1859 Sharps' carbine

[Mumblypeg]

I have a 1859 Sharps which is a percussion model. It has been re-blued before I got it. As is, it is not in working condition. The outside is in good shape, the bore has rifling in it but is rusted. The nipple is not clear and I have been unable to remove it. The breach block itself is the question. I was wondering what it would take to get it back in operation or the possibilities of converting it to 45-70.? Any thoughts on this? As is it is just a wall hanger... I have seen some that looked worse in operation. Also it has the H.S. Lawrence 1859 pat. priming system on it.

[johnson1942]

their must be some one out their who can reline the barrel and restore it to shoot again, try norm johnson, turtle lake n.dak. number available on the internet. he may even be able to convert to cartridge.

[Mumblypeg]

Thanks... I start there....

[John Taylor]

Converting it to a cartridge gun is a bunch of work. One of the things that needs to be done is cutting the frame for an extractor. You can use one of the Italian breach block and maybe a hammer also. Best to go with a new barrel at the same time. As a percussion gun it would have a floating chamber and the breach face would be floating also but they are probably rusted in so tight that they will not move.

[Hickok]

Try calling Charlie Hahn. He can redo the breechblock and give advice on the percussion Sharps. Call him is the best way to information.http://hahnmachineworks.com/index.html

[Hickok]

http://hahnmachineworks.com/html/SharpsMod.html