History
Christian Sharps (1810 - 1874), patented his rifle in 1848. The first contract for 5,000 rifles was in 1850 and manufacturing started in 1851. The Model 1851 "box-lock" was developed Christian Sharps, Rollin White, and Richard Lawrence at Robbins & Lawrence of Windsor, VT.
The second contract for 15,000 rifles was so large that no suitable land was available in Windsor, VT. The holding company advanced Robbins & Lawrence $40,000 to purchase 25 acres (100,000 m2) of land in Hartford, CT and to erect a brick factory building.
Christian Sharps left the Company in 1853. He later formed a partnership with William Hankins in 1862, known as Sharps & Hankins. In 1855, manufacturing was moved to Hartford and continued until 1876. Operations were then moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut.
In 1872, Sharps introduced the .50-90 Sharps hunting cartridge. Hugo Borchardt designed the last rifle made by the company, the Sharps-Borchardt Model 1878. The Sharps Rifle Co. closed down in 1881.
Reproductions of the paper cartridge Sharps 1863 Rifle, the metallic cartridge 1874 Sharps Rifle, and Sharps-Borchardt Model 1878 are manufactured today. They are used in hunting and target shooting. A number of companies, among them Shiloh Rifle Manufacturing Company and C. Sharps Arms Inc., both of Big Timber, Montana, and the Italian gunmaker Davide Pedersoli & Co. of Brescia, offer a line of Sharps reproductions.
| Production | Sharps Model | Type | Caliber |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1849 to 1850 | Model 1849 | Rifle | 0.44 |
| 1850 to 1850 | Model 1850 | Rifle | 0.44 |
| 1852 to 1855 | Model 1851 | Carbine | .36, .44, .52 |
| 1853 to 1855 | Model 1852 | Rifle | 0.52 |
| 1853 to 1855 | Model 1852 | Carbine | 0.52 |
| 1853 to 1855 | Model 1852 | Shotgun | Various |
| 1854 to 1857 | Model 1853 | Carbine | Various |
| 1856 to 1857 | Model 1855 | 0.52 | |
| 1856 to 1857 | Model 1855 | U.S. Navy Rifle | 0.52 |
| 1855 to 1857 | Model 1855 | British Carbine | 0.52 |
| 1859 to 1866 | Model 1859 | Carbine | 0.52 |
| 1859 to 1866 | Model 1863 | Carbine | 0.52 |
| 1859 to 1866 | Model 1865 | Carbine | 0.52 |
| 1859 to 1866 | Model 1859 | Rifle | 0.52 |
| 1869 to 1871 | Model 1869 | Carbine | 0.52 |
| 1869 to 1871 | Model 1869 | Military Rifle | 0.50-70 |
| 1869 to 1871 | Model 1869 | Sporting Rifle | .44-77, .50-70 |
| 1871 to 1881 | Model 1874 | Various | |
| 1877 to 1878 | Model 1877 | 0.45 | |
| 1878 to 1881 | Model 1878 | Various |
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