Make: Sharps

Model: 1874 Sporting Rifle

Serial Number: 159033

Year of Manufacture: Circa 1878

Caliber: .45-110 Sharps, 45-2 7/8"

Action Type: Single shot, falling block, centerfire rifle.

Barrel Length: 30" Octagon

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a blade dovetailed to the barrel. The rear sight is a folding ladder style V notch with slider. The upper tang is drilled and tapped for a peep sight.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stock is two piece smooth walnut, Schnabel forend tip, straight grip, straight comb, and smooth iron buttplate. There are scratches and compression dents scattered throughout. There is a notable gouge on the right side of the forend. There is some iron staining around the edges of the metal. There is a thin crack in the right-front of the forend. Overall this stock is in Very Good condition.

Type of Finish: Blued, Color Case

Finish Originality: Original, barrel serial matches the receiver.

Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright. The rifling is well defined. There is very minor erosion and pitting throughout the bore. In this writer's opinion this bore rates 8/10.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 30% of its original blued finish. The barrel is wearing to a brown patina with light corrosion staining. There is a notable ding above the gouge on the forend. The color case has worn to a silver patina with light corrosion staining. The screw heads are lightly tooled but serviceable. The markings are clear.

Mechanics: This action functions correctly. The set triggers function correctly. We did not fire this rifle. As with any used guns a full cleaning may be necessary to meet your standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: Factory Letter

Our Assessment: The Sharps Model 1874 Sporting Rifle is one of the most celebrated American single-shot rifles of the buffalo-hunting and western expansion era, and this circa-1878 example carries particularly compelling factory history. Built with a 30" octagon barrel, double-set triggers, folding ladder rear sight, and straight-grip walnut furniture, the rifle is now chambered in the formidable .45-110 Sharps, or .45-2 7/8". The barrel serial number matches the receiver, and the accompanying factory letter documents that the rifle was originally sold to the prominent New York sporting-goods firm Schuyler, Hartley & Graham before later returning to Sharps for alteration.

The factory-documented history is the standout feature of this rifle. According to the letter, it was returned to the Sharps factory in 1878 and rechambered to .45-110 before being shipped to E.C. Meacham of St. Louis, Missouri, one of the important firearms dealers serving the western trade. The .45-110 became closely associated with powerful long-range Sharps sporting rifles and the great buffalo-hunting period, where heavy black-powder cartridges were prized for their range and authority. The combination of documented factory rechambering, Schuyler, Hartley & Graham provenance, and subsequent shipment through Meacham gives this rifle a particularly evocative connection to the commercial network that supplied arms to sportsmen and western hunters during the height of the Sharps era.

This rifle retains about 30% of its original blued finish, with the barrel wearing toward brown patina and showing light corrosion staining, while the original case colors have largely faded to silver patina. The walnut stocks remain in Very Good condition with scattered scratches and compression dents, iron staining beneath the later finish, and a notable gouge on the right side of the forend corresponding with a ding in the barrel above it. The mostly bright bore has well-defined rifling with only very minor erosion and pitting and rates 8/10. The action and set triggers function correctly. Overall, this is an especially interesting antique Sharps Model 1874 whose matching barrel, factory-documented .45-110 rechambering, and provenance through Schuyler, Hartley & Graham and E.C. Meacham give it substantial historical and collector appeal. Please see our photos for a better understanding of the condition and good luck with your bids!