Sharps rifle

Sharps rifle
Type	Falling-block rifle
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1850–1881
Used by	United Kingdom United States Confederate States China Argentina Peru Bolivia Japan Australia Canada Mexico
Wars	Sepoy Rebellion Bleeding Kansas American Civil War Indian Wars Fenian Raids War of the Triple Alliance (Limited)[1] Boshin War Taiping Rebellion Argentine Civil Wars[2] War of the Pacific[3] First Sino-Japanese War Mexican Revolution[4] Second French intervention in Mexico
Production history
Designer	Christian Sharps
Designed	1848
Unit cost	$30 (1861)[5]
Produced	1849–1881
No. built	120,000+
Variants	Single set trigger (regular army) Double set trigger
Specifications
Mass	9.5 lb (4.3 kg)
Length	47 in (1,200 mm)
Barrel length	30 in (760 mm)
Cartridge	.52-caliber (0.52" dia.) 475-grain (30.8 g) projectile with 50-grain (3.2 g) charge, later converted to .50-70 in 1867. The Model 1874 rifles and carbines were available in a variety of calibers, including .45-70, .45-110, and .45-120.
Action	Falling block
Rate of fire	8–10 shots per minute
Muzzle velocity	1,200 ft/s (370 m/s)
Effective firing range	1,000 yd (910 m)
Maximum firing range	3,000 yd (2,700 m)
Feed system	Breech-loading
Sights	Open ladder type

Sharps rifles are a series of large-bore, single-shot, falling-block, breech-loading rifles, beginning with a design by Christian Sharps in 1848 and ceasing production in 1881. They were renowned for long-range accuracy. By 1874, the rifle was available in a variety of calibers, and it was one of the few designs to be successfully adapted to metallic cartridge use. The Sharps rifles became icons of the American Old West with their appearances in many Western-genre films and books. Perhaps as a result, several rifle companies offer reproductions of the Sharps rifle.