Why the surge in Sharps rifles?

It happens every time right after they show "Quigley Down Under" on TV.

Mosin77 said:

Pretty sure there’s always been a wait list for a Shiloh Sharps. Nothing new. But I do imagine they’ve seen an uptick of orders too... some people react to the thought of a ban by buying all the stuff that’s likely to be restricted. Others decide to prepare now by buying what is least likely to be restricted... before everyone else grabs it. End result: everything that goes bang gets real popular.

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Agreed, my 1st Shiloh (Special Sporting in .45-100 (2.4")) took close to 2 years, after the 1 year mark I put a 2nd Shilo on order. By the time it got close to hitting the floor, I was shooting more Silhouette competitions and had moved on to 1885s made by Ballard Rifle and Cartridge. So I gave that order to a friend of mine for my $250 deposit. At that time the wait for 1885s was only about a year or so.

The internet has breathed new life and interest into a lot of older things. In the past you would have only been able to read about such things in books or find someone that was already into it. Now we can read for hours and hours about things like this, chat over the internet with other like minded people, watch hours of youtube videos, and find someone to build you one.

My hypothesis is that many of these relatively niche firearms are that are low, and sporadic with production are simply highly impacted by any variations to market or supply chain. It doesn't take much to deplete inventories on something that doesn't have a robust production capacity. I'm guessing something like a 5-10% increase in demand would quickly clear out inventories. Covid also has put the supply chain of everything at risk and all it takes is one link in the supply chain to break and you can't produce a firearm. Niche manufactures and competing in the same supply chains that supply S&W, Ruger and Sig.

Frulk said:

Even imported repros of Sharps easily approach or surpass $2K.

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My Shiloh-Sharps was over $2K, and like I said - that was back in the '90s.

Frulk said:

I’m guessing the average guy that wants one does some deep soul searching at that price point before they’re able to commit.

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Maybe, but even though I might be an "average guy," I have a way above average wife. She ordered my Shiloh-Sharps .45-110 for me as my gift on our 25th wedding anniversary. Of course I didn't actually get the rifle until our 27th wedding anniversary. But that worked out well too - to celebrate our 27th anniversary, we took a mini-vacation and drove up to Big Timber, Montana to pick up my rifle.
BTW, all I've ever used my .45-110 for is shooting at rockchucks, of which I've hit very few. That Quigley must have been one heck of a good shot. He didn't even have a range-finder for crying out loud!

Frulk said:

Even imported repros of Sharps easily approach or surpass $2K.

I’m guessing the average guy that wants one does some deep soul searching at that price point before they’re able to commit.

Now, all of a sudden a couple of unexpected stimulus checks show up in the mail and that soul searching probably becomes shallower and the commitment to purchase easier.

That’s my theory and I’m sticking to it....for now.

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I've always found it peculiar how people place value on things. Many people don't even blink at buying a $20,000 UTV or signing the dotted line on a $60,000 pickup, but $2,000 for a rifle somehow seams extravagant. The torque converter in my race car was $2,500 and I was happy to shell that out, but I would have a really hard time convincing myself to put that money on the counter for a sharps for some reason, even though I would very much like to have one and it would provide a lifetime of enjoyment.

Many of us have to filter a purchase through our significant other at a certain price point. That point varies for every relationship.

Im lucky to have a spouse that would have little if any response to a $2,000+ Sharps rifle purchase.

I only jokingly (in part) mentioned the stimulus checks as causing a run on niche guns like the Sharps. However, there are bound to be a few who did purchase them using that (if you will) unexpected windfall.

Obviously covid impacting the supply chain as mentioned above is likely much bigger player in this development (niche guns now being unavailable along with about everything else Gun/shooting related).

You guys are talking me into getting another Sharps. We gotta end this thread.

One of my favorite ‘Longmire’ episodes is the one prominently featuring a Sharps. After he terminally wounds the bad guy in a remote location and starts walking away to let him bleed out the guy yells at Sheriff Longmire “ call 911... I need help” Longmire responds ‘I AM 911’ and keeps walking, leaving the bad guy to his impending demise.

Just TRY buying a *trap door* in California the last three years.

There's one root of the Sharp's explosion.

Todd.

You can carry the argument further... how about the Ruger #1 and #3 rifles? They've always been popular... among other single shots, like the B78, the 1885 replicas, the Rollers... and let's not forget single-shot pistols like the Contender.

I don't get the big broohaahaa... it's just another firearm choice.

I like my (Pedersoli) Sharps, and my money didn't go to China.

just got my last shilo sharps last week. it is a 16 lb 45/70 for 5,000.00 took 3 years. this is number 3 i have a 45/110. 50/90 and now 45/70

Jeff G
Is that a Lyman Pedersoli Sharps?

People’s financial achievement is pretty much segregated into two categories; a paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle or an investment lifestyle. The wealth gap is a fundamental of these two choices; everyone is likely to start life as a PTP person, most will remain in that status and along the way, some realize the value of investment.
The investment lifestyle provides for expensive Sharps Rifles, expensive trucks, expensive houses, etc - cash flow becomes Monopoly Board money. The PTP crowd looks at investment as some kind of superior intellect or magic, I can tell you that it is nothing more than a commitment. It is like a Lotto ticket, you cannot win if you do not play.

Factory shutdowns as result of the pandemic effects inventory and backlog as well.
Add in the election + lack of inventory = prices skyrocket.

I was chatting with my best friend who still lives in Illinois the other day. We both agreed that if you are going to overpay for common guns, you might as well invest in some higher dollar guns that are still normally priced.

Howdy

There is a surge in sales of Sharps rifles? Curious what makes you say so.

I can tell you for me it was an outgrowth of Cowboy Action Shooting. There was a long range match being held once a month that some of my fellow shooters were attending, and I thought it sounded like fun. So I bought a Pedersoli Sharps. 45-70, because brass and loading data are more readily available for that cartridge than for any other. I have only ever loaded 45-70 with Black Powder, never with Smokeless. One of the really fun things at these matches was spotting for other shooters with a high powered spotting scope. I could actually see the bullets coming in like a miniature cruise missile before splattering on the steel targets. I was not interested in one of the fancy models with checkering and pewter fore end cap and all the other fancy stuff. I had inspected several of the imports with all that stuff and it was poorly done on most of them. No point buying a fancy rifle I was going to be disappointed with every time I picked it up. So I ordered a plain jane 'silhouette' model from Dixie Gunworks. Everything I wanted. Double set trigger, pistol grip, and a 'shotgun' style butt plate. I have fired lots of rifles with crescent shaped butt plates, but I knew I would be firing this one mostly from a bench, and it is less comfortable to hike a crescent shaped butt plate further out on the shoulder while sitting so recoil does not hurt than when standing and shooting. Recoil from a 45-70 is no joke, particularly if you don't hike a crescent shaped butt plate further out on the shoulder.

Paid $800 for it at the time, don't rightly remember how long ago that was. Put an inexpensive tang sight with an adjustable eyepiece on it for a few bucks more, have no idea how much at this point. Hmmmm, just checked Dixie, the same model is still available, but it costs $1750 now.

Have not fired it in years because my eyesight was so bad I could barely see the targets. Now that I have had cataract surgery and can see 20/20 in my right eye and 25/20 in my left, it will be fun to take the Sharps out to the range and get reacquainted.

i shoot alot of single shots, i can spend several hours at the range shooting them and recording the results in my range book.

Driftwood Johnson said:

Howdy

There is a surge in sales of Sharps rifles? Curious what makes you say so.

I can tell you for me it was an outgrowth of Cowboy Action Shooting. There was a long range match being held once a month that some of my fellow shooters were attending, and I thought it sounded like fun. So I bought a Pedersoli Sharps. 45-70, because brass and loading data are more readily available for that cartridge than for any other. I have only ever loaded 45-70 with Black Powder, never with Smokeless. One of the really fun things at these matches was spotting for other shooters with a high powered spotting scope. I could actually see the bullets coming in like a miniature cruise missile before splattering on the steel targets. I was not interested in one of the fancy models with checkering and pewter fore end cap and all the other fancy stuff. I had inspected several of the imports with all that stuff and it was poorly done on most of them. No point buying a fancy rifle I was going to be disappointed with every time I picked it up. So I ordered a plain jane 'silhouette' model from Dixie Gunworks. Everything I wanted. Double set trigger, pistol grip, and a 'shotgun' style butt plate. I have fired lots of rifles with crescent shaped butt plates, but I knew I would be firing this one mostly from a bench, and it is less comfortable to hike a crescent shaped butt plate further out on the shoulder while sitting so recoil does not hurt than when standing and shooting. Recoil from a 45-70 is no joke, particularly if you don't hike a crescent shaped butt plate further out on the shoulder.

Paid $800 for it at the time, don't rightly remember how long ago that was. Put an inexpensive tang sight with an adjustable eyepiece on it for a few bucks more, have no idea how much at this point. Hmmmm, just checked Dixie, the same model is still available, but it costs $1750 now.

Have not fired it in years because my eyesight was so bad I could barely see the targets. Now that I have had cataract surgery and can see 20/20 in my right eye and 25/20 in my left, it will be fun to take the Sharps out to the range and get reacquainted.

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That's how I got in to it.

Started in CAS, then went to the larger matches with the LR side events. "Had" to have a Sharps (.45-70)to make the whole weekend worthwhile. Once I realized how much fun the BPCRs were I branched out into Buffalo Matches and the Quigley, so that meant a 2nd Sharps (.45-100). I did pretty well at it, won the Midwest Champs the 1st two years they had it at Alliance and placed pretty decent at Quigley for 3 years. The I tried Silhouette, IMHO the most challenging and frustrating BPCR sport. Where I was winning Buff matches, I was getting my azz soundly kicked at silhouette. Stuck with it, changed some equipment, practiced and shot my way into Master class, then came the property and the newborn.

So now I'm sitting on 3 BPRCs and a .22LR (one 74 and three 1885s (.40-70W, .45-90, .22LR)) at little over $24K. I'm looking at my 2nd retirement in a few years and I WILL get back into it.

NorthBorder said:

Jeff G
Is that a Lyman Pedersoli Sharps?

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Yes, that's the "1878" Lyman Ideal. Sweet gun!

What is not to love about a Sharps you can shoot farther than you can see, the craftsmanship is simply a work of art and the vernier sights are just as accurate as any rifle scope there is. I shoot 535 grain postell out of mine and it takes a hurricane or a tornado for the wind to affect it. I love shooting old school where you do not have turrets on my rifle telling me that I am dialed at 800 yards. I want to know that it is me and the rifle that have skills to shoot far, not science. Looking for another one to buy as well.

So this spring I went to the store to pick up some fishing tackle and much to my suprise, the shelves were totally stripped. Walmart barely had a single lure in stock and the fishing rods were mostly gone too. Later in the summer I went to buy a fishing rod for my grandfather at a large regional sporting goods store and found the same thing. The shelves were picked clean.

Obviously no one is talking about banning fishing tackle right now so what's the deal? The best I could think of was that I'm in a state where outdoor sports such as fishing is extremely popular and with the Covid lockdowns, people were turning to outdoor activities in increased numbers since there wasn't much else to do. The shelves have since been replenished.

I wonder if this is what's going on with the black powder market. I bet it's at least partially responsible.

shafter said:

Obviously no one is talking about banning fishing tackle right now so what's the deal? The best I could think of was that I'm in a state where outdoor sports such as fishing is extremely popular and with the Covid lockdowns, people were turning to outdoor activities in increased numbers since there wasn't much else to do. The shelves have since been replenished.

I wonder if this is what's going on with the black powder market. I bet it's at least partially responsible.

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Sounds reasonable to me. At least my wife and I did more fishing last spring and summer than we've probably done in the 10 springs and summers before.
I draw the line at ice fishing as a substitute "outdoor activity" though. There's plenty of places to go ice fishing around here, and it was popular even before covid. But I don't even like fish that much, and I'm not about to sit out on the ice somewhere in the middle of winter to try to catch them. I'd rather spend my leisure time right here on THR - where I'm warm enough to enjoy an ice cold beer once in a while.