This Sharps Berdan rifle is in near mint condition. It is serial number 54733, in the correct serial number range for Berdans. It may have never been issued. It appears to have its original packing grease on the receiver, patchbox and other parts. The barrel blue is nearly 100%. It is the reason many people like taking time to find the best 9mm self-defense ammo for concealed carry. Best Thermal Imaging Rifle Scopes.

Civil War Sharps Rifle Serial Numbers
Bucktail Sharps Rifle Serial Numbers Lookup
Bucktail Sharps Rifle Serial Numbers

Chuck Russell

Cadet

I have a Sharps M1853 slant breech carbine. The stock has two government inspectors' initials. I found that the carbine was for a short period of time issued to an individual in the 1st California Cavalry. In order to check for rust, I carefully removed the screws from the handguard. In the barrel channel was a number that matched the serial number on the receiver. Because I've lost my nerve, I won't take the butt stock off. Does anybody know if the serial number was stamped into the stock where it can't be seen? There is a number on the inside surface of the patch box cover, but not the same as the serial number on the receiver or handguard. Any input would be appreciated.

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A Nation Asunder - 1861 to 1865

Civil War Sharps Rifle Serial Numbers

The buttstock of this carbine is carved 'Rappahannock StationNov. 7 1863' and was captured from Confederate cavalry forces byUnion General John Buford's troopers at that battle. RappahannockStation is known today as Remington, Virginia. SN 45479.

Bucktail Sharps Rifle Serial Numbers Lookup

Bucktail Sharps Rifle Serial Numbers

Sharps carbines were produced in Hartford, Connecticut, andissued to Federal soldiers. Although the Confederates made copiesof these guns, these were few in number and of lesser quality thanthe original arms after which they were patterned. Two thousandSharps-manufactured carbines were purchased for use by Georgiatroops shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War, but mostcarbines of this type which saw service with Southern troops werecaptured in battle. Factory records and ordnance returns indicatethat the Sharps New Model Carbine seen here was initially issued toa member of the 1st Massachusetts Cavalry, and was most likelycaptured by Confederate cavalrymen at Aldie, Virginia in early1863.
The buttstock bears the carving, 'Rappahannock Station Nov. 71863', indicating that it was recaptured from Confederate cavalryforces by Union General John Buford's troopers during that battle.Christian Sharps (1811-1874) was the originator of a line ofsturdy, practical, and popular military and sporting rifles andhandguns that were associated with several events that shapedAmerican history in 19th century, including armed conflict inKansas during the 1850s, the Civil War, the era of the Plainsbuffalo hunter, and the rise of modern long-range competitionshooting during the 1870s.
Sharps worked at John Hall's Rifle Works in Harpers Ferry,Virginia, where he learned the principles of arms manufacturing.His first breechloading rifle design was patented in 1848, and thetoggle-linking trigger guard and vertically operating sliding wedgebreechblock of later Sharps rifles and carbines date from thatpatent. These features are still with us today, and have seen usein both rifle and artillery breech mechanisms. The springlever-toggle-breech mechanism of the Borchardt-Luger semi-automaticpistol also had its roots in Christian Sharps' lever-linkedbreech.
In 1850, Sharps moved to Mill Creek, Pennsylvania, nearPhiladelphia, and contracted with the firm of A. S. Nippes tomanufacture two of his sporting rifle designs, which became knownas the Model 1849 and Model 1850. Faced with difficulty inobtaining financing for further ventures, Sharps left thePhiladelphia area in 1851 and relocated to Hartford, Connecticut,where he formed the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company. Lackingproduction facilities, he contracted with the Windsor, Vermont firmof Robbins & Lawrence to manufacture his new breechloader. Thisventure continued until 1855.
Among the Sharps-designed firearms manufactured under thisassociation were the Model 1851 'Box Lock' Carbine, which featuredthe Maynard tape primer system, and the Model 1852 and Model 1853'Slanting Breech' Carbines, which were equipped with theSharps-patented pellet primer system as an integral part of itsbreech mechanism. Model 1853 Carbines were nicknamed 'Beecher'sBibles,' after noted New York clergyman and abolitionist Henry WardBeecher. Approximately 900 of these arms were shipped in heavycrates marked BIBLES for use by anti-slavery 'Free Soil' settlerswho were fighting against pro-slavery forces in 'Bleeding Kansas'during the 1850s. One of the most famous Free Soilers was JohnBrown, who later used 300 Model 1853 Carbines in his ill-fatedattempt to capture the U.S. Armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia in1859.
Christian Sharps served as technical advisor to the Sharps RifleManufacturing Company, receiving royalties on the manufacture oftheir firearms. His relationship with the company was a rocky one,and in 1853, Sharps severed all connections with the firm. There isno evidence that he ever had any further association with thecompany that continued to bear his name. In 1855, the Sharpscompany introduced the Model 1855 Carbine. These arms retained theslanting breech and buttstock patch boxes of earlier models, butfeatured the Maynard tape primer system. Approximately 800 .54caliber carbines were manufactured for the U.S. government, and anadditional 6,000 Model 1855s in .577 caliber were purchased byGreat Britain. While these carbines were in production, bothRobbins & Lawrence and Sharps suffered serious financiallosses. The latter corporation went bankrupt, and their operationswere taken over by Sharps and moved to Hartford.
The Sharps New Model 1859, introduced in that year, was availableas a carbine, and in round-barrel military rifle oroctagonal-barrel sporting rifle versions. Its straight-breechdesign is credited to Richard S. Lawrence, formerly of Robbins& Lawrence, who had become the superintendent of the SharpsRifle Company. This design, in conjunction with abreechblock-mounted plate capable of slight rearward movement whenunder pressure, created a moderately effective gas seal. New Model1859 arms also employed an improved version of the Sharps pelletprimer system which allowed the pellet feed mechanism to bedisengaged. Ordinary percussion caps could then be used, with thesupply of pellet primers held in reserve. Like earlier Sharpsdesigns, the Model 1859 fired a glazed linen combustible .52caliber cartridge. When closed, the breechblock sheared off therear of the cartridge, exposing the propellant.
During the Civil War, the Federal government bought over 80,000Sharps carbines and nearly 10,000 Sharps Rifles. These arms werehighly regarded by the troops who used them. Sharps Carbines foundfavor with Federal cavalry troopers, and New Model 1859 Rifles wereused with great success by famous infantry units such as ColonelHiram Berdan's U.S. Sharp Shooters, perhaps the first specialtytroops in the history of modern warfare, as well as the 5th NewYork (Duryea's Zouaves) and the 13th Pennsylvania Reserves(Bucktails). Even the Confederate government recognized thesuperiority of the New Model 1859 Carbine, contracting with theRichmond firm of S.C. Robinson for the production of 5,000 copies.The New Model 1859 was followed by the New Model 1863 and New Model1865 Carbines and Rifles. These were nearly identical to the NewModel 1859, differing primarily in barrel stampings, the omissionof buttstock patchboxes, and in the design or absence of bayonetlugs. Many versions of all three arms were later converted for usewith .50-70 and .52-70 caliber metallic cartridge ammunition in theyears following the Civil War. The New Model 1869 Carbine andRifle, available in .44-77, .50-70, and .60 calibers, were thefirst Sharps arms designed for use with metallic cartridges.
In 1874, the firm was reorganized as the Sharps Rifle Co., withoperations remaining in Hartford. In 1876, manufacturing was movedto Bridgeport, Connecticut, where it remained until 1881. Thisperiod saw the manufacture of some of the more notable of Sharpslo