Sharps Carbine
- Thread starter rimfireplinker
- Start date
You know - whenever I see damage like that I always wonder ~how~ what happened to that gun? Generally a broken tang means a broken stock or someone was trying to bend it for a custom stock.....
What I see is an original stock with a tang that fits better than the receiver - I suspect this was dropped HARD and has an armory repair/replacement stock.
Pop it apart and see if the tang has already been repaired (probably brazed is a period repair)
I'm not familiar with these guns but if possible check:
- if the stock is serialized to the receiver (or is that no longer possible?)
- is the bottom tang integral to the receiver or a separate part? ~ Has it been replaced as well?
Bottom tang is integral to the receiver .
fingers284
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That is an awesome little rifle my man, one that a lot of folks have lusted after over the years.
My take on the "does that tang need fixing" question is no I dont think so, it can be used just as it is and actually unless that break is very carefully fixed it will always be an eye sore fix.. Along time since I handled a Sharps action but am surmising that the bolt at the tang crack threads thru the bottom tang and that should sufficiently hold the stock in place for shooting the old girl...however, one caution, I nwouldnt let any part of my hand palm/webb sink into that crack when firing...there is an equal sized crack between the rear of the action frame and stock front so when that thing launched a 720 gr slug that action will slam back that far and if your skin is in the crack it will also close an equal amount of pinch distance. The bolt hole in the stock must have enough clearance to allow the stock to move that far apart but it wouldnt bother me a bit to fire that rifle.
as others have asked, it would be interesting if that old girl could talk and tell us how she got injured. i have a couple of theories...the I D experts seem to think the barrel has been replaced and she could have been dropped on the tang when disassembled for the barrel change or , also when barrel was being changed , the ham handed gunsmidt used the tangs as a torqueing site for a bar when tightening barrel & action and it snapped at the weakest point.
My take on the "does that tang need fixing" question is no I dont think so, it can be used just as it is and actually unless that break is very carefully fixed it will always be an eye sore fix.. Along time since I handled a Sharps action but am surmising that the bolt at the tang crack threads thru the bottom tang and that should sufficiently hold the stock in place for shooting the old girl...however, one caution, I nwouldnt let any part of my hand palm/webb sink into that crack when firing...there is an equal sized crack between the rear of the action frame and stock front so when that thing launched a 720 gr slug that action will slam back that far and if your skin is in the crack it will also close an equal amount of pinch distance. The bolt hole in the stock must have enough clearance to allow the stock to move that far apart but it wouldnt bother me a bit to fire that rifle.
as others have asked, it would be interesting if that old girl could talk and tell us how she got injured. i have a couple of theories...the I D experts seem to think the barrel has been replaced and she could have been dropped on the tang when disassembled for the barrel change or , also when barrel was being changed , the ham handed gunsmidt used the tangs as a torqueing site for a bar when tightening barrel & action and it snapped at the weakest point.
No, that can be fixed invisibly - the only indication that something was done would be the missing serial. It's already an eyesore sooooo....
As for shooting - you can see the action is dipping forward in the stock - possibly the bottom tang is bent or damaged as well (or it's just drooping - is it loose??) shooting is gonna put some additional stress on the bottom tang.... it's possibly fine(ish) but I would be hesitant, get it apart and look for additional damage first.
Shooting it with the broken tang would be a bad idea. The interface between the receiver and stock is compromised, and recoil could do additional damage.
Vintage firearms turn up with broken tangs. First class repairs can be challenging - depends on what the receiver is made from. Receivers may be made from cast malleable iron, iron forgings or steel forgings. I suspect the Sharps receiver would be a machined iron forging. Before any decision is made, the material used in the receiver would have to be accurately identified.
Brazed repairs look like crap. A welded repair, performed by a skilled welder might be invisible when finished. Some refinishing would be necessary. The heat involved with fusion welding of the tang is not going to affect the rest of the receiver - heat can be localized. Assuming the receiver is weldable.
If it is going to be repaired, a search for a skilled, experienced gunsmith would be in order.
Vintage firearms turn up with broken tangs. First class repairs can be challenging - depends on what the receiver is made from. Receivers may be made from cast malleable iron, iron forgings or steel forgings. I suspect the Sharps receiver would be a machined iron forging. Before any decision is made, the material used in the receiver would have to be accurately identified.
Brazed repairs look like crap. A welded repair, performed by a skilled welder might be invisible when finished. Some refinishing would be necessary. The heat involved with fusion welding of the tang is not going to affect the rest of the receiver - heat can be localized. Assuming the receiver is weldable.
If it is going to be repaired, a search for a skilled, experienced gunsmith would be in order.
Disagree, a brazed repair will be obvious, but if well done will look fine (unless that little bronze line looks crappy
).Agree, and I think you know the problem with welding it is that there is so little material around the bolt hole that a welder with middling experience is gonna wind up slagging it!
I've found it's usually better to weld over the hole completely and drill a new one, if you don't, you wind up having to clean up the hole anyway......
I've had to do (had my friend do that is...) a couple of Winchester receivers and several trigger guards... not a big deal. This one looks tricky as that rear bold hole can't move. (through expansion/contraction, poor setup)
Don't know if you can find a gunsmith at all let alone one that has any welding talent they are not mutually inclusive - don't know, can't speak to the odds.
One thing I would do before attempting a repair is remove the tang and look at both sides of the break for metal crystallization.This happens sometimes when metal gets old and could be the cause of the break but I suspect some type of abuse or accident
Not that this would be appropriate for the Sharps, but I have repaired broken tangs on post '64 Winchesters by silver soldering a plate on the bottom of the tang, spanning the break. The crack is silver brazed, and the plate really reinforces the repair.
