Guns International #: 101252417
Seller's Inventory #: 8006

Category - Sharps Rifles - Antique - Antique Rifles - Cartridge

Category
Sharps Rifles - Antique
Antique Rifles - Cartridge

Antique SHARPS 1874 “BUFFALO RIFLE” in .45 2-7/8

Description:

Antique SHARPS 1874 “BUFFALO RIFLE” in .45 2-7/8

Circa 1877 w PLAINS Features & Powerful .45-100!

Here we present an antique Sharps Model 1874 “Buffalo Rifle” made circa 1877 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Many enthusiasts of the Sharps buffalo gun will tell you that while the Winchester rifle has been credited with winning the “Wild West”, it was really the Sharps that made things safe enough for the Winchester to do so. The range and stopping power of the Sharps made it practically a piece of artillery that you could hold in your hand. These buffalo rifles came in calibers of .40, .45, and .50 and were the first big cartridge guns to come into the market. Before the Sharps rifle, hunting buffalo meant riding alongside the beasts with smaller rifles (even muzzleloaders!) while on horseback, shooting at close range. Not only was this dangerous, it often precariously scattered the herd. The Sharps boasted “one shot kill” power. Buffalo could be killed from great distances without the buffalo being able to detect the smell or physical presence of the shooter which could have led to a stampede. This allowed the buffalo to be dropped, one after another, allowing single parties to take hundreds of buffalo in a day which led the buffalo to the brink of extinction.

During the Indian Wars at the second battle of Adobe Walls in June of 1874, approximately 700 Comanche, Cheyenne and Kiowa warriors besieged 28 buffalo hunters sheltering in the ruins of a fort in the Texas panhandle. The war party had already suffered heavy casualties from the hunters’ long distance Sharps guns when a hunter named Billy Dixon dropped a brave off his horse on a ridge at a distance of 1,500 yards. Discouraged, the tribesmen broke off the attack. In the movie “Quigley Down Under”, the rifle Tom Selleck used a similar Sharps rifle chambered in .45-110.

This rifle was set up for the Great Western Plains with a hard-hitting .45-100 (2-7/8”) cartridge and an octagonal “Old Reliable” marked Bridgeport barrel. The front sight is a “knifeblade” set in a dovetail and the rear is a buckhorn with a long range leaf. Double set triggers round out this excellent rifle. J.P. Lower, a dealer and gunsmith in Denver, Colorado, is known to have stocked such rifles chambered in this powerful cartridge.

The overall condition is very good. The barrel retains a good amount of original blue finish under the forearm and the other iron parts have a healthy amount of case colors remaining, turning silver with the years. The markings are legible. The walnut stock remains solid though it has clearly seen some action! The bore is in very good or better shape with clean surfaces and strong rifling. The action is excellent. This is a rare opportunity to own a Sharps Buffalo Rifle!

Own the original! This is a legitimate antique and not a reproduction.

Barrel is 30 inches.

Caliber: .45 2-7/8 (.45-100)

Overall condition as seen in photos.

Very Fast. Very Safe. FREE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE. Delivered directly to your door by express mail!

Guaranteed AUTHENTIC & Includes CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY.

ancestryguns

$6700

#8006

SOLD

Antique: Yes