GUN SPRING 2016
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/14/2016
EXTREMELY RARE AND DESIRABLE SHARPS MODEL 1878 BORCHARDT EXPRESS RIFLE ONE OF ONLY THIRTY-ONE MADE. SHARPS BORCHARDT 16787 45 2 7/8 Cal. 45 2 7/8 straight. 30" medium-heavy oct bbl. Blue and case colored finish. Special design express rear sight with two leafs and platinum inserts. Long bead "Irish" patent front sight with ivory bead. Highly figured checkered American walnut stocks with pistol grip, steel pistol grip cap, and Sharps hard rubber buttplate with Sharps Rifle Co. logo. Sling swivel eyes on bbl and stock. Mounting hole on forend for palm rest. Pistol grip and forend are deeply coarse checkered in a diamond pattern. Stocks are finished with a high-gloss varnish. Bbl is serial numbered "16787" under the forend with three script inspector''s mark in front of lever spring mount. Bbl is marked on left flat "Cal. 45 2 7/8". Bbl is finely matted on top three flats with "Old Reliable" and Sharps Rifle Co. Bridgeport. Conn. on top flat. Sharps bbl address has small scroll finials engraved on either side. Front sight is also bordered on either side by scroll engraved finials. This rifle is accompanied by a letter from Dr. R.L. Moore stating that he could not find this rifle in the records and another letter from Angus Barker of the Monarch Tool Co., Stevensville, Montana concerning this rare rifle. CONDITION: Fine. Bbl retains 90% of the original matte blue finish with only a couple of slight dents and handling marks and very slight high point and muzzle wear. Bbl matting is fine. Sights are fine. Bore is excellent with clean chamber and very strong rifling. Receiver retains 20-30% case color finish under some stain overall. Lever is a smooth gray-brown patina with traces of case color in protected areas. Trigger and safety are a plum-brown patina. Some screws are slightly marred. Large screws at rear of receiver retain a considerable amount of bright blue. Breech block is also an even silver-gray patina. Stocks are fine with almost all original varnish remaining. There are numerous handling marks and dents overall and one filled repair to the comb of buttstock. Buttplate is fine with sharp checkering and a very sharp Sharps Rifle Co. logo. Pistol grip cap is blue-brown patina. Forend has sharp checkering with a few small handling marks. A opportunity to obtain one of the rarest and most collectible of all Sharps model 1878 Borchardt rifles. 49766-1 TEP (10,000-12,000)