8 or 9 years ago and I haven't lost a case yet.

Chris.

[Don Purcell]

I have a C. Sharps Arms 1874 34" heavy barrel just under 13 pounds 45-2 7/8. 103 grs. 1F with 560 gr. paper patch that will cut 5 shots in one hole at 100 yds. Like Gunlaker says the brass will last a long time if you take care of it. A friend of mine just half assed cleaned his brass and got 2 or 3 case separations in a row with some 3 1/4" cases after they had set awhile. Myself, I have never regretted getting the 2 7/8.

[Kev18]

I figured it was going to be expensive. Im not new to reloading though. Its just that bp is sometimes hard to come by, but I have some 2f. I have a winchester 1886 in 40-82 that costed me quite alot in brass and powder.
And im not sure what the serial number is on the rifle, but im pretty sure it has a heavy barrel. What does the B mean in the s#?

[Gunlaker]

The B means good news . It means it was built by the Bryan family, the current owners of Shiloh. Their rifles are very well built.

If it doesn't have the B it is pre-Bryan and may have the farmingdale freebore which lots of people don't seem to like. No personal experience with those, all of mine are Bryan era rifles.

Chris.

[Don Purcell]

Our first Sharps was an early Shiloh when on the east coast and had the free bore. The barrel itself was pitiful as it had tight and loose spots in the barrel and would not group worth a dime at even 100 yards. It was sent back and about 9 MONTHS later with a different barrel it grouped just a little better but still had a tight spot about even with the front of the fore end. This time my dad and I lapped the tight spot out and got it to shoot reasonably well but not fully satisfied. Custom barrel maker Dave Fansler of Montrose Colorado was contacted and he made and installed a new barrel. Finally 1 inch groups were not surprising but at that time freebores were what was accepted for paper patching and this barrel was specified as such. This is my deceased father's rifle and I have thought several times of sending it to Shiloh to have a proper barrel installed and may still.

[bigted]

When you refer to this Sharps as "ol reliable" this makes me think it is indeed a Wolfgang Sharps which is not in the same ball park as the Bryan rifles. The split left Wolfgang in possession of the name "Ol Reliable" and Bryan could not use it on his Shiloh guns.

The chambers on these old guns have lots of free bore ahead of the chamber meaning that to load the boolit to touch the lands is pretty hard to do and paperpatch boolits will potentially "bump" up into this free bore and then tear the patch as it tries to swedge into the rifling ... not conducive to an especially accurate load.

[rfd]

kev18 - do you really have a Need for a .45-110? i would listen to don's caution, the 110 will be expensive, and it'll be a shoulder buster unless the loading is fudged ... and for what? what are you gonna use that gun for? in the next breath you mention if not the 110, then a '73 - two animals as diff'rent as night and day. think about what you think you need and not what you think you want. could save ya a buncha time and dollar$.

[762sultan]

I would take rfd's advice as he and country gents both have a lot of experience in these guns. Recently they have helped me in deciding which one to take a serious look at. It has paid off well for me as I have bought the gun that fits my needs and price range. Only you can make the final decision ...get what makes you happy.

[sharpsguy]

I will just say that if the rifle does not have a "B" in the serial number, I would run the other way. For a first Shiloh, you are setting yourself up for a lot of disappointment and heartburn with a pre Bryan gun. BTDT. Ignorance is bliss, but now you have been informed, and if it bites you, you have no excuse. Just sayin'.

[Kev18]

kev18 - do you really have a Need for a .45-110? i would listen to don's caution, the 110 will be expensive, and it'll be a shoulder buster unless the loading is fudged ... and for what? what are you gonna use that gun for? in the next breath you mention if not the 110, then a '73 - two animals as diff'rent as night and day. think about what you think you need and not what you think you want. could save ya a buncha time and dollar$.

I will most likely go hunting, but first and foremost I guess you can say im a collector. I really want a vintage high caliber rifle. I can go buy a ruger no.1 any day, but im not interested. The .45-110 seemed quite nice, so I just wanted advice on the rifle before. Anyways I went to the gun show today and it wasnt there.Instead there was an 1885 low wall that caught my attention, in 25-20. Not what I was looking for but man shes a beaut! I got the man's number who had it, so I might contact him sometime.
And I also want a 1873! I wanted one for awhile, Im starting to accumulate a Winchester collection. There was a couple at the show today, but all in terrible condition. The man that had the 1885 told me he had one, but it wasnt for sale. I need to convince him or his wife. She seems to want him to get rid of everything, he is an elderly gentleman and said that he would rather sell to a young man, like myself instead of someone thats older.
Everything he had was top quality. He literally manipulated the rifle with white gloves.

[marlinman93]

I will most likely go hunting, but first and foremost I guess you can say im a collector. I really want a vintage high caliber rifle. .

Although a Shiloh Sharps is a beautifully made rifle, it certainly doesn't fall into the category of "vintage" rifle. If you want a vintage rifle, the 1885 you saw is a much better choice.

[Kev18]

Although a Shiloh Sharps is a beautifully made rifle, it certainly doesn't fall into the category of "vintage" rifle. If you want a vintage rifle, the 1885 you saw is a much better choice.

Well the manufacture date isnt that old but the rifle design itself is old.

[KCSO]

What is seldom discussed is the problem of the ctg. The 110 will be triing if not painful in long stings at target and is more difficult to load down than the smaller 45-70 or 45-90. In addition the dies and cases are much more spendy. Having had and shot a 110 for quite some time I can say it would NOT be my first or even second choice for a Sharps. It does make a nice large game gun but I was never able to get the accuracy from it that I did from the 45-70.

[Don McDowell]

The 110 is definetely a learning curve to be sure , but they sure hold up well when the targets get long. It's not hard to figure out why the ODG's shot in the supine position using those 10 lb rifles.