Sharps Model 1874: Part 1 - Background History Category: Black
Powder Cartridge Published: 09.04. 2008 Edited: Thursday 11
september. 2008, at 20:00 (GMT +1) During the 1870s and 80s a
widespread slaughter of the American bison decimated the herds
to near extinction. The professional hunters used powerful
single shot breech-loading rifles, most often in calibre .50,
.45 or .44. The most legendary rifle used on the buffalo ranges
was, perhaps next to the Springfield Model 1873 'Trapdoor' and
the Remington rolling block, the legendary Sharps Model 1874.
The man behind the Sharps action was Christian Sharps
(1810-1874). Sharps started his career as a filer in the
National Armoury at Harpers Ferry, but he soon started to
experiment with his own weapons. The original Sharps patent was
granted to Sharps in 1848. Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company
was established in 1851 and the factory was located in Hartford,
Connecticut. Christian Sharps however, withdrew from the company
as early as 1853, and nothing indicates t