Sharps Overview

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Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company

A man named Christian Sharps (1811 - 1874) got his start in the gun making business by working at the Harpers Ferry Arsenal. The first Sharps firearm was patented in 1848, and by 1850, the first models of Sharps Sporting Rifles were being made in Mill Creek, Pennsylvania by the firm of A. S. Nippes. In 1851, a new breechloader was being made in Windsor, Vermont by the firm of Robbins & Lawrence. Rifle production continued in Vermont while a new Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company was formed in Hartford, Connecticut. In 1855, manufacturing was moved to Hartford and continued until 1876. Operations were then moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut until 1880.

Although the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company bore his name, Christian Sharps was not the principal owner. In 1854 he began his own C. Sharps & Company to make his own handguns. He formed a partnership with a man named William Hankins in 1862, known as Sharps & Hankins. That company manufactured four-barrel pepperboxes and single-shot breech loading rifles and carbines. That partnership ended in 1866. Christain C. Sharps & Company ceased operations with Sharps' death in 1874. Sharps reproductions are now made by the Shilo Rifle Manufacturing Company in Big Timber, Montana.

The information below concentrates on the longarms made by the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company and its predecessors.

Here is a listing of Sharps firearms and their approximate dates of manufacture:

Sharps Models, Dates, Calibers
Production Begins	Production Ends		Model	Caliber

1849		1850	Model 1949 Rifle	0.44
1850		1850	Model 1850 Rifle	0.44
1852		1855	Model 1851 Carbine	.36, .44, .52
1853		1855	Model 1852 Rifle	0.52
1853		1855	Model 1852 Carbine	0.52
1853		1855	Model 1852 Shotgun	Various
1854		1857	Model 1853 Carbine	Various
1856		1857	Model 1855	0.52
1856		1857	Model 1855 U.S. Navy Rifle	0.52
1855		1857	Model 1855 British Carbine	0.52
1859		1866	Model 1859 Carbine	0.52
1859		1866	Model 1863 Carbine	0.52
1859		1866	Model 1865 Carbine	0.52
1859		1866	Model 1859 Rifle	0.52
1869		1871	Model 1869 Carbine	0.52
1869		1871	Model 1869 Military Rifle	0.52
1869		1871	Model 1869 Sporting Rifle	.44-70, .50-70
1871		1881	Model 1874	Various
1877		1878	Model 1877	0.45
1878		1881	Model 1878	Various

The use of Roman Numerals (C=100, L=50) were used with these Sharps firearms, and serial numbers overlapped between some models. Here is a list of serial numbers ranges and their respective models:

Sharps Serial Numbers & Models
Serial Number Start	Serial Number End	Model
1	1050	Model 1851 Carbine
2041	7050	Model 1852 Carbine
8000	26000	Model 1853 Carbine
17000	25000	Model 1855 Carbine
30000	80000	Model 1859 Carbine
71235	C49528	Model 1863 Carbine
C40000	C50000	Model 1865 Carbine
39000	CL625	Model 1869
C50000	163000	Model 1874
160000	161000	Model 1877
1	23000	Model 1878

Since Christian Sharps is so well known for the superb longarms that bear his name, few people are aware that he also secured a U.S. Patent in 1862 for improvements to the pinfire cartridge. These improvements thickened the base of the cartridge to help it hold its shape after firing, so that it would not interfere with the proper rotation of a revolver cylinder. Ethan Allen later manufactured improved pinfire cartridges by licensing Sharp's Patent.

Please use this information as a general guideline only. It is a compiled from various public domain sources and contributions from a variety of individuals and may not be accurate in all respects.

Reproduction of this information in any form is expressly prohibited, without the written authorization of the operator.

We always appreciate your suggestions to improve this information.

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Sharps Models, Dates, Calibers

Sharps Serial Numbers & Models