Make: Sharps Rifle Manufg. Co.

Model: 1869 Cartridge Conversion

Serial Number: C,14175

Year of Manufacture: 1860’s, Converted 1869, Consistent with E.C. Meacham

Caliber: .45-70

Action Type: Single Shot Lever Operated Falling Block Breech Loading Percussion Rifle

Markings: The upper tang is marked “C,14175”. The lockplate is marked “SHARPS’ PAT / OCT 5TH 1852.” in the center. The left side of the receiver is marked “C. SHARPS’ PAT. / SEPT. 12TH 1848”. The top of the barrel is marked “Old Reliable”, “SHARPS RIFLE CO. BRIDGEPORT, CONN.”. The right side of the rear sight is marked “12345”. 

Barrel Length: 32”

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a blade fixed to the top of a block fixed to the barrel. The rear sight is a folding ladder sight. There is a “u” notch in the bottom of the sight for use when the ladder is folded down. When the ladder is raised, there is a “V” notch at the top of the slider and another in the top edge of the ladder. The ladder is marked from “6” to “12”. The rear sight is not original to the barrel. 

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two piece walnut with straight grip, straight comb, steel buttplate, and schnabel style forend. The stocks appears to be sporterized from a military style stock as there is a shallow groove in the bottom of the forend where the ramrod would have sat. This rifle has been put together, nicely I might add. The sling bar and ring has been removed and the holes filled with screws. There are compressions, scratches, and a few nicks throughout. There is a crack on the top right side of the wrist from the corner of the receiver to the center of the upper tang. The LOP measures 13 7/8” from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The plate has nicks around the edges and light handling wear with finish loss all around the edges. The stocks are in about Very Good overall condition as not original to the rifle.

Type of Finish: The barrel is blued and the receiver, hammer and lockplate are case colored.

Finish Originality: Original finish to their respective parts. 

Bore Condition: The bore is bright, the rifling is sharp. There is light to mild intermittent erosion down the length, but no heavy pitting of any sort. In this writer’s opinion the bore rates 7/10 for Antique.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 15% of its metal finish. Most of the finish has taken to a mottled patina. There is case color finding its way through some of the patina and oxidation, but most of it has been muted all around with traces remaining in the protected areas. There is some fire blue on some of the screw heads and lever pin. The screw heads are sharp to tool marked with serviceable slots. The markings on the barrel are crisp, the markings on the receiver are faded to the point of being partially incomplete. Overall, this rifle rates in about Very Good condition as Antique. 

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We have not fired this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None. 

Our Assessment: Sharps rifles and carbines were purchased by the U.S. Army and Navy during the Civil War. The Sharps carbine was the most significantly utilized carbine of the Civil War. It was a single shot percussion breechloader using paper cartridges and revolutionized hand weaponry at the time. However, some years after the war’s end, the Army found that it had some 50,000 rifles and carbines in its inventory which had become obsolete as they were unable to fire newer self-contained cartridges. Arrangements were made to convert these rifles to fire self-contained cartridges so that they could continue use in the Army. Unfortunately for Sharps, they underestimated the cost of performing the conversions and didn’t realize this until the contracts were in place and the conversions were being performed. While the commandant of Springfield felt that they were justified in receiving additional compensation and the Chief of Ordnance agreed, the Secretary of War did not and no further compensation was provided. This would contribute to financial woes that Sharps would experience in later years. This rifle was built off of one of those converted receivers. The hammer was filled and re-profiled from one designed for a percussion cap, the nipple was removed and the breech block modified to accept a cam firing pin. The primer feed mechanism was removed and its channel in the side of the lockplate filled. The conversion is consistent with a large number of rifles altered by the firm of E.C. Meacham in St. Louis, Louisiana. This example is equipped with a 32″ barrel chambered in .45-70 and some nice walnut stocks.