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KirkD's range reports have inspired me to add one of my own.
While I primarily am interested in antique Winchesters, I do enjoy all American antique rifles, especially in shooting them.
I recently picked up an original Sharps Model 1874 Business rifle that left the factory in 1876. It was shipped out west and from there to parts unknown. It is possible it participated in the tail end of the Buffalo hunt but that has been lost to history.
What made this rifle expecially interesting to me however is that the condition of the bore is near perfect. Whoever owned this rifle carefully cleaned it after each use. While the outside shows considerable wear, the bore is beautiful.
After a little load development, I have been able to get the old rifle to produce groups like this 5 shot group below.
A couple of weeks ago, my son and I had this old rifle out at the silhouette range and were able to bounce bullets off the Buffalo silhouette at a measured 560 yards with boring regularity. These old guns were made right and will still perform.
Thank you for that fine report and the photos. I love these rifles, and though I don't own an original, I still get a thrill out of hunting with my Shiloh and black powder cartridges.
Excellent! Nice rifle and thanks for the pictures. You make me envious. I've got a Shiloh and I've yet to develop a load for it with the holy black. I've got to get serious.
Great rifle you've got there sir.. Thanks for posting... Great group too...When you shoot groups ...do you blow tube between shots...wipe the bore between shots.. shoot five then clean..
Thanks for sharing
I for one am not all that surprised that the bore is mint because in them days they fully understood the importance of using natural lubes such as animal fats and veg oils. They season the bore and keep the fouling in suspension and seperated from oxygen.
Folks today have just reached for a can that says gun oil on it and introduced mineral oil which reacts with BP fouling to create corrosion. Resulting in tales of woe for using BP.
Old shotgun barrels that have used BP tend to be pitted because mainly there is no lube in the loaded cartridge and the bore therefore was never seasoned. In other words, had it been standard practice to grease BP shot shells a good many old shot gun barrels would still be mint.
Just me rambling
Nice gun and nice shooting
Nath.
Thanks all for the kind words about this fine old rifle.
Load development for this original gun was fairly easy. The Lyman bullet I use, though a modern mould, is a copy of the original government bullet that has been around since the early Trapdoor Springfield days. This gun liked this bullet, sized at .458â€
3855, I would love to see more pics of your old Sharps. I have an old 71/84 Mauser that I love from 1888 and it has more character and good looks than almost any gun I own. So, I would love to see more pics of yours! What a fine old rifle!
Here's a couple more pictures regarding this Model 1874 Sharps Business rifle. The first picture is of our informal Blackpowder Silhouette range on a friend's ranch. I circled the silhouettes in red with a photoshop program. The furthest red circled target is a full sized steel buffalo silhouette at a measured 1000 yards. Once you get dialed in, it is not ususal to hit this silhouette time after time. It is surprising what can be done with quality sights and carefully loaded blackpowder ammo.
The fourth circled target from the rear is another buffalo silhouette just short of 600 yards. These are great fun to shoot at. The last time out, the Business rifle went 10 hits for 10 shots on the 600 yard buffalo once the sights were dialed in. Not bad for a 132 year old rifle.
Below is a picture of my son touching off the old Sharps. Another hit. This picture was taken a few weeks later into this last spring and snow was beginning to disappear.
Finally, another picture taken today in the bright sunshine. I fine old rifle that is a joy to own.
fine rifle, fine shooting, fine writing! thank you. that is one of the most desirable rifles i have ever seen here.
an acquaintance up here years ago used his 44/77 original [ if i recall correctly] to take a full curl sheep at approx 327 yards. that greatly outclasses getting a sheep with a scoped bolt action doesn't it?!
Great range report and pictures!!! 
