I love the variety of these guns they outlived paper cartridges and made it to the brass cartridge era not alot of guns did that most just got replaced few bridged the gap thank you very much for all your videos
Every time I get interested in a new black powder firearm the first thing I look for is a Cap and Ball video detailing shooting this new to me firearm. I have not been disappointed yet! Thanks!
I have a friend that found one of these in almost. Mint condition an estate sale. Gave the lady $50. This rifle was in her husbands family. No rust and only a couple little nicks in the wood. His is a metal cartridge model.
That gun was made on what is now Capitol Avenue in Hartford, Ct. The factory later on was used to make Columbia bicycles, Pope EVs, and then the P&W Wasp aircraft engine. Alas, it was torn down in 1966 to make way for I-84.
Outstanding video. I have two repro Sharps paper ctg guns and one original 50-70 conversion. My grouping with the carbine did not improve until I started using a two handed grip, resting my forehand against the bag and holding the fore-end of the rifle. That eliminated the diagonal stringing I was getting. My 1863 Sporting rifle is heavy enough that it didn't matter. Wonderfully researched video. Kudos.
Outstanding. What a joy. Great information. I’ve been shooting black powder guns since before you were born. I learn a gold nugget of information from every video you make. They are each a treasure. My thanks.
Thank you for doing this video I have just entered the world of the percussion sharps patiently awaiting someone to have a mold in stock. Enjoyed seeing what these can do when they are running properly.
I have a wonderful Sharps Rifle with set trigger (cannot prove it was a Berdan SS rifle, but same configuration). Amazingly accurate for a 150 year old rifle.
Most of us shooting Sharps in competition use either paper or cardboard tubes least we squander the speed advantage afforded by eliminating the time needed to extract a brass casing. Great video keep them coming!
@@johnhiers9405 About double. Oddly enough it depends on the time of the season. Early when I'm holding and squeezing that tends to level the times a bit. If I get good enough I start to snap shoot, then the total time is more about the loading without a longer aiming cycle.
@@billsweeneybama2251 I said there's no need to extract a case. Some breechloaders such as the Maynard and Burnside used brass casings (Smith used rubber) that had to be withdrawn or extracted by hand which consumes time. The Sharps paper cartridge gets combusted when things go bang thus eliminating a step.
The good old Sharps M1863. This must have been one of the most popular rifles (actually carbines) in the US Civil War. I own a replica of it myself (converted to a Robinson or Richmond) and love shooting it on the range. The gun is very accurate for an original piece, but I am not sure I would put the full 60 grain of powder on such an old treasure. In any case, these are impressive pictures of the shot pattern at 30 and also 50 metres. An entertaining but in any case also very instructive video. Thanks for sharing, mate. Stay healthy and keep up the good work. Greetings from Cuxhaven on the German North Sea shore. 😎👍🏼🇭🇺✌🏼🇩🇪👍🏼🤠
Post Civi War the sharps got the record for longest confirmed kill shot of the 19th century. The Shot was made by Billy Dixon at the 2nd battle of adobe walls. Shot was made with a Sharps in .50-90 sharps. Distance 1,538-yard (1,406 m)
One thing which I really enjoy about your videos, you always appear to be having a great time shooting these old beasties. Thanks for another very pleasant and informative video.
I take a break from the the gun side of the internet then I wanna buy something cool and old so I come here and you always have a vid in it I sooo appreciate that, now I'm gonna binge watch everything new
That's a very good group for a 160 year old carbine. The sharps has always been a favourite of mine but I have never seen an original. Very cool to see one that has been cared for well enough that it is still in use today.
A wonderful video project on a beautiful rifle. I'm always amazed at the innovation of firearms between cap and ball to cartridges. I really enjoy the history provided on each weapon. Great work.
l live 1 mile from a Civil War battle ground fought here 4 different times on the same ground here in Cumberland Gap Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia....All three states meet here.....Thanks my friend excellent video as always...!
Love every episode! I have a collection of original muzzle loaders and early breechloaders with my faves including my Dreyse M1862, my 1845 Potsdam, and my Sharps carbine. Want to get a Maynard as my great, great grandfather carried one in the 2nd FL Cavalry.
I recently acquired an 1859 Sharps carbine built in Italy by IAB . It was imported by Sile. It came with a small box of factory made paper cartridges. The odd thing is the bullets look more like 54 caliber full wad-cutter bullets. I happen to have a mold in my collection very much like it. I am hoping to get an Eras Gone mold the next time they run a batch of them. It's going to be a lot of fun working up loads for this carbine. Thanks for all you do.
I’d much rather have Sharps thumb over Garand thumb 😉 Thank you for these wonderful videos, and the opportunity to time travel. This channel is one of my “go to” places for gun knowledge.
I am a grown up old man and remember when RWS caps were packaged in Shiny tinplated metal containers that you did not throw away because they could be repurposed to keep other things in, much like Altoid tins.
I have an original (authentic) Sharps percussion carbine conversion to .50-70 cartridge. The conversion was done by Sharps for the US military using specimens without too much wear. Loaded with a hollow pointed semi-wadcutter bullet it is a very serious and quite effective deer hunting carbine. I would suggest a re-crowning of your carbine muzzle and see if that improves the accuracy.
I think the barrel and the crown are not bad. I will try other bullets, and I am just working on the brass cartridges. I believe that will improve accuracy.
Thanks again for another outstanding video of the firearms of our Civil War here in the USA....l live here in Cumberland Gap Tennessee and the Gap changed sides 5 times during the Civil War...... Shoe🇺🇸
This was one of the greatest arms ever made. Did anybody remember that during the US Civil War, the Sharps remained very popular. Even after the introduction of the very iconic Spencer,, the Sharps was popular with both sides. And after the War also. Great video and I love the channel.
Looks as if the eyewear was getting fouled as well! That is black powder shooting. I find your content to be AMAZING in its historicity and in the details you typically include in every video. I am 76: when I was a boy, 'frontier' books featured Sharps rifles and their exploits of accuracy. Your video offers us so much MORE than was previously available. I have followed your work for the last few videos. It is TIME to CONTRIBUTE.
I'm the same age and I seem to remember that when I was a kid, you could order this carbine (or maybe it was the rolling block?) from an ad in the back of Popular Mechanics magazine for $25.00 plus postage. I think the firing pin was removed but otherwise in good condition. I thought about it but decided to save my money for a guitar instead!
Your work is very inspiring, and I hope for your continued success. Thanks to you, I am looking into getting some black powder firearms, to get a better appreciation of the history of firearms.
I just added a Sharps Carbine serial # C14429 to my Civil War cavalry arms collection. Have wanted to get a hold of one for quite a while and luckily just came across one in great condition at a good price. Really like you videos. Keep up the great work.
WONDERFUL!!!.....Great video on a wonderful carbine. I especially loved your comment on the Quigley rifle. C. Sharps Rifle Co. still builds rifles by hand in Montana.
i love your outlook on cap and ball weapons. thank you for your time and effort. great videos. very good information and entertaining to watch. may god keep you safe.
The Sharp's had an important role in the Civil War, but it also played a critical role in the pre war era, particularly in 'bloody Kansas' where it was the predominant weapon of choice of the anti-slavery settlers in the state. Abolitionist organizations in New England made a real effort to assure that European immigrants on their way to Kansas got a Sharp's rifle before they got there.
@@YakubibnEsau Senator Andrew Butler of South Carolina once demanded in the Senate that the government serve a writ of Habeas Corpus on all Sharp's rifles in the state of Kansas. :-) True. It's in the record.
I always thought the original paper cartridges were such that when you closed the breech, it tore off the back of the cartridge. I remember seeing a guy use one and the cartridges had a twisted paper end which tore off as he closed the breech. It is really amazing you have a shootable original there in Magyarország. The other carbine I remember having seen a lot of use was the Spencer but it used a rim fire metallic cartridge. As for your thumb bite, yep, that is the other reason the gun is called a 'Sharps"..... I got a chance to see a lot of weapons from the Civil War since my father's family lives near Gettysburg and I spent a lot of time in that area. I love your videos with these vintage rifles.
I loved the video..............great job. It certainly shows what an improvement the model 74 was. That sticky, dirty breech on the 63 must have been difficult to clean in the heat of battle.
A quick comment on your English, sir, if I may. I am an American, and attended college in Florida. Your English is better and clearer than some of my American class mates. I look forward to your next video whether or not it includes your Sharps. I had been wanting a Sharps, until I learned about the Smith carbine. I bought a reproduction Smith, first version with the sling swivels. I am now learning how to cast bullets.
I can imagine Union cavalrymen at Gettysburg on July 1st furiously spitting on their Sharps carbines and jacking the lever up and down to keeping firing. It’s not something I would have envisioned without this demonstration.
It's actually a myth that Brigadier General Buford's 9th Cavalry Division of only 9,000 troopers held off three, Confederate infantry Divisions in the preliminary battle just right before Gettysburg using SPENCER repeating cavalry carbines. It's true that the 9th held off three, Confederate divisions but they were using SHARPS cavalry carbines. While the Sharps advertised a possible fast firing rate of 9 to 12 shots per minute, the practical battlefield rate was six, maybe seven. The reason is that the Union trooper had to spend more time plucking out a copper percussion cap and seating it on the ignition nipple at the breach. This took at least three seconds for an experienced shooter. Then the trooper had to aim the carbine which took another two seconds or so. The whole process of pulling the trigger back to half-cock, lowering the breech block, retrieving a paper or linen cartridge, inserting it into the breech, levering up the breech again, pulling the trigger back to full cock, retrieving and seating a percussion cap, taking careful aim and firing took up at least ten seconds for an experienced shooter under combat conditions. But the advantage was that the shooter could use his Sharps carbine from a kneeling or prone concealed position, which meant less Union casualties and more men firing their carbines. Given that the practical battlefield combat firing rate was six rounds per minute, maybe seven, that is twice the practical three rounds for a muzzle-loading black gunpowder percussion musket rifle, standard at the time. The Union troopers were outshooting the Confederate infantry, two-to-one, and surviving more since the troopers did not have to stand in line formation but could take protected, semi-concealed positions. Artillery would be more dangerous to the Union troopers. In any event, the 9th Cavalry did hold off three Confederate infantry divisions, but at great cost. History records the 9th Cavalry Division was shattered and had to be withdrawn for reconstitution. But at least the 9th was not overrun and totally destroyed en masse as it would have been had its weapons been muzzle-loading musket rifles.
Thank you for a great video on the 1863 Sharps carbine. I have a Pedersoli 1859 percussion Sharps in .54 cal and love it! I make my own cartridges for this rifle but I modify the end of the cartridge which helps seal the breech to avoid gas leaks which can be a bit annoying.............but still fun. I have watch a lot of your historical firearm videos and they are great to watch and provide a lot of information. Thank you!
Excelente carabina sharps y gracias por mostrarnos una parte de la historia de esta arma sus componentes y el armado de los cartuchos hoy aprendí un poquito más. Saludos desde Argentina 🇦🇷🇦🇷👍👍👍
The closest I've come to shoot a sharps like action is a Martini Henry decades ago as well as a .56 Spencer carbine at the range. The owners graced me the privilege to shoot a round. I had .54 Hawken rifle I wish I still had now.
If the action becomes too fouled to function rapidly, pour a little water down the action/barrel from your canteen. If you're out of water, step behind a tree and improvise. This will loosen the fouling enough to get the gun running again and the heat of sustained firing will dry it enough to insure good ignition.
Beecher's Bibles - "He (Henry W. Beecher) believed that the Sharps Rifle was a truly moral agency, and that there was more moral power in one of those instruments, so far as the slaveholders of Kansas were concerned, than in a hundred Bibles. You might just as well. . . read the Bible to Buffaloes as to those fellows who follow Atchison and Stringfellow; but they have a supreme respect for the logic that is embodied in Sharp's rifle."
Love the Sharps, I have a repro Pedersolli 1874 Silhouette in .45/70. What’s not to like about that 32 inch octagonal barrel. I’m very drawn to single shot under lever rifles as I have three Ruger No 1s.
You can tell he really loves his 1852 Sharps carbine and he truly enjoys firing it. The enjoyment he gets is different than if he was shooting a modern, brass cartridge rifle or carbine. It's the fun of shooting an old-fashioned weapon and one which is genuinely an antique. I saw the October 1852 production date on the breech of his carbine. He must have paid good money for that genuine Sharps. For its time, the Sharps breechloader rifles and carbines were indeed revolutionary but that time was short. It proved to be an interim breechloading design awaiting the introduction of the true, metallic cartridge. The Prussians would introduce their Dreyse needle cartridge breechloader in time for the 1866 Austro-Prussian war and the 1870 Franco-Prussian War. The Dreyse and the French Chassepot breechloader cartridges did not need a separate percussion cap. Though effective, both were a step in the wrong direction. The unitary, metallic brass cartridge with a center-located integrated primer was the optimum solution and still remains so today, baring its replacement with caseless ammunition in the future.
I love my repro and it shoots great. Biggest problem now is finding caps that actually work. The CCI 4 wing will work but only if I prime the nipple first will a little powder.
I remember when I was a kid see one of them and a 10gauge shotgun I was more impressed with the shotgun funny still impressed by that shotgun. Have fun. Absolute dedication absolute loyalty+++
I don’t know how I missed this episode, but what a great video. A hat and a welders glove is always a must! Plus the long gloves feel like cavalry gloves 😂
I own an original Sharps rifle that is now a 50-70 caliber. I am not sure which model it originally was because it was at some point it was converted to brass cased ammunition. All the markings are the same as the rifle in the video and there is no patch box on the stock but any markings in the wood are no longer there. The serial number is C, 1279. The rifle is in operating condition but alas I have no brass to load for it, yet.
It gets a bit gummy after a few shots and it bites; sounds like a candidate for metallic cartridges and a feed mechanism. I would think that in the Civil War one would have to change out carbines often. Very nice exhibition and hair. At 16:02 that is a massive amount of gas blow back. At 20:59 and 21:49 one can see the bullets go into the target at one o'clock. Very good camera work! I wonder what the rifling looks like? Must say it was better than a muzzle loader when charging on a horse.
Seems to me it'd be less fiddling and potentially a lot faster if you reversed the process and used a hollow metal tube instead of the solid wood dowel. 33:00 Projected piece flush with the tube, wrap paper around both at the same time, add propeller compound, remove tube, then tissue paper over the open end. Or maybe a custom sized cigar rolling machine?
I love the variety of these guns they outlived paper cartridges and made it to the brass cartridge era not alot of guns did that most just got replaced few bridged the gap thank you very much for all your videos
Love to have one in 45-70.
You are genuinely one of the happiest youtubers I have ever seen, in every one of these videos you have a smile on your face, it's amazing
reloading makes one happy
That's a Sharp looking Carbine you got there.
I saw what you did there. You have a sharp whit.
The carbine is not the only thing looking sharp.
And I suppose that is why the users were known as 'Sharp(s)shooters!
a weapon of uncanny power and precision
Never a DULL moment in the comments.
{I will see myself to the door now...😉}
Cant agree more. I have a 45-110 Shiloh that i adore.
What a nice looking rifle. Love the videos and cheers to Hungary from Estonia.
I would still follow you if you did videos about squirrels. Cap&Squirrels now that has a good ring to it.
Hunting squirrels with a muzzle-loading squirrel rifle.
@@Hammerli280 Exactly.
Cap and Squirrel? How about Squirrel Caps?
Squirrels are tough with a rifle since they never stop moving and easily blend in.
@@657449 yeah, I agree with you on that one.
Every time I get interested in a new black powder firearm the first thing I look for is a Cap and Ball video detailing shooting this new to me firearm. I have not been disappointed yet! Thanks!
Because of you I'm getting into black powder firearms! Thank you Sir. Friend from South Africa
I have a friend that found one of these in almost. Mint condition an estate sale. Gave the lady $50. This rifle was in her husbands family. No rust and only a couple little nicks in the wood. His is a metal cartridge model.
A deal of the century if you ask me
Really glad that I found your channel back a couple years a go great content and because of that it got me to shooting black power guns recently.
Excellent. I like how you can clearly see the 30 meter hits start walking upward as the barrel heats up.
That gun was made on what is now Capitol Avenue in Hartford, Ct. The factory later on was used to make Columbia bicycles, Pope EVs, and then the P&W Wasp aircraft engine. Alas, it was torn down in 1966 to make way for I-84.
I don't know what's more impressive, the carbine or your accuracy with it. Great video.
Outstanding video. I have two repro Sharps paper ctg guns and one original 50-70 conversion. My grouping with the carbine did not improve until I started using a two handed grip, resting my forehand against the bag and holding the fore-end of the rifle. That eliminated the diagonal stringing I was getting. My 1863 Sporting rifle is heavy enough that it didn't matter. Wonderfully researched video. Kudos.
Outstanding. What a joy. Great information. I’ve been shooting black powder guns since before you were born. I learn a gold nugget of information from every video you make. They are each a treasure. My thanks.
Wonderful! Someone who keeps the history alive by doing and saying what they do for another generation!
5:35 I've never heard a bird like that, it sounds pretty
Great tit :) Common bird throughout Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia.
Dandelions flowers in the background, nice.
Thank you for doing this video I have just entered the world of the percussion sharps patiently awaiting someone to have a mold in stock. Enjoyed seeing what these can do when they are running properly.
My second favorite next to the Krag. Great video most enjoyable!
I have a wonderful Sharps Rifle with set trigger (cannot prove it was a Berdan SS rifle, but same configuration). Amazingly accurate for a 150 year old rifle.
Excellent video, very nice place and landscape, the birds singing. Regards from Argentina, South America!
Capandball doing these videos:
Aaahhh, the lovely smell of black powder.
Thank you for the squirrels. Very funny. I have an 1863 Springfield, I love it. Your channel and supplies keep her working well.
Most of us shooting Sharps in competition use either paper or cardboard tubes least we squander the speed advantage afforded by eliminating the time needed to extract a brass casing. Great video keep them coming!
So I’ve got to ask. How many rounds can you get out of a sharps in a minute? I’m assuming double or almost triple that of say an enfield musket?
@@johnhiers9405 About double. Oddly enough it depends on the time of the season. Early when I'm holding and squeezing that tends to level the times a bit. If I get good enough I start to snap shoot, then the total time is more about the loading without a longer aiming cycle.
What do you mean... there is an extractor
@@billsweeneybama2251 I said there's no need to extract a case. Some breechloaders such as the Maynard and Burnside used brass casings (Smith used rubber) that had to be withdrawn or extracted by hand which consumes time. The Sharps paper cartridge gets combusted when things go bang thus eliminating a step.
The good old Sharps M1863. This must have been one of the most popular rifles (actually carbines) in the US Civil War. I own a replica of it myself (converted to a Robinson or Richmond) and love shooting it on the range. The gun is very accurate for an original piece, but I am not sure I would put the full 60 grain of powder on such an old treasure. In any case, these are impressive pictures of the shot pattern at 30 and also 50 metres. An entertaining but in any case also very instructive video.
Thanks for sharing, mate.
Stay healthy and keep up the good work.
Greetings from Cuxhaven on the German North Sea shore.
😎👍🏼🇭🇺✌🏼🇩🇪👍🏼🤠
Absolutely beautiful firearm, really enjoyed watching you shoot it. Thanks for another wonderful video!
Post Civi War the sharps got the record for longest confirmed kill shot of the 19th century. The Shot was made by Billy Dixon at the 2nd battle of adobe walls. Shot was made with a Sharps in .50-90 sharps. Distance 1,538-yard (1,406 m)
Not a lot of gas leak! Your sharps is in beautiful shape! Wow I never saw the pellet primer actually functional for demo... Very nice
One thing which I really enjoy about your videos, you always appear to be having a great time shooting these old beasties. Thanks for another very pleasant and informative video.
Not only about shooting...but a history lesson as well. This is what I like about this channel. Bravo-Zulu C & B.
I found your channel and now I can't stop watching. I'm hooked to the beautiful, bright, Hungrish language
Once again a fantastic video. Thank you from Chancellorsville Virginia.
Another great video! And, a beautiful old war horse...good to see you putting it to use!
I take a break from the the gun side of the internet then I wanna buy something cool and old so I come here and you always have a vid in it I sooo appreciate that, now I'm gonna binge watch everything new
That's a very good group for a 160 year old carbine. The sharps has always been a favourite of mine but I have never seen an original. Very cool to see one that has been cared for well enough that it is still in use today.
A wonderful video project on a beautiful rifle. I'm always amazed at the innovation of firearms between cap and ball to cartridges. I really enjoy the history provided on each weapon. Great work.
l live 1 mile from a Civil War battle ground fought here 4 different times on the same ground here in Cumberland Gap Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia....All three states meet here.....Thanks my friend excellent video as always...!
As always your wit and wisdom make for informative and entertaining viewing.
Love every episode! I have a collection of original muzzle loaders and early breechloaders with my faves including my Dreyse M1862, my 1845 Potsdam, and my Sharps carbine. Want to get a Maynard as my great, great grandfather carried one in the 2nd FL Cavalry.
I recently acquired an 1859 Sharps carbine built in Italy by IAB . It was imported by Sile.
It came with a small box of factory made paper cartridges. The odd thing is the bullets look more like 54 caliber full wad-cutter bullets.
I happen to have a mold in my collection very much like it.
I am hoping to get an Eras Gone mold the next time they run a batch of them.
It's going to be a lot of fun working up loads for this carbine.
Thanks for all you do.
I’d much rather have Sharps thumb over Garand thumb 😉 Thank you for these wonderful videos, and the opportunity to time travel. This channel is one of my “go to” places for gun knowledge.
Excellent video, your research and history on this Sharps rifle is outstanding.
I am a grown up old man and remember when RWS caps were packaged in Shiny tinplated metal containers that you did not throw away because they could be repurposed to keep other things in, much like Altoid tins.
I also have a few of those in my gun cabinet!
Finally!! Been waiting, cracked a cold beer...
I just always enjoy your videos. And I must say t hat your English is very good. Thank you for tacking the time to do this.
Great stuff, as always!
Yes it finally arrived he’s talking about one of my favourite rifles.
I have an original (authentic) Sharps percussion carbine conversion to .50-70 cartridge. The conversion was done by Sharps for the US military using specimens without too much wear. Loaded with a hollow pointed semi-wadcutter bullet it is a very serious and quite effective deer hunting carbine. I would suggest a re-crowning of your carbine muzzle and see if that improves the accuracy.
I think the barrel and the crown are not bad. I will try other bullets, and I am just working on the brass cartridges. I believe that will improve accuracy.
Thanks again for another outstanding video of the firearms of our Civil War here in the USA....l live here in Cumberland Gap Tennessee and the Gap changed sides 5 times during the Civil War......
Shoe🇺🇸
I have a conversion to the.50-70 cartridge as used by the early Texas Rangers after the American Civil War. Wonderful video! Thank you.
That's what mine is, a carbine love it
This was one of the greatest arms ever made. Did anybody remember that during the US Civil War, the Sharps remained very popular. Even after the introduction of the very iconic Spencer,, the Sharps was popular with both sides. And after the War also. Great video and I love the channel.
No one here was alive during the us civil war. How could we remember that.
@@ojsefg by genetic memory? Passed life?
I have both the Spencer and sharps in carbine original and in great condition, my favorites
Great content as always!
Looks as if the eyewear was getting fouled as well! That is black powder shooting. I find your content to be AMAZING in its historicity and in the details you typically include in every video. I am 76: when I was a boy, 'frontier' books featured Sharps rifles and their exploits of accuracy. Your video offers us so much MORE than was previously available. I have followed your work for the last few videos. It is TIME to CONTRIBUTE.
I'm the same age and I seem to remember that when I was a kid, you could order this carbine (or maybe it was the rolling block?) from an ad in the back of Popular Mechanics magazine for $25.00 plus postage. I think the firing pin was removed but otherwise in good condition. I thought about it but decided to save my money for a guitar instead!
@dooleyfussle8634 same age and I own one, wouldn't sell it if I had to!!!
Your work is very inspiring, and I hope for your continued success. Thanks to you, I am looking into getting some black powder firearms, to get a better appreciation of the history of firearms.
I just added a Sharps Carbine serial # C14429 to my Civil War cavalry arms collection. Have wanted to get a hold of one for quite a while and luckily just came across one in great condition at a good price. Really like you videos. Keep up the great work.
Thank you for making this happen !
WONDERFUL!!!.....Great video on a wonderful carbine. I especially loved your comment on the Quigley rifle. C. Sharps Rifle Co. still builds rifles by hand in Montana.
i love your outlook on cap and ball weapons. thank you for your time and effort. great videos. very good information and entertaining to watch. may god keep you safe.
Super, danke wie immer ein klasse Video ❤
A great video and a great rifle with the history that is a pleasure to watch you shoot these rifles
That's a beautiful and deadly firearm! It passed all the way through the ballistic gel! Wow!
A buddy who owns a pawn shop got one in. Its been converted to a line throwing gun. They were sold that way out of the old Bannerman's catalog.
The Sharp's had an important role in the Civil War, but it also played a critical role in the pre war era, particularly in 'bloody Kansas' where it was the predominant weapon of choice of the anti-slavery settlers in the state. Abolitionist organizations in New England made a real effort to assure that European immigrants on their way to Kansas got a Sharp's rifle before they got there.
Good ole “Beecher’s Bibles!”
@@YakubibnEsau Senator Andrew Butler of South Carolina once demanded in the Senate that the government serve a writ of Habeas Corpus on all Sharp's rifles in the state of Kansas. :-) True. It's in the record.
I always thought the original paper cartridges were such that when you closed
the breech, it tore off the back of the cartridge. I remember seeing a guy use one and the
cartridges had a twisted paper end which tore off as he closed the breech.
It is really amazing you have a shootable original there in Magyarország.
The other carbine I remember having seen a lot of use was the Spencer
but it used a rim fire metallic cartridge. As for your thumb bite, yep, that is
the other reason the gun is called a 'Sharps"..... I got a chance
to see a lot of weapons from the Civil War since my father's family
lives near Gettysburg and I spent a lot of time in that area.
I love your videos with these vintage rifles.
I enjoy your videos they are to the point
Always enjoy watching your work. God Bless you and your work.
I loved the video..............great job. It certainly shows what an improvement the model 74 was. That sticky, dirty breech on the 63 must have been difficult to clean in the heat of battle.
A quick comment on your English, sir, if I may. I am an American, and attended college in Florida. Your English is better and clearer than some of my American class mates. I look forward to your next video whether or not it includes your Sharps. I had been wanting a Sharps, until I learned about the Smith carbine. I bought a reproduction Smith, first version with the sling swivels. I am now learning how to cast bullets.
Many thanks Douglas! The Smith is a very good construction. The rubber cases had a much better seal, than the Sharps breech.
I believe that you will find some very good videos on the Smith carbine on this very channel. This is the most awesome channel for these old firearms.
Great session of history lesson and shooting.
I enjoyed this very much, thank you.
I can imagine Union cavalrymen at Gettysburg on July 1st furiously spitting on their Sharps carbines and jacking the lever up and down to keeping firing. It’s not something I would have envisioned without this demonstration.
Excellent video! Thanks for the education on that beautiful firearm.
Love your videos! So relaxing and informative
It's actually a myth that Brigadier General Buford's 9th Cavalry Division of only 9,000 troopers held off three, Confederate infantry Divisions in the preliminary battle just right before Gettysburg using SPENCER repeating cavalry carbines. It's true that the 9th held off three, Confederate divisions but they were using SHARPS cavalry carbines. While the Sharps advertised a possible fast firing rate of 9 to 12 shots per minute, the practical battlefield rate was six, maybe seven. The reason is that the Union trooper had to spend more time plucking out a copper percussion cap and seating it on the ignition nipple at the breach. This took at least three seconds for an experienced shooter. Then the trooper had to aim the carbine which took another two seconds or so. The whole process of pulling the trigger back to half-cock, lowering the breech block, retrieving a paper or linen cartridge, inserting it into the breech, levering up the breech again, pulling the trigger back to full cock, retrieving and seating a percussion cap, taking careful aim and firing took up at least ten seconds for an experienced shooter under combat conditions. But the advantage was that the shooter could use his Sharps carbine from a kneeling or prone concealed position, which meant less Union casualties and more men firing their carbines. Given that the practical battlefield combat firing rate was six rounds per minute, maybe seven, that is twice the practical three rounds for a muzzle-loading black gunpowder percussion musket rifle, standard at the time. The Union troopers were outshooting the Confederate infantry, two-to-one, and surviving more since the troopers did not have to stand in line formation but could take protected, semi-concealed positions. Artillery would be more dangerous to the Union troopers.
In any event, the 9th Cavalry did hold off three Confederate infantry divisions, but at great cost. History records the 9th Cavalry Division was shattered and had to be withdrawn for reconstitution. But at least the 9th was not overrun and totally destroyed en masse as it would have been had its weapons been muzzle-loading musket rifles.
Üdvözlet! Az első mondat után gondolkodtam rajta hogy talán magyar lehetsz. Kiváló videó, csak így tovább!
Loved your presentation
Thank you for a great video on the 1863 Sharps carbine. I have a Pedersoli 1859 percussion Sharps in .54 cal and love it! I make my own cartridges for this rifle but I modify the end of the cartridge which helps seal the breech to avoid gas leaks which can be a bit annoying.............but still fun. I have watch a lot of your historical firearm videos and they are great to watch and provide a lot of information. Thank you!
Excelente carabina sharps y gracias por mostrarnos una parte de la historia de esta arma sus componentes y el armado de los cartuchos hoy aprendí un poquito más. Saludos desde Argentina 🇦🇷🇦🇷👍👍👍
Google Flees Sharps Breechblock. My sporting rifle was reworked with this system. No more gas leakage. Thirty shots, no cleaning
The closest I've come to shoot a sharps like action is a Martini Henry decades ago as well as a .56 Spencer carbine at the range. The owners graced me the privilege to shoot a round. I had .54 Hawken rifle I wish I still had now.
I had to laugh when you mentioned Quigley Down Under. The bucket shot scene always comes to mind. A 45-110 Sharps has been on my list for a long time.
If the action becomes too fouled to function rapidly, pour a little water down the action/barrel from your canteen. If you're out of water, step behind a tree and improvise. This will loosen the fouling enough to get the gun running again and the heat of sustained firing will dry it enough to insure good ignition.
:D
Beecher's Bibles - "He (Henry W. Beecher) believed that the Sharps Rifle was a truly moral agency, and that there was more moral power in one of those instruments, so far as the slaveholders of Kansas were concerned, than in a hundred Bibles. You might just as well. . . read the Bible to Buffaloes as to those fellows who follow Atchison and Stringfellow; but they have a supreme respect for the logic that is embodied in Sharp's rifle."
Love the Sharps, I have a repro Pedersolli 1874 Silhouette in .45/70. What’s not to like about that 32 inch octagonal barrel. I’m very drawn to single shot under lever rifles as I have three Ruger No 1s.
You can tell he really loves his 1852 Sharps carbine and he truly enjoys firing it. The enjoyment he gets is different than if he was shooting a modern, brass cartridge rifle or carbine. It's the fun of shooting an old-fashioned weapon and one which is genuinely an antique. I saw the October 1852 production date on the breech of his carbine. He must have paid good money for that genuine Sharps. For its time, the Sharps breechloader rifles and carbines were indeed revolutionary but that time was short. It proved to be an interim breechloading design awaiting the introduction of the true, metallic cartridge. The Prussians would introduce their Dreyse needle cartridge breechloader in time for the 1866 Austro-Prussian war and the 1870 Franco-Prussian War. The Dreyse and the French Chassepot breechloader cartridges did not need a separate percussion cap. Though effective, both were a step in the wrong direction. The unitary, metallic brass cartridge with a center-located integrated primer was the optimum solution and still remains so today, baring its replacement with caseless ammunition in the future.
Very nice rifle. Great video.
Не знал, что ручья 18-го века такие убойные. Спасибо за обзор.
Excellent. Must be a wonderful experience to shoot.
Nice!
The thought of having a hot cup of coffee while attacking your adversary is great. Sort of like the Brit's having 'tea time' at the front'.
I love my repro and it shoots great. Biggest problem now is finding caps that actually work. The CCI 4 wing will work but only if I prime the nipple first will a little powder.
It hit the gel pretty hard .
I like it .
With that 50gr load, I can watch the bullets fly.
I remember when I was a kid see one of them and a 10gauge shotgun I was more impressed with the shotgun funny still impressed by that shotgun. Have fun.
Absolute dedication absolute loyalty+++
I don’t know how I missed this episode, but what a great video. A hat and a welders glove is always a must! Plus the long gloves feel like cavalry gloves 😂
I own an original Sharps rifle that is now a 50-70 caliber. I am not sure which model it originally was because it was at some point it was converted to brass cased ammunition. All the markings are the same as the rifle in the video and there is no patch box on the stock but any markings in the wood are no longer there. The serial number is C, 1279. The rifle is in operating condition but alas I have no brass to load for it, yet.
You have all the birds chirping while you shoot.
After my 3rd shoot I am usually alone in the parts of the woods I shoot :-)
It gets a bit gummy after a few shots and it bites; sounds like a candidate for metallic cartridges and a feed mechanism. I would think that in the Civil War one would have to change out carbines often. Very nice exhibition and hair. At 16:02 that is a massive amount of gas blow back. At 20:59 and 21:49 one can see the bullets go into the target at one o'clock. Very good camera work! I wonder what the rifling looks like? Must say it was better than a muzzle loader when charging on a horse.
You should keep a can of ballistol nearby to prevent fouling and jams.
You got a new subscriber. Excellent.
Seems to me it'd be less fiddling and potentially a lot faster if you reversed the process and used a hollow metal tube instead of the solid wood dowel. 33:00 Projected piece flush with the tube, wrap paper around both at the same time, add propeller compound, remove tube, then tissue paper over the open end. Or maybe a custom sized cigar rolling machine?