October 22-23, 2019 Extraordinary, Sporting & Collector Firearms
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/22/2019
Serial number 7180 is a pretty standard long range example. Made from October 1877 through May of 1880 with a total production of a mere 230 rifles. This rifle features the wood panels, ebony tip forend, plain English walnut, leather shotgun buttplate with no logo, "curl" pistol grip, full round 34" barrel, caliber .45 (not stamped but either 2.4 or 2.6"), tang sight base on frame and on rear of stock with both original bases, blue frame, single trigger, case color lever. Tang rear sight and globe adjustable front sight are replacements of high quality, probably Axtel sights. The barrel is stamped with the famous "Old Reliable" logo. The list price on this rifle was one hundred and twenty five dollars, a sizable investment at that time. The last recorded match in which this type rifle was used was in New Jersey in 1900 at Sea Girt. A near identical rifle is pictured on page 277 in the Sharps book by Sellers. CONDITION: The barrel is an even high percentage of blue with overall age freckling. The frame retains at least 90% original dulling blue. The lever is mostly patina with traces of original case colors. All legends are sharp. Stocks have some finish loss but checkering is still sharp and quite handsome. The barrel and fore-end are numbered to frame. Forend has small sliver of ebony tip missing on top left. The bore is shiny and crisp as is the action. Rare gun with great bore that would be one nice target rifle. Comes in a nice hard carry case. DB