TITLE: Sharps New Model 1863 Rifle
MAKER: Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Co.
MADE IN: Hartford, CT
CALIBER: .52 Caliber
DATE: ca. 1871
DIMENSIONS: Barrel: 30 ½” Length:47” Height: 6 ½”
INSCRIPTION: Serial Number C46118 / Barrel: Sharps Rifle Manufg. CO. Hartford Conn. Butt Stock (right side): C. Sharps Pat. Sept. 12, 1848 (left side) R.S.LAWRENCE’ PAT / SEPT 12TH 1848 (right side). T.W.R. on barrel
CREDIT LINE: Guns from the Browning-Cowan Family
OBJECT ID: 986-12-021
Developed for the Sharps rifle in 1859, the Lawrence pellet primer system is an automatic spring-loaded magazine designed to mechanically feed primer discs to ignite the rifle in short succession. It was created to assist with rapid firing, making it possible to shoot from horseback; however its unreliability saw it phased out after 1863.
Lucrative contracts with the government spurred industry growth, with manufacturers capable of producing tens of thousands of arms each year.