Anybody here good with original Sharps? Calvary Carbine?

[.45Cole]

I was at my buddies place and he showed me this really neat Sharps carbine with a saddle ring. It's .50 Gov and I thought it looks something like a calvary carbine. The side is a little pitted, but I couldn't find and US markings on it. It was passed to him without the rear sight. I'm not very big on the history of Sharps but I'm sure someone here can weigh in a little. It looks like a retention screw is missing on the hammer, these easy to come by?

Thanks, and he doesn't plan on shooting it (the barrel is minorly pitted) her destiny is a wall hanger.
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[Bent Ramrod]

I understand that Shiloh Sharps in Big Timber, MT will supply the missing parts for originals and fit them, if necessary.

The bigger the bore, generally the less minor pitting or the odd imperfection in the barrel affects practical accuracy.

[pietro]

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Robbins & Lawrence of Windsor, VT made rifles for Christian Sharps from 1851 to 1856, when Sharps open his Sharps Rifle Co. of Hartford CT.

Your buddy appears to have a Model 1852 Slant Breech Sharps Carbine, of which R&L made 50,000 chambered for the .50 US Gov't. round.

Military marked Model 1852's carry a premium (value) over civilian Model 1852's.

His civilian Model 1852 Carbine appears to be in excellent condition, considering that it's 163+ years old, and should carry considerable value (at least $5K-$6K) in that condition.

As noted above, Shiloh should be able to supply a replacement hammer screw.

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[M-Tecs]

pietro is spot on. If it does end up as a wall hanger ensure that preserved in a manor that it hold its value. Renaissance wax is widely used for widely used in antique restoration and museum curation for both metal and wood. http://ads.midwayusa.com/product/2227541091/renaissance-wax-rust-preventative-and-gun-stock-polish

[.45Cole]

Wow, thanks Pietro spot on. I never even knew Sharps farmed out production in the start! Thanks for the advice M-Tec, I'll let him know so he can throw a little insurance on it.

No matter the question, there's always someone on castboolits that has the answer!

[varsity07840]

The pictures are a bit dark so I can't tell if the carbine has a patchbox. If it does it's an 1859. If not it's an 1863. Slant breech models were not converted to .50-70. Check the bore to see if it has 3 or 6 groove rifling. If it has 3 then it was relined by Sharps with a groove depth around .515. If it has 6 then it's the original percussion bore with a groove depth around .526. My 3 groove is very accurate with the Lee 450 gr. Government bullet and 70 gr of. 1 1/2 Swiss. Parts are available from S&S Firearms.

Duane

[bob208]

i blew up the pic. it is a 1863 model that is converted to .50-70. then known as a model 66. they were used a lot in the Indian wars after the war between the states. some were the issue rifle of the taxes rangers.

[.45Cole]

Thanks guys, I figured it looked a lot like something the calvary would carry around. I'll have to search closer for that U.S. stamp. There's always such a diversified knowledge base here!

[Kevin Rohrer]

Hijacking this thread, I am looking for a modern equivalent of the 1863 in 50-70 as a shooter, but the only one I have found is made by Chiappa, who has a poor reputation for quality. Any suggestion for an alternative? Have already checked Pedersoli, Uberti, and Cimarron.

[pietro]

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The "military markings" were the gov't inspector's initials, like the ones below - and were stamped into both metal & wood (cartouche).

http://www.rockislandauction.com/photos/57/p_standard/CUQ503-S-CU5-L.jpg

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[Echale3]

If your friend purchases a new bolt to hold the hammer on, he can "antique" the head of the screw to better match the rifle by doing the following:

1.) Degrease the bolt head.
2.) Apply paste blue to the bolt head ONLY (do NOT apply it to the underside of the bolt head or the threads) and let it react.
3.) Wipe off any excess paste and dunk the bolt in a little cup of bleach.
4.) Wait for a while to allow pitting/surface darkening to occur where the bleach is attacking the bluing (that's why you don't put bluing on the threads or underside of the bolt head). The longer you wait, the more pitting/surface darkening happens, and the whole process looks pretty nasty.
5.) Rinse the bolt under clean water and hit it with some steel wool to card off any rust.
6.) If the surface pitting/darkening is enough to suit you at that point hit the bolt with gun oil like you would any other metal part, otherwise redo steps 2-5.

Bleach doesn't react quickly with the un-blued portion of the bolt.

That's a trick I learned when I used to build flintlocks professionally. Sometimes, people wanted their brand new rifle or smoothbore "antiqued", rather than just have it accumulate honest wear. I like my stuff to come by all it's dings, scrapes, and scratches honestly by being used.