an old antique...

[ks farmboy]

i recently have run across a few antique firearms, with the coolest one (to me) being a C. Sharps Model 1859. Thats about all i know about it. It has a patent date of Sept. 12, 1848 and its serial number is 36###. There is one hammer on the right side. It is a "drop-block" design. I do not know the caliber or know how to find out what it is. I was told that it was found in a Civil War battlefield, and from the looks of it, i would say that to be correct. Anyone know any information on value/caliber/or who would have used it, I would appreciate it. I emailed the C. Sharps company and told them all of this and they emailed me back and said that they had no information for me. Any help would be appreciated.

[Jim Watson]

Post on the Shiloh board, folks there will discuss originals as well as repros. Pictures and a very full description are needed.
http://www.shilohrifle.com/forums/

An original 1859 Sharps is of .52 caliber for a paper cartridge. The top edge of the breechblock is sharp to cut open the end and expose it to primer flash. The guns were built with a primer pellet feed behind the hammer, but most were shot with ordinary percussion caps.
Many were converted to .50-70 cartridge after the Civil War.

[ks farmboy]

thanks jim!