Christian Sharps
Inventor
History of Connecticut industry...the border in Massachusetts, the Springfield Armory. Smith also patented a metallic rifle cartridge in 1854. Christian Sharps designed the Sharps breech-loading rifle which in 1854 began to be manufactured in Hartford by the Sharps Rifle... In this article: Connecticut, Samuel Colt, Simeon North, Francis A. Pratt, Eli Whitney, United States, War of 1812, and Civil War |
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Wikipedia | November 01, 2009
Sharps rifle
Sharps Rifles were those of a series that began with a design by Christian Sharps. Sharps rifles were renowned for long range and high accuracy in their day. Sharps's initial rifle was patented September 12, 1848 and manufactured by...
In this article: American Civil War, Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company, Sharps rifle, Derivative, Indian Wars, and Shiloh Rifle Manufacturing Company
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Christian Sharps
...Nippes & Co. at Mill Creek (Manayunk, Philadelphia County), Pennsylvania. Although the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company bore his name, Christian Sharps was not the company's principal owner. He left the firm, first to form C. Sharps and...
In this article: Hall rifle, Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company, Washington, New Jersey, Mill Creek, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and American Civil War
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Massachusetts Arms Company
...and Daniel Wesson, who later founded Smith and Wesson. It was an outgrowth of the Wesson Rifle Company. Christian Sharps, who later founded the Sharps Rifle Company, transferred the manufacture of his first rifle to the company in 1849 or...
In this article: Massachusetts Arms Company, Edward Maynard, Samuel Colt, Smith & Wesson, U.S. Civil War, Crimean War, and Horace Smith
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Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company
...as a holding company in Hartford, Connecticuton October 9, 1851 with $100,000 in capital. John C. Palmer was president, Christian Sharps an engineer, and Richard S. Lawrence as master armorer and superintendent. Samuel Robbins and Richard...
In this article: Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company, Windsor, VT., Sharps rifle, and Shiloh Rifle Manufacturing Company
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Pepper-box
...blade and knuckle-duster . The pepperboxes from this period disappeared with the demise of the pinfire cartridge. The Christian Sharps 4-barrel derringer was another pepperbox that survived into the late 19th century. Like contemporary...
In this article: Pepper-box, American Civil War, Samuel Colt, USA, Heckler & Koch, Smith and Wesson, and England
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Description from Wikipedia:
Christian Sharps, the inventor of the first successful breech loading rifle, was born in Washington, New Jersey in 1810. He married Sarah Elizabeth Chadwick of Mill Creek (Philadelphia), Pennsylvania. The couple had two children, a daughter Satella and son Leon Stewart.
Sharps was issued a patent for his design on 12 September 1848. He was awarded a total of fifteen firearms-related patents. Although not the first breech-loading rifle, Sharps' was the first to be widely accepted and, with the onset of the American Civil War, the first to be produced in large quantities. The Sharps, in a carbine version, was the most widely-used cavalry carbine by the Union Army. It was so successful that it was copied and manufactured by the Confederate government to arm its mounted troops. Sharps' designed firearms later saw extensive use in the American West as military and hunting weapons. They were also highly regarded as target rifles and were used extensively in international shooting competitions through the late 1800s.
Sharps began work as a youth when, it is believed, that he was an apprentice to a gunsmith in Washington, New Jersey. He then accepted a position at the Harpers Ferry Arsenal in the 1830s. While at Harpers Ferry, Sharps was introduced to the Hall rifle, an early breech-loader, and worked for its inventor, Captain John H. Hall. The Hall rifle was produced at Harpers Ferry. The deficiencies of the Hall rifle may have caused Sharps to adopt his new design. Sharps also became versed in the manufacture of weapons with fully interchangeable parts. The Sharps rifle was designed with a vertical dropping block action, operated by a lever which also served as a trigger guard. The action was not only strong but limited the release of gases when the gun was discharged. Sharps' first rifle, the Model 1849, was manufactured by A.S. Nippes & Co. at Mill Creek (Manayunk, Philadelphia County), Pennsylvania.
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