Questions regarding Garrett Arms Sharps

[NewEngland]

Hello,

First of all I wanted to say that ever since I went into the market for a Sharps, this forum has been a tremendous help to me as I research the mountain of info on the topic. I also have several somewhat disparate questions, but I hope it's okay to put them all in one thread rather than sprinkle them around in their own threads in various subforums.

Anyway, I've been looking to buy a Sharps for some time now, I'm currently looking at a Garrett Arms/Palmetto 1874. My understanding is that these are quite decent firearms. I almost bought an IAB Sharps early in my hunt, and I still shudder when I think about how close I came to purchasing one of those.

My sense is that although good guns, Garretts are less "accurate" than a new Pedersoli Sharps, for example, simply due to advances/higher budgets for machines and what not. As such, I might want to have it re-barreled in the future, and I've been unable to source any parts for Garrett Sharps. The one I'm looking at has a standard trigger, and I might want to drop in a set trigger at some point as well, but again, not so many parts around as far as I can tell. Is there any source for parts, or are Garrett's interchangeable to some degree with other manufacturers (I've been told they are not).

I apologize in advance if I come off as a stupid -- despite my several-month long immersion in Sharps info, my mind is still transitioning from the world of ar-15s and polymer wonders.

Thank you

[sharpsguy]

If you want to go Italian, get a Pedersoli. Otherwise, save your nickels and get a Shiloh. There IS a difference in quality between the different Italian guns, and the Pedersolis have really good barrels. Shilohs set the standard for Sharps.

[country gent]

I have a pedersoli sharps Long range model thats very accurate and reliable. Its a nice rifle and decent. It isnt quite up to my SSharps rifles or CPA in wood quality or fit and finish, but was much more economical also. The pedersolis are getting good reviews as to accuracy and useability. My Pedersoli is a 45-70 and shoots very well. It does like the heavier bullets also. On the pedersolis if your planning on target work you may want to upgrade the tang sights at least if not both. Other than that its a pretty much ready to go rifle. Im not sure about the Garret.

[Bent Ramrod]

I have a Garrett carbine in .45-70 that I bought when the company was going out of business. At that time, Shiloh Manufacturing was having teething troubles getting started and Pedersoli was only making replica Rolling Blocks for Navy Arms. If you wanted a Sharps copy, this was it.

Mine is a copy of the Civil War percussion carbines that Sharps converted to centerfires in .50-70 in 1869 (I think). I could have gotten it in .50-70 but it was easier to get brass in .45-70, so I bought that non-historically authentic variant. I presume your Palmetto is perhaps done like a Confederate copy of my Sharps carbine. I know Garrett made full length rifles with set triggers as well. They showed up in the remainder sale after I'd spent all my money on the carbine, so I have no direct experience with those. For the prices asked, all the remainders were a tremendous value for the money. They're still very good guns; it's a shame Garrett's venture was not successful.

They were advertised to be ruthlessly authentic copies of the original Sharps, as far as parts and mechanics go. The receiver is a steel forging like the originals and except for "Garrett Arms" on the receiver and Garrett's initials in the Inspector's cartouche on the stock, it looks like the real deal. Mine has the single trigger, the high percussion hammer, the wide percussion half-cock, the saddle ring and the decommissioned remains of the Lawrence primer flipper behind the hammer. (I understand the percussion versions had fully-functioning Lawrence primer flippers.). I don't have an original to check this against, but that was the consensus of opinion when these were being offered. Like the originals, it also lacks the later dovetail safety bar behind the firing pin.

My carbine is indeed "less accurate" than the current Pedersoli offerings. The bore is 0.442" and the grooves are 0.457". The depth of rifling is noticeable; I don't know whether the Italians were following the original Sharps pattern or whether this was just some artifact they came up with. The rifling twist is 22", which limits the choice of boolit weights.

In any case, the rifling depth makes it rather finicky in its choice of loads. It used to like 44 gr of Pyrodex CTG with 5 gr Pyrodex RS on top, with the Ideal 457124. Too bad Pyrodex CTG is off the market now. The same boolit with 13 gr Unique is pretty accurate for plinking out to 200 yards, and lands with authority. I think I was using Ken Waters' recommended load of 4831 when I got third place in one of our early BPCR Silhouette shoots. I could get an occasional 2" group for five shots at 100 yds, but was generally satisfied with the under 4" that was the old Army standard for .45-70 Trapdoors. Heavier or lighter boolits did no better and frequently did worse.

Accuracy is also limited by the teeny blade up front and the Lawrence sliding notch in back. I found a better machined version of the Lawrence rear, which helped some, and drove the blade out of the front and replaced it with a more modern bead, and this helped. But a target rifle it is not.

I hear the gun is still the darling of the N-SSA re-enactors (in percussion version) and the Buffalo Soldier types like the cartridge conversions. You don't say what you want the Garrett for; as a fun shooter it takes a back seat to nothing.

Garrett Arms is long out of business and the only parts I know of are the small stash of spares I bought when I got my carbine. You might call Shiloh and see if their set triggers could be fitted to a Garrett, and it could certainly be rebarreled, and even restocked and fitted with target sights. But I would think you'd come out ahead with a used Pedersoli, like somebody offered in the For Sale section a couple weeks back.

[sharps4590]

Purely my opinion and worth what you paid for it. If a fella didn't want to spring for a Shiloh or C Sharps, perfectly understandable, the lowest I'd look is the Pedersoli. I waited and both mine are Shiloh's, absolutely no regrets.

[DocSavage]

If you save the coin get a Shiloh Sharps you'll be much happier in the end.
I am not familiar with Garrest Arms but I suspect parts are as scarce as hen's teeth. I have a 1874 Shiloh Sharps Long Range express in 45/70 with RHO Malcolm style telescopic sight and with the limited (100 yds) range at my disposal it's quite lethal.

[waksupi]

I shot a Garret for years. However, I also shortened the hammer throat by 1/4", and rebarreled it, making it into a Business Rifle. All of the internals did interchange with original Sharps parts.