Sharps carbine -- cartridge or BP?

[Kaylee]

Well after the last two years of scattered and irregular employment, I'm now finally in the position I can start saving up for a real nice toy again.. and I think it's gonna be a Sharps carbine like I've been mooning over for ages.

From John Brown's raid to service in the Late Unpleasantness, it seems like it was very much the M4 of it's day -- comparatively short, light, and handy with a relatively high rate of fire. I'm sure if I lived in the 1850's I'd have wanted one awful bad.

The only thing I'm wondering is -- 1859 or '74? The convenience of cartridge firing is neat, but the pull of som'n just like great-great-great-uncle-Ned shot Yankees with is sure tempting. Has anyone played a fair amount with both?

Also.. how does Armisport compare to Pedersoli.. and any recommendations (or have any of y'all seen a nicely used one in the racks near where ya are? )

-K

 

[Onmilo]

The paper cartridge rifles are cool but these guns were and are better suited to metallic cartridges.
The paper cartridge guns leak hot gas at the breech, even the new production guns do to some degree.
Some of the reproductions are even worse about this problem than the original Sharps.
Metallic cartridges eliminated this problem in the Sharps design, in both the original and reproduction guns.

Cimarron has introduced a reproduction of the Texas Ranger Sharps Carbine in .50-70 metallic cartridge caliber.
I think this rifle would fill all your needs and desires quite well.

The .50-70 is powerful and just plain fun to shoot and to reload for.
You will want to reload because loaded cartridges are crazy expensive and reloading will fill the urge to have your hands more into the project like a blackpowder paper cartridge rifle plus the 50-70 is comparable, actually better ballistically than the .54 BP Paper cartridge load.

Anyway, hope this helps you in making a decision.

 

[Cortland]

I have a Garret Arms .56 cal paper cartridge Sharps made in 70s, to the exact specs of the original Sharps (the newer reproductions are a little different). Gas leakage has never been a problem with my Sharps. Making authentic paper cartridges can be a pain. It's an involved process with a lot of steps and a lot of fiddly materials that can take a while to track down. It can also be a lot of fun.

You can shoot it without cartridges (point the muzzle at the ground, drop in a bullet, fill the chamber with BP, close the breach), too of course.

 

[tex_n_cal]

As much as I like single shot rifles, and find a Sharps classy and elegant, I just can't find one that makes me want to spend a bunch of money. Even the expensive ones never seem to fit me well, and that big side hammer whacking on the action I gather makes them temperamental about accuracy.

Of course, some folks say the same about Ruger #1's, and I have four of them

Have you tried the Browning High Wall Traditional Hunter? It is a really sweet rifle, feels good, nice sights, reasonable weight and can be had in .30-30, .38-55, and .45-70. The Low Wall Traditional Hunter can be had in pistol calibers.