This attractive 1874 Sharps rifle, by Shiloh Sharps, is offered as used with a bright well maintained bore. Stocked in walnut, the rifle has a 26" octagon-to-round barrel, and is chambered for the .40 2-1/10 SBN cartridge. The rifle is fitted with globe front sight and semi-buckhorn rear sight. This 9 pound rifle is an excellent choice for shooting iron silhouettes, buffalo matches, and steel gongs at 400 and 600 yards, yet it is not so heavy that it couldn't be fired off hand. The weight is a great advantage when shooting from a rest, and it greatly reduces recoil. This rifle qualifies for FFL transfer and can be picked up by a Minnesota resident, or it must be shipped to a FFL dealer in another state. Trigger reach is 13-3/4" and the weight is 9.2 pounds.
Chambered in the obsolete .40 2-1/10 SBN cartridge, this rifle will not fire a commercially available cartridge, and must be hand loaded with carefully made black powder cartridges. NOTE: Shiloh Sharps Co. uses the same caliber marking on the barrel for this cartridge and the much more common .40-65 Winchester, it is NOT the much more common .40-65 Winchester. If you fire a .40-65 Winchester (which will chamber) it will bulge the case. The 26" matte blued octagon-to-round barrel is fitted with a globe front sight. The sight has a post insert installed, no extra inserts are included with the sight. A semi-buckhorn rear sight with flip-up ladder is dovetailed 4-3/4" ahead of the breech. We note the elevation sight bar is loose and does not stay in position on the ladder. The tang is drilled and taped for a vernier sight, not included. The top barrel flat is marked Old Reliable and SHILOH RIFLE MFC.CO. ahead of the rear sight. It is marked CALIBRE 40 2-1/10 in two lines near the breech.
This Sharps Rifle is stocked in walnut. The stock is fitted with a color case hardened military style buttplate. The stock has a few minor handling marks. Architectural details include the semi-circular flat on the walnut forend, in front of the action. Our bottom view shows the color case hardened lever. Notice the tiny lug at the front of the lever, which stops the lever while the extractor is seated. Press the lever slightly forward, while open. This over-travel causes the extractor to snap rearward, ejecting the fired cartridge. The black walnut forend has a traditional Schnabel tip.
The receiver, hammer, lever, and triggerplate are all color case hardened. The left side of the receiver is marked SHILOH RIFLE MFG. CO. BIG TIMBER, MONTANA in two lines. The 1874 Sharps lock action is smooth and crisp, with a reliable half-cock safety notch positioned just above the firing pin. A fly detent in the tumbler insures perfect action and fast lock time, when using the set trigger. The double set trigger has double levers allowing you to cock the lock, or set the trigger, in any sequence. When fired from the front trigger alone, trigger release is a normal 2 to 3 pounds. When fired with the rear trigger set, the front trigger release may be adjusted to nearly zero, using the set screw between the triggers. We strongly recommend using these set triggers for dry fire practice, which is perfectly harmless, provided that the hammer is fully down, not at the half-cock safety notch. Dry firing, at a small black dot on a white piece of paper, each evening, is the best way to develop skills, practice follow-through, and to eliminate the tendency to flinch during recoil.
This rifle will require load development, and fine tuning, for serious target competition. We enjoy casting bullets, hand loading black powder cartridges, and enjoyable afternoons at our local 100, 200, 400, and 600 yard range. If you enjoy shooting, recording results, and creating loads, order this rifle, today. Order it for a ten day visual inspection. You will be delighted. Else if it does not fit you, return it in unfired condition for same-day refund. Postage is your only risk, when you order any one-of-a-kind gun from Track, whether new, used, or antique.