Buying a Sharps

[Fly]

Guy's I want a sharps so bad but I must wait till I can afford it so it save &
stash $ from my Mrs.

But my question is which reproductions to stay away from.I will most likley
buy a used one.But I'm still trying to learn all I can about which would be
the one for me.

Any advice I would welcome.
Fly:killingpc

[Don McDowell]

Save your money and get either a Shiloh or C Sharps.
With the current inflation and all the economics the American made rifles are cheaper than several of the Italians. Not to mention the resale value later on should you decide to part company with the rifle.
If you feel you absolutely have to have an Italian then Pedersoli built is the only way to go.

[mustanggt]

I agree with Don. I have two CSA Sharps and love them both. $ sucks and anything imported will be much more expensive. I've seen both type of rifles being sold on Guns America. That's a good place to start looking.

[NickSS]

For a 74 sharps the best choices are the Shiloh and C Sharps rifles in any configuration or caliber. Of the other imports the Petersoli is the best of the batch all the others are also rans and not as good a rifle, though I have seen some that shoot acceptably at a couple hundred yards. However, The guys that own them have had to do repairs to them several times while My Shiloh and C sharps rifles just keep on working like and energizer bunny.

[Jbar4Ranch]

According to Dick Trent of Pedersoli USA, Pedersoli builds the entire rifle for Uberti, so Pedersoli & Uberti are the same gun.
That said, I have a .45-70 Shiloh, a .45-70 Uberti and a .45-120 Uberti, and my .45-70 Uberti will out shoot my Shiloh. My best group to date was three shots at 500 yards w/Swiss 1 1/2 and a cast 530 grain Postell bullet that measured 3 3/8". Later the same day, I put 6 rounds into 6 3/4" at the same 500 yards with it.

[Fly]

My lord that's some dam tight groups.Do any of you shoot the early paper cartrige Sharps?
Do they shoot the same groups? & are they just to much of a PITA to fool with?

Fly

[Jbar4Ranch]

I pointed the rifle the right direction - luck did the rest!

[2Tite]

When buying a Sharps the best advice is BUY AMERICAN.

[NickSS]

I have and shoot paper cartridge sharps rifles and have yet to get one of them to shoot as well as any cartridge gun. Not that they shoot bad just not as good. Mine are all 54 caliber and they shoot stubby bullets so are short range affairs. I have shot them at 200 yards and can hit a chicken silhouette at that range but not as often as I can with my 45-70 or other cartridge gun. The Paper cartridge sharps are much more time consuming to clean as you must take the breach block apart completely every time you clean it which is every time you shoot it. However they ar tones of fun to shoot so I put up with the extra work.

[45-70 Chevroner]

Pedersoli makes a very fine 1874 Sharps. You can get a real nice Sporting Rifle for $1450.00 plus shipping $35.00 + Dealer transfer fees at about $30. Pedersoli is third down on the list for Price. The least expensive C. Sharps or Shilo Sharps is over $2500.00 and a one year or more waiting period. I have a Pedersoli Rolling block in 45-70 and I love it. The quality in workman ship is suppurb. I really do understand what the other guys are getting at when they say buy a US made sharps but for some of us $$$$$'s speek. If I had had the bucks and could justify spending it on a US made sharps there is no dought I would have.

Try Cherry's Fine Guns on line. I bought my Rolling block from him. I got it on sale for $1000.00

[Don McDowell]

45-70 Chevroner you really need to go take a look at Shiloh and C Sharps prices... You're somewhere around 700$ to high on your guesstimate..

[Jbar4Ranch]

Tanner's in Jamison, PA usually has super prices on Italian Sharps rifles.

[MT Chambers]

Although I am canadian, I believe in supporting N.A. makers and in this case it's simple, C. Sharps and Shiloh Sharps are the best out there, I wouldn't mess around with something as important as a '74 Sharps.

[45-70 Chevroner]

45-70 Chevroner you really need to go take a look at Shiloh and C Sharps prices... You're somewhere around 700$ to high on your guesstimate..

Don, I looked under several places selling C. Sharps and Shiloh, the cheapest prices I could find were what I quoted. Maybe I am looking in the wrong place. I'm not saying you are wrong I just could not find any better prices.

[45-70 Chevroner]

I checked again and found both C. Sharps and Shiloh Sharps web sites. You are right about C. Sharps They have a few very reasonable priced Rifles. C. Sharps has a Mod. 1875 Target & Sporting Rifle for $1325 ( no sights ) to $1730 depending on which sight arangement you want. Shiloh Sharps prices are some what more. Prices range from $2371.00 to out of site prices. C. Sharps also has some of those out of site prices.

[Don McDowell]

http://www.shilohrifle.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=33
http://www.shilohrifle.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=36
http://www.shilohrifle.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=37
http://www.csharpsarms.com/1874_bridgeport.php
http://www.csharpsarms.com/1874_hartford.php
http://www.csharpsarms.com/1875_sporting.php
http://www.csharpsarms.com/1875_target_sporting.php

You can add stuff to these rifles and get the price up to 10 or 12 K if that's what you want to do, but the basic rifle's will come in at or about the same price as a Pedersoli.
Shiloh is running about 16 months, to fill an order altho they have a fair number of rifles ready to ship.
C Sharps will take anywhere from a month to 3 if they don't have something already on the rack that will suit your purposes...

[montana_charlie]

That's $1800 plus $198 in excise tax on the Sporter #3.
Two thousand dollars will get you a 'high end' Pedersoli model, but only one of the 'low end' Shilohs.

Yes, the value change between the Euro and the Dollar keeps pushing up the price on the Italian rifles. But they stay (roughly) $500 below a same-model Shiloh because Bryant's pricing keeps pace with the Euro value.

If you want to compare model for model, take a Shiloh Sporter #3 and add a pewter tip and standard checkering.

Take that price and compare it to a Pedersoli Billy Dixon.

Make up your own mind about how they compare.

CM

[Don McDowell]

Yeh but then you need to look at them side by side and see which one it is that has the better fit and finish. Also take a look at the resale value....
And then last but not least it's always good to error on the side of the USA built guns as they are put together by US taxpayers having to pay large sums of income tax to support folks drawing two government retirement checks, plus farm subsidies....

[Black Prince]

Wal Don, I take it back about your patience level. You ain't there yet either and you need to work on it. This is about having fun. Remember that. I don't always, but I am TRYING to.

Charlie is livn'in on borrowed time, so cut him some slack. Life has an expiration date on it. Stress shortens that expiration date. Charlie ain't right, but he's allright. Betcha he drives a big ole honkin' Chevy diesel pickin' up truck. Tha boy buys American. He is just wrong about the Italian rifles that's all, and we can forgive him for that.

[Don McDowell]

Black Prince I can't for the life of me figure ol Maxwell out, has tons of posts over on the Shiloh forum , yet never misses a beat to diss their product every where else.....
Purt neart what some might define as rude behavior......

[montana_charlie]

I said my piece about how to make a valid comparison ... not to say which is 'better' or more desirable than the other.

As for my take on how prices change, I have been tracking them ever since a basic Shiloh #3 Sporter was $1547.

CM

[Don McDowell]

Well if you would of been tracking real close you'ld know Shiloh hasn't raised in 2 years.....

[Black Prince]

If the three of us had been tracking gold two years ago (and buying ) when it was at 946 dollars an ounce on May 26, 2009, today it is at 1520 dollars. By years end, it'll be 2000 dollars, but no one believes that. Seems like I'm always tracking (and buying) the wrong things. But I have not bought any Italian rifles.:)

[Don McDowell]

Ain't that the truth...
Good golly missmolly things have shot up.
I balked and didn't contract for my diesel at 305 in December......
Was just cruising thru Cabela's and the models of Pedersolis they carry have jumped a couple hundred in the last month..

[Black Prince]

Hang on. You ain't seen anything yet. Just wait until the Obama economic policies really kick in. Then everything is gonna be allrite. I heard it on NBC nightly news report, so you know it's gotta be true. Besides, dontcha know you are supposed to be using wind mills instead of diesel? If you had a windmill in Washington D.C., you could generate all the power you needed. Uh, John Deere does make electric tractors and combines, don't they? Jiss plug your wind mill into them and bingo. Polution free energy! Now doan' that make you feel all fuzzy and warm?

I hope all those democrats still feel fuzzy and warm when they pay 6 bucks for a loaf of bread and I don't even want to know what Charlie is gonna charge us for a steak cause I can't afford it now.

[waksupi]

The guns aren't going up, the dollar is going down.

[Don McDowell]

Black Prince a battery operated swather with a 16ft header would be a nice touch.

[Black Prince]

:) Think you outta ask Vilsack for that. Better yet, ask him where you can get one cause you know they have them In Washington D.C. by the way they talk up there.

[Don McDowell]

:holysheep Actually a solar powered swather would be good...:kidding:Cuz you only make hay when the sun is shinin..:kidding::groner::hijack:

[bearcove]

The guns aren't going up, the dollar is going down.

Ding Ding Ding!!!

First thing that rang true!

[Black Prince]

Okay. Now explain why that is happening.

[montana_charlie]

Yikes, McDowell!
You didn't waste any time taking what I said and putting it up for your buds at Shiloh to read about. Have they ever noticed that you aren't much different from a pink-pantied school girl?

I promise not to tell 'em, but you really should wash the brown off your nose, cowboy.

CM

[Don McDowell]

If it's the dollar going down , then why are the Shiloh and C Sharps prices not changing?????

[waksupi]

If it's the dollar going down , then why are the Shiloh and C Sharps prices not changing?????

Same thing I saw at Serengeti. Office wasn't listening to production, and watching the bottom line. Production stays the same, supplier prices go up without corresponding cost passed on in manufacturing, puts the company in some serious financial situations in a short time.

The way things are looking, Big Timber may be underwater by the end of the weekend!

[Don McDowell]

Waksupi I wouldn't even pretend to know the financial condition of anybody but myself. But I do have to think the volume of rifles going out the door at Shiloh, maybe quite a bit bigger than we think. When they started the list of available rifles on their web a week ago, the number was 17, they're down to 10 or 11 now.. So it very well could be that the volume of sales = volume of raw products buying and thereby lowering the cost of the raw materials, and enabling them to maintain their prices..

[bigted]

so here we jump from which sharps to buy for a new buyer... to a economy discussion.... this happens every once in awhile here... but isnt the norm here on this forum. still lots a great info when my grumpy friends settle down some...lol

take note that bigted has no opinion for a change?