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Sharps Model 1874 Sporting Rifle
Denton Van Zan
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There is a photo of this in the book 'Sharps Firearms. by Frank Sellers', on page 239.

It is shown with a telescopic sight -

'(Sharps) Model 1874 Sporting Rifle, with several features that are unusual for such an early gun. It has a 'rifle butt' with the heavy Schuetzen Style buttplate and a cheekpiece on the left side. The full-length telescope is also unusual for this period.'

This is the only photo on the net that I've found similar in appearance, to give an idea of its design -

http://www.imfdb.org/images/3/3e/TOJWSharpsSniper-1.jpg

Has anyone seen or handled this type of scoped weapon ?

Additionally, for my own reference, if this firearm was used at Isandlwana, located, say, on top of Black's Koppie, what sort of reach would a shot have on the battlefield out to the East, as its furthest, most accurate distance ?

Thanks in advance

C.J.
Sawubona


Joined: 09 Nov 2005
Posts: 1179
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C.J., Are you familiar with the Creedmoor Matches? They were long range international matches held outside of New York City beginning in 1873 and their popularity spawned quite a collection of specialized long range target rifles, particularly in the .45/90 and .45/100 calibers (the first number is the caliber of the bore and the second is the number of grains of black powder in the charge- FYI, a Martini would be called a ".45/85" in this system, so you can see that the MH is a pretty powerful rifle).

The target at the early Creedmoor Matches was six feet high and twelve feet wide with a round bullseye of 36". Yeah, that is a pretty big target, but the ranges were 800, 900, and 1000 yards (which is of course more than half a mile), only iron sights were permitted, and no artificial rests were allowed.

I wouldn't be surprised to hear that a reasonably competent marksmen armed with your rifle on a rest could hit a man sized target more often than not at 1000 yards. The sights on all military rifles of the Victorian period are pretty optimistic with their longest range markings, but they're rugged and reliable. I'd hate to depend on the accuracy of that scope on the Sharps after I carted it through the dust of half of South Africa and dumped it in a few good sized rivers.
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Denton Van Zan
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Sawubona

Thanks for your reply.

I'll need to check the distances in yards of all the Isandlwana battlefield.

As for your last sentence, I'm sure the owner would take the necessary precautions to protect this high-quality weapon and telescopic sight.

C.J.
Sharps Model 1874 Sporting Rifle
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