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Thread: Armi Sport Sharps...any good?

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy
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    Armi Sport Sharps...any good?

    A friend of mine is interested in buying a 1874 Sharps in 45-70. He will probably use smokeless and BP in the gun. Since I have no experience with that manufacturer (imported by Taylors) I though I would ask. All my RB's are originals, and the Sharps I have is a Pedersoli.

    Any comments out there on the quality etc.
    So many toys........so little time.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master powderburnerr's Avatar
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    the quality is a bit less than your pedersoli but will work if it is done right .. some come with chambers off center and such ,, that said . if they are done right they are accurate and decent for the price. just check it closely before purchaceing...Dean
    lover of 74 sharps
    MYWEIGH scale merchant
    " i'll tell the story 10 different ways before I'll lie to you."

  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy
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    It is a special order item from his gun shop. I would hope they would allow him to refuse it if it was poorly chambered etc.....but he'll have to clarify it first.
    So many toys........so little time.

  4. #4
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    montana_charlie's Avatar
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    I understand that some Armi Sport guns are pretty good, but even the best don't quite measure up to the Pedersoli. Of course, they sell a bit cheaper, too.

    I have two .22 rimfire rifles. Neither is a target gun...but you'll never see me in a rimfire competition, anyway.

    If your friend wants a Sharps-pattern rifle to have fun with, the Armi Sport (if it's not a lemon) will probably do him fine.
    But, if he has more 'precise' plans...that Pedersoli barrel is worth the $200 difference.
    CM
    Retired...TWICE. Now just raisin' cows and livin' on borrowed time.

  5. #5
    Boolit Grand Master

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    All the Armi Sports I have gotten lately were chambered properly and the barrells are good. Where they fall down is on the details. The guns have the old sharps breech block without a bushed firing pin and no gas shield. With smokless loads this could lead to pierced primers. The set triggers are rough and need adjusting and honing and the mainsprings in the lock need to have the machine marks polished out and lightened. The difference in price between the armi sport and the uberti is about 300 bucks. If you can do the above work yourself you can save some money, if you have to pay to have the corrections made you won't. Ooops I forgot the bores are a little rough and need lapped for cast shooting.

  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy
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    i looked at there site last year they say there sharps colection has a 1 in 560 mm twist =1in 22 inches to slow for big bullets heres the page.
    bernie
    http://www.armisport.com/eng/dettagl...ttoFamiglia=38

  7. #7
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    Are these the guns made by IAB? If so a local gunshop here had a bunch of the rejects that had been returned and were selling them real cheap, $250. Myself and 2 friends bought some of them with the idea of trying to get them to shoot. As someone pointed out the innards were real rough, springs probably won't hold up long and all of the chambers were WAY oversized. You could probably get an extra 8gr of powderin the cases after fire forming them. The barrels were pretty smooth though. Unless you want something to tinker with I would go with the Pedersoli for the difference. I sold mine before I even fired it.
    WBH, ask Hoff about these, he did the work on them, and he was real concerned about the springs. Again though I'm not sure that these are the same guns.

    Bob

  8. #8
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Ari Sport has changed to a 1-18 twist I confired this by measuring mine, as to 1-22 being somehow bad, the military used that in the trapdoor and seemed to get along. The 1-18 twist comes into it's own with bullets from 500 and up, the 1-22 has always worked well for me with 405's. These are not IAB's some of which had chambers marked 45-70 and cut 45-120.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master powderburnerr's Avatar
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    While all sharps pattern rifles are prone to break fireing pins the armi sports are the worst offenders . I replaced a couple of them in a year for my neighbor then turned one fron a drill bit ..it is still going so far .. so stock up on them...... dean
    lover of 74 sharps
    MYWEIGH scale merchant
    " i'll tell the story 10 different ways before I'll lie to you."

  10. #10
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    montana_charlie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Boz330
    Are these the guns made by IAB?
    No. Pedersoli and Armi Sport are numbers 1 & 2 in the Italian Sharps lineup, and then there is IAB (which might be the same as Pedretti & Sons...I'm not sure).

    IAB is/was so bad, the Italian gunmaker's guild had been trying (for years) to make them improve their product. I think they recently did some improving, and the guns being marketed after that change are called their 'Hartford' model.
    I don't know how bad they were to start with...or how much better they are now.
    I do know I have never liked the way they look...
    CM
    Retired...TWICE. Now just raisin' cows and livin' on borrowed time.

  11. #11
    Boolit Buddy threett1's Avatar
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    I have one of the Armi Sharps in 40/65. Got it used off a guy who was a collector of some cool stuff like drillings and such. Anyways, I love my Armi Sharps. It looks good and shoots great. Don't know how old it is but prob not more than 5-6 yrs. No roughness and seems to be a fairly smooth barrel. Very easy clean up. I shoot only Swiss black and cast.

  12. #12
    Boolit Bub jerdog53's Avatar
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    You know I have a .54 muzzle loader that shoots as well as I can hold it made by these folks.

  13. #13
    Boolit Buddy Black Prince's Avatar
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    Armi Sports recently changed the design on their firing pins that were prone to breaking. ( They made them bigger.) I have an old one and broke the firing pin after about 500 rounds. The good news is that the pins are cheap (about seven bucks if I remember right) and easy to replace (all you need is a small screwdriver to remove one screw) so I bought a half dozen pins along with an extra extractor and keep them in my range box. The rifle shoots fine and I have had no problems with accuracy. I shoot black powder duplex loads where legal and only BP where it is required. My Taylor Sharps rifle is competetive with rifles costing twice (or more) its price. I've shot a friends Pedersolli a lot and I can tell no difference in the rifles except that he has not broken a firing pin.

    I've discovered that it isn't so much what the rifle cost as how well the shooter can shoot and how well he can cast and load his ammo. Good ammo is as critical as the quality of the barrel. The sights on the Pedersolli seem to be of better quality than those on my Taylor ( they are furnished by Taylor also) and good sights are important.

    If you are going to be doing serious shooting in matches, you may want to pop the extra bucks for the Pedersolli, but I shoot with those guys almost every weekend and beat them about as often as they beat me so . . . ???
    Last edited by Black Prince; 09-29-2006 at 11:25 AM.
    The America I love was when the engine was a V-8, the exhausts were dual, the shift was four on the floor, the white walls were wide, the chrome was thick, the women were straight, and there was no such thing as the as the EPA.

  14. #14
    Boolit Mold
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    NO,
    Armi sport guns are for pointing in the air during re-enactments not for hitting any kind of target.
    Oh and cowboy shooters love them,they can hit things the size of 55gal. drum @ 50yds.

  15. #15
    Boolit Buddy
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    Armi Sport Sharps?

    Hi hiwallbo -

    Thank you for your input, I do appreciate it.

    And I am certainly not arguing with you at all; only seeking knowledge.

    Which particular Armi Sport Sharps model did you own which was so terrible?

    Thank you very much.

    Gene

  16. #16
    Boolit Buddy
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    Hi Windwalker -

    I don't know about earlier times, but today TAYLOR'S AND COMPANY AND ARMI SPORT advertise their Sharps collection with 1/18" twist with 6 grooves. See http://www.taylorsfirearms.com/products/cfSharps.tpl

    Best wishes,

    Gene

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by willdixon View Post
    Hi hiwallbo -

    Which particular Armi Sport Sharps model did you own which was so terrible?

    Gene
    Gene,
    Having done a fairly complete perusal of highwallbo's 'BPCR body of work', it is apparent that he is very satisfied with at least one rebuilt 'roller'; three Shiloh rifles; and a Pedersoli-made Gibbs muzzleloader. His only clearly voiced regret is that the Gibbs was not built by Shiloh.

    I would imagine he has not owned one of the Armi Sport rifles that you are asking about, probably has not fired any Italian-made BPCR, and lives by his stated mantra which says, "The Italians do beautiful shotguns, but they can't fit or finish rifles for pasta."

    Perhaps I'm wrong...
    CM
    Retired...TWICE. Now just raisin' cows and livin' on borrowed time.

  18. #18
    Boolit Buddy
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    Hi CM -

    Thanks for the thoughts; I'm sure you're correct.

    I can't wait for my Armi Sport Quigley 50/90 to get here, so I can REALLY evaluate it first hand, and post my studied opinion of it - good or bad.

    Best wishes,
    Gene

  19. #19
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    Due to the fact that I am healing up from some surgery, I am spending the bulk of my days at the computer. So, I was killin' time on the gun auction sites when I ran across some pretty pictures.

    You guys know that Uberti is buying their Sharps rifles from Pedersoli. And, they can specify details on the ones they take to put their logo on.
    Well, the link below will take you to a sale (on Gun Broker) where a Uberti Sharps with some fancy work is for sale.

    I am posting it in this thread because of that statement I quoted earlier, from a guy who feels the Italians are capable of good 'fit and finish' on shotguns...but not on rifles.

    What do you think...?
    http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...?Item=96379918

    CM
    Retired...TWICE. Now just raisin' cows and livin' on borrowed time.

  20. #20
    Boolit Buddy
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    I own 2 Pedersoli rifles for about 5 years now. One is a RB and the other a Sharps. Both shoot extremely well.

    I would surely buy a Shiloh for that kind of $$$, just to say I have one. Though I probably wouldn't shoot any better with it than my Pedersolis.

    I do have a few custom Remington RB's (original actions) that are superb shooters with cut rifled barrels and custom wood. But none reach the $3700 mark.
    So many toys........so little time.

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