1863 Sharps Carbine in 50/70

[One tough Quaker]

Hey check out this carbine Dad gave me. It was in his closet for 40y and in Mom’s uncle’s closet long before that.

I’ve learned what I can. 1863 Sharps, civil war gun. About 100,000 made. After the war 31,000 were modified to 50/70 from the original paper cartridge and percussion cap. Many were re bored, mine was not. It still has 6 grooves in the barrel.

These were sent out west for the Indian Wars. Then sold to settlers. Some time long ago someone took a barrel band from a Springfield and added a strap. It has a 21 stamped in the stock and saddle wear. One side of the barrel is worn from rubbing against a horse.

I took this to a smith. The tumbler needed fixing. And a few missing parts were added. The expert gave me the all clear to shoot her. I need to get some 50/70. Buffalo Arms is the only place I’ve found that sells them.

The bore is a bit pitted. Probably didn’t get cleaned after the tumbler broke a century ago.

Super cool gun. Any more insight would be appreciated.

OTQ

 

[DocRock]

11 out of 10 cool factor!

The pitting may or may not matter much. You'll just have to see. What a great rifle.

 

[Jim Watson]

I don't know much, there might be some gen on the Shiloh board.

A friend has one of the same type.
Accuracy is about minute of Comanche. He is a AAA BPCR MS shooter and knows their care and feeding. I figure it is the original barrel. They didn't line them when converting to cartridge unless larger than .5225" which is not going to do much with a .515" bullet.
His had frequent misfires until he spotted the hammer striking the head of a screw holding a cover plate over the well in the lock that held the Lawrence disk primer feed. Flattening that screw head fixed the misfires.

 

[troy fairweather]

Time to book a bison hunt lol.

 

[kennysd]

I have two, one percussion and one 50 70 like yours.
S and S has the parts you'll need to get it working. very easy to do. get a lever spring too. old ones get worn.
Now, soak the bore in gum turpentine , not the hardware store stuff , the internet stuff pure gum turpentine.
soak it good, let it set,for a day. over and over. All the lead will come out. then soak the bore in kroil penetrating oil.
wet rags, plug the breach with a cloth, let it sit for a day, do it again and again.
it will finally come out clean and sharp. I use bore wiping paste too. cleans up the harder stuff.
You can clean that bore so it shines...you'll be surprised.
kroil on the lock and breach will get it free and working too.
it's a project of respect for the gun..Once clean and dry. oil it good. use a Non petroleum oil. clock oil is good.
but that's your choice.
have fun. a little rotten stone and linseed oil to clean the stock will do wonders too.
that mark on the left stock is a mark made by the saddle ring strap and fitting while it was On the Horse.
it shows that it 'saw the elephant'. mine has the exact same mark.

 

[kBob]

Why am I hearing the Gary Owen playing softly in the back ground?

Thanks for sharing, both of you.

-kBob

 

[.455_Hunter]

Thanks for sharing!

Veteran pieces are always the most interesting!

My .50-70 Trapdoor would approve!

 

[JeffG]

Very nice!

 

[25th Tropic Lightning]

Congrats on UR rifle!
I have one that shoots pretty good.
The trigger feels like a 20lb pull.
I'd like to fix that someday!
My rifle has a name enscibed in the Stock.
Awesome piece of history!
And I LOVE how they look!

 

[unklebuck]

Why am I hearing the Gary Owen playing softly in the back ground?

Thanks for sharing, both of you.

-kBob

 

[unklebuck]

Kbob, you very well could be right about Gary Owens. The standard issue of the .45-70 Springfield , at the Little Bighorn, was reinforced with the .50-70 rifle. This may have attributed to the huge loss there. During the attack, rifles and ammo were mixed , thus, possibly, prematurely ending the attack.

 

[25th Tropic Lightning]

Congrats on UR rifle!
I have one that shoots pretty good.
The trigger feels like a 20lb pull.
I'd like to fix that someday!
My rifle has a name enscibed in the Stock.
Awesome piece of history!
And I LOVE how they look!

 

[tygranch]

I purchased one like that a few months ago. It's in really good condition with a bright shiny bore and good rifling. I've been wanting to put some rounds through it too. No time though. If I can figure the picture process out, I'll post some later.