October 30 - November 2, 2018 Firearms, Militaria, & Sporting
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/31/2018
This is a model 1859 Sharps rifle, with saber bayonet lug under the barrel. This gun falls in the low 40,000 serial number range of the June 4, 1861 Mitchell Contract US Navy purchased rifles of 1,500 guns. The guns were delivered by August of 1861. These rifles were subsequently issued to a number of US Naval vessels including the sloops Iroquois and Pensacola, the St. Lawrence and famous sloop Kearsarge. The Kearsarge was the American warship that sank the Confederate commerce raider Alabama off Cherbourg, France. The Alabama was commanded by the infamous Confederate Captain Rafael Semmes, known during the period as “Semmes the Pirate”. An additional 300 of these guns were sent to Cincinnati, OH for the use of the “Brown Water Navy”, the US gunboats operating on the Mississippi River. This gun is completely devoid of the standard US Army Ordnance Department inspectors marks as would be correct for a US Navy purchased weapon. CONDITION: Retains a pleasing patina overall with some minor areas of light pitting. Matching number under barrel. Fine mechanical function. Wood is very good showing some wear and handling marks, there is a gouge on the left side of the forend between the receiver and rear band, just down from the rear sight. Old repair to the toe of the stock. All markings are clear. There is a piece broken off of the nose cap and a crack in the forend because of it, done a long time ago. Chip out of the front of the comb of the stock. Bore has strong rifling with areas of light to moderate pitting. The rear sling swivel loop is a replacement.
Caliber/Bore
.52 Percussion