AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Antique Gun Collecting => Topic started by: loosecanon1998 on August 22, 2016, 03:55:31 PM
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I'm a long time firearms and weapons enthusiasts and have been admiring 19th century pieces for a while. I finally had the opportunity to purchase a percussion black powder rifle this weekend and it has me curious as to what it is. The barrel is marked C SHARPS and the side plate is a common "London Warrented" (barely discernible). Tiger striped wood is full stock and has seen better days with a nasty separation about mid-way down the barrel with brass furniture. Nice patina on the barrel with the only pitting being near the nipple, looks to be a smooth bore .50 caliber with steel rear and brass front sight. I know some history on Cristain Sharps but I can find no literature indicating he ever made this type of gun. I will attach photos this evening as soon as I figure out how as well as add deminsions and weight.
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Barrel is 1/16" shy of 44" and the overall length is 59 1/2". Total gun weight is 8lbs 1oz
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I see no ix. Is it me or are they not there?
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Sorry guys, still trying to figure out how to post pictures
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(https://s5.postimg.org/kpam0fug7/IMG_6932.jpg)
(https://s5.postimg.org/pp828e02v/IMG_6933.jpg)
(https://s5.postimg.org/vrfoyvoiv/IMG_6934.jpg)
(https://s5.postimg.org/effcdfv1j/IMG_6935.jpg)
(https://s5.postimg.org/urpe369d3/IMG_6936.jpg)
(https://s5.postimg.org/6ch624ag7/IMG_6937.jpg)
(https://s5.postimg.org/e6md197mv/IMG_6938.jpg)
(https://s5.postimg.org/nfojbdgiv/IMG_6939.jpg)
(https://s5.postimg.org/888jr0oo7/IMG_6940.jpg)
(https://s5.postimg.org/5s6qd66lj/IMG_6941.jpg)
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It looks like an early New York percussion rifle to me, because of the trigger-guard and the way the patch-box is made. Is the trigger brass? Is there a notch in the lock panel where a flint cock shoulder would have passed? And what does the lock bolt escutcheon look like?
When I can I will look in the NY firearms books for C. Sharps. It's a nice rifle, thanks for showing it. The lock panel looks like Wm. Gardner's work, and maybe the patch-box. He worked in, I think, Canandaigua, NY.
Alec
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I'll take a picture of the backside of the lock, and the trigger is steel. There is some very interesting information I found on the Sharps Collectors Association website about Sharps prepatent firearms. In their archived Sharps Collector Reports I found volume 22 number 3 and it has a picture of a rifle extremely similar to mine with the same patch box design and the same barrel stamp. Does the lock look to be a conversion from flint?
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That lock was definitely a flinter at one time. It is possible that a flint lock was converted and then put on this gun when built. Look behind the hammer and see if the wood was removed from the lock panel to clear the Flint hammer.
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Just looking through Flayderman' for another item and noted the Sharps section. Nothing like this at all. Sharps New Model 1859, 1863 and 1865 barrels were marked "C Sharps" but they were supposed to also have other markings as location and date, generally rear of the name nearer the breech.
Looks like a combination of features maybe from other guns all put together to make a single firearm. I have also been reading about values in general terms. The last article suggests that a lot of hood-winkers picked up on the growing demands for rare firearms back years ago and there was an active and deliberate business in making fakes or odd examples of known makes passing them off as rare and valuable, the coffee grinder Sharps, for example.
It is an appealing item in many respects but as to being an actual firearm made by Sharps, I would tend to doubt it.
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Cannot put my finger on it right now, but while researching one of my NY rifles in Tom's Bible, one of my Western NY Makers lists a "C. Sharps" as an employee. I can highly recommend a gent living up in the Buffalo NY area who can make that maple chunk grow back-
Should it ever be on the market, please put me on the list-
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Not necessarily connected to this rifle but .....
SHARPS, C. & CO.— West side of 30th Street, south of Bridge
Street, Fairmount, (West) Philadelphia, Pa., about 1857-63.
The firm was established by Christian Sharps, who was born in
New Jersey in 1811. After a common school education he was
apprenticed in the machinist's trade and is believed to have
worked out his invention of a breech-loading arm in the Daniel
Nippes Armory on Mill Creek, about six miles from Philadel-
phia. The fact that one of his earliest arms is marked A. S.
Nippes, supports this belief. Considering that the name Sharps,
in rifles, is almost synonymous with Colt in revolvers, but
little is known of the inventor's life.
It is known that prior to 1852, Sharps arms were made in
small numbers by several firms, such as Massachusetts Arms
Co., Robbins & Lawrence at Windsor, Vt.
In 1857, it is recorded that C. Sharps & Co. consisted of
Christian Sharps in association with Nathan H. Bolles and
Ira B. Eddy. They erected "a very extensive establishment
(140 ft. x 40 ft., brick) in which were housed machinery of
most beautiful and accurate description ... a high pressure
engine of 75 horsepower which forms the motive power of the
establishment." The firm made Sharps breech-loading, self-
priming pistols and Sharps rifles.
In 1863, the Company combined with Wm. C. Hankins,
rifle manufacturer, to form Sharps & Hankins rifle and pistol
manufacturing establishment. After the Civil War the firm
moved to the northeast corner of 24th & Springgarden Streets.
Sharps and Hankins are listed as residing at 2216 Green Street,
in 1868-71.
Christian Sharps died at Vernon, Conn., March 13, 1874.
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My post timed out. Don't care to retype the whole long thing.
See Swinney, Vol 4, page 1465
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My post timed out. Don't care to retype the whole long thing.
See Swinney, Vol 4, page 1465
Don'tcha just hate it when that happens! Here's how to recover what you typed, I have used it many times.
When you finish typing the post and hit "post" and get the error "timed out"! just hit the "back" arrow (on my browser its a left pointing black arrow). When you hit the back arrow it should take you back to where you were when you finished typing the post, when you see the text you thought you lost, highlight all the text in the post then "copy" it. This saves that text to the clip board in your browser. Then press the back arrow again to back up to where you were when you started making the reply. Now click on "reply" and this should open a new blank post where you can "paste" your text in and you are now ready to post it again and this time it should go. Easy as long as you do it immediately after you get the "timed out" error.
Dennis