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Christian Sharps patented his single-shot, twin-bolt, lever-activated breechloader with sliding breechblock on Sept. 12, 1848. The rifle used a separate blackpowder charge behind a conical bullet. Removing a steel pin released the breechblock and hinged lever from the receiver for cleaning. Sharps convinced the firm Robbins & Lawrence to manufacture his Improved Model of 1851, and the Sharps Manufacturing Co. was formed in Hartford, Conn. A cantankerous man, Sharps left the company shortly after that, leaving armorer Richard Lawrence to carry on with improvements that finally became the cartridge-firing Model 1874. Coincidentally, both Lawrence and Sharps died that year.
Investors bought the assets and launched the Sharps Rifle Co., which found a ready audience for the Model 1874. With an action strong enough to fire bone-crushing bullets in .40 to .50 caliber, it became the big-game rifle, especially among buffalo hunters, during America’s western expansion. In 1876 the company relocated to Bridgeport, Conn., and began stamping the rifle’s nickname, “Old Reliable,” on the barrels. The basic price was $33, more than three times that of a Winchester carbine, and a variety of models and custom options were available. Unfortunately, economic woes caused the company’s demise in 1881.
This 12-pound Sharps 1874 Sporting Rifle was shipped to B. Kitteridge in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Jan. 11, 1878. The bore is immaculate but, unfortunately, the original 30-inch-octagonal barrel has been turned into a half-round configuration (bisecting the “Old Reliable” markings) by a previous owner who was obviously a shooter, not a collector. The original .45-70 Gov’t chamber has been lengthened to accommodate the longer .45-100 Sharps and .45-110 Sharps cartridges and the front sight is an old replacement. Non-factory alterations normally reduce a firearm’s value by half, but this gun, which could fetch $7,000 to $7,500 if unaltered, sold for $4,000 at the 2010 Las Vegas Antique Arms show due to its strong Western association.
Gun: Sharps 1874 Sporting Rifle
Caliber: .45-70 Gov’t; rechambered to .45-100 Sharps and .45-110 Sharps