Question on Sharps from Nepal cache

[Steve Weems]

I was curious if the Sharps 1853 Type carbines had ben submitted for NSSA approval. While I give NO credence to these being Confederate manufacture I would be curious if the dimensions conform to actual Sharps productions. If not submitted to the NSSA maybe some of the members examined one.

[Southron Sr.]

About 10 years ago I spent several months, off and on, going thru all the records of the Georgia Adjutant General's office in the Georgia State Archives. NO 1853 SHARPS WERE EVER MANUFACTURED IN GEORGIA BEFORE, DURING OR AFTER THE CIVIL WAR.

Just before the war, Georgia purchased 1,500 New Model 1859 Sharps Carbines directly from the Sharps Company.

Robbins & Lawrence of Windsor, Vermont did manufacture a large number of 1853 Sharps Carbines under British contract.
Many of these carbines were issued to British Cavalry units in India. The main complaint troopers had about these '53 Carbines was that they leaked gas so badly at the breech, the gas blowback often set the trooper's right sleeve on FIRE!

Therefore. those Nepal Sharps Rifles were probably made in Nepal.

If you do buy one, I recommend you wear an asbestos glove and sleeve when shooting it!

[John Holland]

Steve - To answer your question very simply, no example has been submitted to the Small Arms Committee for review.

[Steve Weems]

I have watched the YouTube video of an original 1853 Sharps being fired and the gas eruption fireball is hilarious- of course I am not the one pulling the trigger. I am confident the talented gunsmiths serving the NSSA community could fix the gas seal problem. Seeing the 1853 breech blocks at Lodgewood made me curious as to them being put into shootable condition.

[John Holland]

Steve - There was a reason Sharps quit using that breech system! I have fired the original Slant Breech models, and my advice is "You really don't want to do that"!

[Steve Weems]

Steve - There was a reason Sharps quit using that breech system! I have fired the original Slant Breech models, and my advice is "You really don't want to do that"!

John? in my younger very foolish days I would ignore older wiser advice and paid the price? I Will not ignore the above advice! Keep Safe?-Steve

[Steve Weems]

Have no idea why those ? Keep showing up?- Steve

[mgmradio]

I recently shot some slow motion videos of a friend firing a number of slant breach Sharps, and there was very little if any blow by from the breach, usually on the first shot.
If the Bouch and the breach block are in good shape and properly aligned they work surprisingly well. The key is to have a flat face on the Bouch and 0.001-0.002" clearance and the Bouch has to be the same angle as the breach block.

[Dave Fox]

Perhaps six years ago I espied a Nepal-sourced slant breech Sharps-like carbine for sale in the $500+ price range(!) at a big Louisville gun show. It lacked the sling bar but was otherwise in (surprisingly) good shape, not abused, not rusty, tight, with a strong rifled bore. Thought a shooting buddy would be interested and, after a telephone call, I bought it for him. He restored the sling bar. I've been with him on several shooting outings. It does not leak an inordinate amount of gas and is reasonably accurate. Don't know if I'd want to flog it through a series of carbine matches, but it does a fine job filling a hole in my buddy's firearms accumulation.

[Steve Weems]

I recently saw a guy on the Sharps Rifle Forum on Facebook test fire two Nepal Slant Breech?s? one a carbine and the other the 3 band rifle. The gas leakage on the rifle was impressive but the carbine looked normal. Entertaining video. I think the only reasonable conclusion on these is they are purely of Nepal construction. I bit the bullet and acquired a copy of Vol.1 of the Sharps Firearms percussion Era book to further my knowledge of the pre cartridge era Sharps.