The Galleries
- Robert E. Petersen Collection
- Ancient Firearms
- The Road to American Liberty
- Seeds of Greatness
- The Prospering New Republic
- A Nation Asunder
- The American West
- Innovation, Oddities and Competition
- Theodore Roosevelt, Elegant Arms
- World War I and Firearms Innovation
- WWII, Korea, Vietnam and Beyond
- For the Fun of It
- Firearms Traditions for Today
- William B. Ruger Special Exhibits
- Freedom's Doorway
CSA SC Robinson Sharps Type Breechloading Carbine
A simplified copy of the popular Sharps breechloaders used by mounted Federal troops, this Confederate carbine was issued to cavalry units. SN 669
Circa 1862 Confederate Sharps-type Lever Action Falling Block
Percussion Carbine (single-shot/ breech-loading/ black powder/
cartridge ammunition)
Fashioned after the Hartford-made Model 1859 Sharps, these
Richmond-made firearms are quite serviceable and were much
sought-after. Approximately 5,000 were produced, but they saw hard
use, and only a few specimens remain that are even in fair
condition. This last fact is a tribute to the desirability of such
guns among Confederate forces.
- Dr. William L. Roberts, THE AMERICAN LIBERTY COLLECTION;
#75
Christian Sharps (1811-1874) was the originator of a line of
sturdy, practical, and popular military and sporting rifles and
handguns that were associated with several events that shaped
American history in 19th century, including armed conflict in
Kansas during the 1850s, the Civil War, the era of the Plains
buffalo hunter, and the rise of modern long-range competition
shooting during the 1870s.
Sharps worked at John Hall's Rifle Works in Harpers Ferry,
Virginia, where he learned the principles of arms manufacturing.
His first breechloading rifle design was patented in 1848, and the
toggle-linking trigger guard and vertically operating sliding wedge
breechblock of later Sharps rifles and carbines date from that
patent. These features are still with us today, and have seen use
in both rifle and artillery breech mechanisms. The spring
lever-toggle-breech mechanism of the Borchardt-Luger semi-automatic
pistol also had its roots in Christian Sharps' lever-linked
breech.
In 1850, Sharps moved to Mill Creek, Pennsylvania, near
Philadelphia, and contracted with the firm of A. S. Nippes to
manufacture two of his sporting rifle designs, which became known
as the Model 1849 and Model 1850. Faced with difficulty in
obtaining financing for further ventures, Sharps left the
Philadelphia area in 1851 and relocated to Hartford, Connecticut,
where he formed the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company. Lacking
production facilities, he contracted with the Windsor, Vermont firm
of Robbins & Lawrence to manufacture his new breechloader. This
venture continued until 1855.
Among the Sharps-designed firearms manufactured under this
association were the Model 1851 "Box Lock" Carbine, which featured
the Maynard tape primer system, and the Model 1852 and Model 1853
"Slanting Breech" Carbines, which were equipped with the
Sharps-patented pellet primer system as an integral part of its
breech mechanism. Model 1853 Carbines were nicknamed "Beecher's
Bibles," after noted New York clergyman and abolitionist Henry Ward
Beecher. Approximately 900 of these arms were shipped in heavy
crates marked BIBLES for use by anti-slavery "Free Soil" settlers
who were fighting against pro-slavery forces in "Bleeding Kansas"
during the 1850s. One of the most famous Free Soilers was John
Brown, who later used 300 Model 1853 Carbines in his ill-fated
attempt to capture the U.S. Armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia in
1859.
Christian Sharps served as technical advisor to the Sharps Rifle
Manufacturing Company, receiving royalties on the manufacture of
their firearms. His relationship with the company was a rocky one,
and in 1853, Sharps severed all connections with the firm. There is
no evidence that he ever had any further association with the
company that continued to bear his name.
In 1855, the Sharps company introduced the Model 1855 Carbine.
These arms retained the slanting breech and buttstock patch boxes
of earlier models, but featured the Maynard tape primer system.
Approximately 800 .54 caliber carbines were manufactured for the
U.S. government, and an additional 6,000 Model 1855s in .577
caliber were purchased by Great Britain. While these carbines were
in production, both Robbins & Lawrence and Sharps suffered
serious financial losses. The latter corporation went bankrupt, and
their operations were taken over by Sharps and moved to
Hartford.
The Sharps New Model 1859, introduced in that year, was available
as a carbine, and in round-barrel military rifle or
octagonal-barrel sporting rifle versions. Its straight-breech
design is credited to Richard S. Lawrence, formerly of Robbins
& Lawrence, who had become the superintendent of the Sharps
Rifle Company. This design, in conjunction with a
breechblock-mounted plate capable of slight rearward movement when
under pressure, created a moderately effective gas seal. New Model
1859 arms also employed an improved version of the Sharps pellet
primer system which allowed the pellet feed mechanism to be
disengaged. Ordinary percussion caps could then be used, with the
supply of pellet primers held in reserve. Like earlier Sharps
designs, the Model 1859 fired a glazed linen combustible .52
caliber cartridge. When closed, the breechblock sheared off the
rear of the cartridge, exposing the propellant. During the Civil
War, the Federal government bought over 80,000 Sharps carbines and
nearly 10,000 Sharps Rifles.
These arms were highly regarded by the troops who used them.
Sharps Carbines found favor with Federal cavalry troopers, and New
Model 1859 Rifles were used with great success by famous infantry
units such as Colonel Hiram Berdan's U.S. Sharp Shooters, perhaps
the first specialty troops in the history of modern warfare, as
well as the 5th New York (Duryea's Zouaves) and the 13th
Pennsylvania Reserves (Bucktails). Even the Confederate government
recognized the superiority of the New Model 1859 Carbine,
contracting with the Richmond firm of S.C. Robinson for the
production of 5,000 copies. The New Model 1859 was followed by the
New Model 1863 and New Model 1865 Carbines and Rifles. These were
nearly identical to the New Model 1859, differing primarily in
barrel stampings, the omission of buttstock patchboxes, and in the
design or absence of bayonet lugs. Many versions of all three arms
were later converted for use with .50-70 and .52-70 caliber
metallic cartridge ammunition in the years following the Civil War.
The New Model 1869 Carbine and Rifle, available in .44-77, .50-70,
and .60 calibers, were the first Sharps arms designed for use with
metallic cartridges.
In 1874, the firm was reorganized as the Sharps Rifle Co., with
operations remaining in Hartford. In 1876, manufacturing was moved
to Bridgeport, Connecticut, where it remained until 1881. This
period saw the manufacture of some of the more notable of Sharps
longarms, beginning with introduction of the Model 1874 Rifle.
Nicknamed "Old Reliable," this arm, available in a variety of
calibers, barrel lengths, sights, and other features, became a
favorite with both Plains buffalo hunters and competition shooters.
Many Fancy-Grade models featured engraving which ranged from simple
scrollwork to elaborate hunting or western scenes on their
surfaces. The Sharps Model 1877 shared in the popularity of its
predecessor.
These deluxe-grade heavy-barreled .45 caliber rifles were designed
specifically for Creedmoor and other long-range target shooters.
Only 100 of these were produced, and they are as sought-after today
by collectors as they were by competitors at the time of their
introduction. The last rifle to be produced by the Sharps Rifle
Company was the Model 1878 Sharps-Borchardt Rifle. This arm was
developed by Hugo Borchardt, who later became famous for his
automatic pistol designs. These rifles, with their flat-sided frame
and hammerless appearance, differ notably from earlier Sharps
designs. Like the Model 1874, the Sharps-Borchardt was available in
a variety of stocks, barrel lengths and weights, sights, calibers,
and other features, including deluxe grade models. These popular
rifles were produced until 1881, when the Sharps Rifle Company went
bankrupt and ceased operations.
Although his association with the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing
Company ended in 1853, Christian Sharps continued to work as a
designer and manufacturer of firearms. He returned to Philadelphia
and formed C. Sharps & Co., a manufacturer of percussion
revolvers, breechloading single-shot pistols and pistol-rifles, and
four-shot pepperbox pistols. In 1862, Sharps entered into a
partnership with William Hankins. Their new company, known as
Sharps & Hankins, continued to produce pepperbox pistols, as
well as the single-shot .52 caliber Model 1861 Navy Rifle and the
Model 1862 Carbine, both of which featured sliding breech actions.
The partnership was dissolved in 1866, and Sharps reverted to the
C. Sharps & Co. name. This firm ceased operations in 1874 with
the death of Christian Sharps on March 12 of that year.