Sharps 1874, Would like some opinions + thoughts

X

XTGUN

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
142   0   0
Location
Thunder Bay, ON
Hello all!
I am currently 19 and have a fair collection of guns building. However I have imposed a moratorium on new purchases, and have decided to save up for something really nice. One of the options I have given myself is a repro of a Sharps 1874. I think it was maybe Hickok45 who spurred my interest, but has it ever been spurred! Also love the history and classic old west feel of them. I've seen many different options for the rifles on the internet.
Some things I looks for include:
-.45-70
-Double set triggers
-Tang sights
-octagon barrel 32 inch maybe? 34? the longer the better
-the partial pistol grip? on some models?
-case hardened receiver maybe?

Not %100 sure yet. Just been dreaming of them! I'll probably have to get into reloading too.
So far I've seen Pedersoli and Shilohs. What do you guys think of those companies? Are there others? How do the Pedersolis stand up in quality?
Any essentials to consider?
I will probably use it for mainly admiring, but getting out and shooting every once in a while. Maybe silhoutte shooting for fun? Idk.
What do you guys think of these rifles? What do you think of Pedersoli? Please share your experience, knowledge, pictures, and love of these rifles with me!!
Thanks!
 
I have the pedersoli quigly model with the 34" barrel. Quality is exceptional on it. Super accurate too. I was getting 3 shots touching at 100 yards. Now a shilo is the next step up. Personally I love my pedersoli but I would buy a shilo just because they are the best of the best. Hope this helps
 
I shoot a few Shilohs. I think they are probably the best single shot rifles made short of going to a top quality gunsmith and having a custom rifle built.

If I were going to build the perfect Sharps rifle for shooting silhouettes it'd be a .40-65 with a 30" heavy weight barrel with a pistol grip and MVA sights :). That or the same rifle in .45-70.

A longer weight barrel wouldn't make silhouette weight ( 12 lbs 2ounces ) unless it's a light weight barrel. A long range, or midrange, or scoped silhouette rifle can go heavier.

If you are not concerned with making weight of silhouette then there are a lot of ways you could go. I really like 32" heavy barrels on a #3 ( straight grip ) stock. Something in .45-90 or .45-110. :)

It's an obsession :)

Chris.
 
I have owned a Italian made percussion sharps. Can't recall the make as it was a while back. I just bought a Shiloh percussion off the EE a month ago and I'm very taken with it. The gun prefers the heavy Pedresoli bullet (54 caliber 565 grains I believe) and the chamber requires 110 grains of powder. Luckily I had some 1F squirreled away so recoil doesn't knock me into another postal code every time i fire it. I'm very impressed with this rifle. The fit and finish quality is superb as is the accuracy.

Cheers all. Steve.
 
I have a Shiloh Military rifle geared up for hunting as recommended by Mike Veniterino ,30barrel double set triggers, shotgun butt with checkered steel buttplate and a dovetailed front sight.Rifle is equipped with a tang rear sight and a beech front.With the lighter round barrel of the military rifle it makes for a bit lighter rifle for carrying while hunting.I ve had a standard Sporter and a business rifle and they can be a bit much to tote around if doing a bit of walking,but if your main interest is target then the heavy rifles are your best bet.
 
There is another manufacturer that is very good, if not better in one aspect ( recievers machined from solid steel, not cast as Shilo's are) than Shilo, that being C Sharps Co. also built at Big Timber Montana.
It has been my experience that both the above & Pedersoli (what I have at the moment ) will shoot equally as well. The best group I've ever shot with any 74 action (405 gr cast) is 13" at 500 yrds with the Pedersoli.

There are other Italion manuf. such as Armi San Marko, IAB, Armi Sport that are "budget priced" compared to the three mentioned above. Mostly, you would see them being used th as an "informal plinker/short range hunter".

With the Can/US dollar disadvantage we see now, the Pedersoli is probably an easier financial hurdle but a yr ago an entry level Shilo or C Sharps (still a very nice outfit) wasn't that much more than the best Italian offering .
 
I have a 1874 Garrett Sharps SRC in 50-70 that I picked up on the EE. I was amazed to see one for sale here, especially one with Frank's inspection cartouche.
They are the original Sharps copy and hold true to the originals more so than the reproductions out there.
Having handled C. Sharps and Shilohs at gun shows, I'll keep my Garrett.
The fit and finish are top rate and it is a joy to shoot.
Finding one is a long shot, but if you do find one, don't overlook it.
You want one with Frank Garrett's personal inspection cartouche on the left side of the stock. If that mark is missing it means the rifle was not passed by Garrett himself and is an inferior specimen...one that contributed to some of the bad press bestowed upon an otherwise top quality shootin iron.
 
untitled.jpg
 
I had a Pedersoli 1874 Long Range and it shot really well with it's heavy half-round 34" barrel. It was 45-90 and I just couldn't enjoy the recoil so sold it for that reason alone. I had no other complaints. Fit and finish on mine was excellent too. Good value for the cost.
 
I have one of those, but with the curved steel military butt. Didn't know how much more recoil would be felt at the time. No problem with the strap-on sissy pad though. Buddy bought a used Shiloh in 45-70, never even fired it, then sent it off to get it re-chambered to 45-120. No idea why, but he still hasn't shot it after 5 years.
 
NIf you don't know how to reload yet, don't bother getting into the single shots yet.

Pedersoli makes an excellent rolling block with DST, their sharps leave a little to be desired, and the 1874 is a fragile beast it breaks firing pins and lever tension springs. Shiloh sends you replacements for shipping cost, pedersoli will be out of your pocket.

Pistol grip sharps are more comfortable to shoot and easier to control. My own Shiloh is a LRE with 32 inch heavy barrel, semi fancy wood, shotgun but plate, pistol grip and cheek rest. It does not look very "western" but it's much much more comfortable to shoot prone then some of the "cooler" looking guns.

I recommend saving your money for a base model c sharps or a Shiloh even a used one as opposed to spending it on a fancy pedersoli. But if you haven't started serious reloading yet, take that up now before you buy a serious single shot rifle.

It's serious cash outlay, if you just want a buffalo gun to play with a pedersoli rolling block is a much more easily maintained, cost effective and just as accurate option.
 
I agree somewhat with hickstick, if you don't reload get a 45-70 (save your brass):p. Lots of variation of ammo on the market even though it's smokeless, however Goex sells loaded black powder cartridges, not sure if available in Canada. As for used Shilohs, good luck with that, might as well buy new. Keep an eye on Shiloh's website, they have off the racks often, no wait plus as Canadian no excise tax however there are import fees and GST. If you have your heart set on a 1874, well get a 1874. Wop guns, well if you have to, I guess:( YMMV.
 
I have the Pedersoli 1874 32" bbl, business model in 45-70 that I use for CAS side matches and Silhouette. The Silhouette shooting that I do is pistol caliber and big bore lever action. I alternate my Sharps with my Marlin 1895 GBL in 45-70. When i was questioned on the use of a Sharps for lever action Silhouette, I said that Tom Selleck said it was lever action in the movie, Quigley Down Under....They backed down and allowed it.
 
My rack holds a pair of Shiloh Military rifles and a pair of carbines, all in .50 calibre for ease of casting, etc. One of each is percussion, the others 50-70. The 50-70 MR has taken two large black bears for me and a nice 6 point Mule Deer, all with BP. Love the sling on a rifle for hunting.

My only '74 Sporter is a Business Model in 45-70. Had a nice '63 Sporter in .54, but couldn't handle the recoil with it's cavernous powder chamber. Still have some loaded rds for it if anyone needs ammo. Bullet is the 'Xmas Tree' attached to Charlie Hahn's tubes.

We wouldn't allow a drop block Sharps (or RB) into a big bore lever action event as it is NOT a repeater. Selleck's nomenclature was ill-informed. Different breed of cat.

The Shiloh's and C.Sharps rifles are hard to beat for quality, but the Peds have come a long way in the past few years. Knew a guy with a Garrett percussion Sharps once. He loved it. I've owned a C.Sharps '75 Business Rifle in 45-70 and it's one of those rifles I should have kept. A lot of the enjoyment of a Shiloh is purely pride of ownership. We spend a lot of time admiring and cleaning our rifles; probably more than actually shooting them unless you are a BPCR silhouette competitor.

My rifles are a mix of Farmingdales and Shilohs. The Farmingdales and the C.Sharps rifles are the only ones that bear the [OLD RELIABLE] logo on the barrel, if that matters to you. The Farmindales also have the 'Wolf's Head' logo indicating manufacture by Wolfgang Droegge, the founder. The [OLD RELIABLE] copyright went with C.Sharps when the split happened years ago. Oddly, the two companies are a few hundred blocks apart on the same street in Big Timber, Montana.

I agree with Hickstick on the '74 firing pins being prone to breakage. I've learned to have a spare or two. Also on the advantage of a pistol grip butt stock. Only way I can fully control my Business Rifle is when shooting prone from x-stix. In any other position I lose my grip on the stock.

I enjoy watching the Big Boys shooting their 45-110's and 45-120's pretending that they are having a good time. I'm not talking about 5-6 rds on a Sunday afternoon to impress the unitiated, but a 40+ rd silhouette match. There's a reason the BPCR Silhouette guys shoot 45-70's and 45-90's with less than the nominal powder charges.

I met a guy at the range while shooting my Business Rifle. He was shooting some nice 38-55's. He asked me if I knew anyone who wanted to buy a Shiloh 45-120. I referred him to guy that has to have the biggest and the best. I asked why he bought it in the first place. Answer - "I was younger then and it seemed like a good idea at the time." The guy that bought it from him has since flipped it.

I've been spending my day sizing and lubing around 500 .45-70 bullets I cast recently. Half way through and just taking a break ..... part of the joy of being a Sharps Shooter.
 
Last edited:
The reality is that you MUST reload if you intend to shoot BPCR - and you will be casting bullets too. Unless of course you have a good friend who will do it all for you.

Lyman makes good bullet molds but an excellent Cdn source is Boomer's Custom Bullet Molds in Regina. Leo Bumphrey is a super guy with a lifetime of experience and very helpful. Check out his website.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom