Sharps rifle

Sharps rifle
TypeFalling-block rifle
Place of origin United States
Service history
In service1850–1881
Used byUnited Kingdom
United States
Confederate States
China
Argentina
Peru
Bolivia
Japan
Australia
Canada
Mexico
WarsSepoy 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
DesignerChristian Sharps
Designed1848
Unit cost$30 (1861)[5]
Produced1849–1881
No. built120,000+
VariantsSingle set trigger (regular army)
Double set trigger
Specifications
Mass9.5 lb (4.3 kg)
Length47 in (1,200 mm)
Barrel length30 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.
ActionFalling block
Rate of fire8–10 shots per minute
Muzzle velocity1,200 ft/s (370 m/s)
Effective firing range1,000 yd (910 m)
Maximum firing range3,000 yd (2,700 m)
Feed systemBreech-loading
SightsOpen ladder type
Sharps Model 1852 "slanting breech"
Sharps Model 1852, lock
Sharps Model 1852, breech
Sharps Model 1852, breech open
Sharps Model 1852 "slanting breech" carbine, under the forearm two primer-tapes

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.

  1. ^ Esposito, Gabriele, The Paraguayan War 1864–70: Osprey Publishing (2019)
  2. ^ "Unidades y armas durante el sitio de Buenos Aires de 1880" (PDF).
  3. ^ "Jornada de Historia Militar en Antofagasta. Guerra del Pacifico".
  4. ^ "GUNS OF THE MEXICAN REVOLUTION".
  5. ^ Purchase of arms, House Documents, 1861, P. 177.