A most handsome weapon, this possible Berdan sharpshooter-used longarm is a Civil War Model 1859 Sharps rifle made by the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company of Hartford, Connecticut, circa 1859 to 1862.  The straight-breech rifle is a .52 caliber percussion breechloader and features a double-set trigger system matched to a 30” long steel, unblued barrel, sans the bayonet lug. As a matter of note, two thousand Sharps rifles were contracted for use with Colonel Hiram Berdan’s army sharpshooters. Though double set triggers are commonly associated with Berdan’s men, most of the rifles in that batch (1,500) issued to Berdan were without the double triggers and the special barrel finish.  US Army contracts for the New Model 1859 Rifle also included a number of design variations including 1,020 pieces that were equipped with a 30” barrel and no bayo lug, as this rifle specimen exhibits. Straight breech models were the most common type of Sharps rifles / carbines in production and were a definite improvement over the earlier slant breech versions. The production numbers for this model Sharps rifle is almost 7,000 rifles in the serial range of #36,000 through #57,000.

Weapon’s serial # 56664 is located to the rear of the top tang on the action assembly.  Rifle measures 47” long overall and features a 30” long round barrel mated to a black walnut stock.  Stock features an iron patchbox and a full forend stock that is secured to the barrel with three-barrel bands with bottom springs.  Iron sling swivels are located on the middle barrel band and on the toe of the stock.   Walnut stock is dark and pleasing with has its share of slight dings, dents and depressions.  No government cartouches are visible. Specimen retains no traces of its original colors. All stampings on the weapon are visible and clear with some thinning on the barrel address. A very fine representative New Model 1859 Sharps Rifle with possible Berdan sharpshooter usage.

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