BLACK POWDER
That rawhide wrap over a stock repair is a recent addition to author Mike Nesbitt’s most treasured Sharps, a Semi Custom Classic Hartford Sporting Rifle from C. Sharps Arms.
ORIGINAL, RIGHT DOWN TO ITS TWICE-REPAIRED STOCK A black powder cartridge shooter's well-used Sharps has its own identity, making it all the more authentic. STORY AND PHOTOS BY MIKE NESBITT
W
henever I’m asked what my favorite Sharps rifle is, my reply is always the same: the Semi Custom Classic Hartford Sporting Rifle by C. Sharps Arms. This rifle has been my
favorite for several years and I’ve done many things with it. It’s in .44-77 caliber with a 28-inch No. 1 Heavy barrel, complete with Hartford collar. Along with using this rifle in matches, I also enjoy surrounding it with some almost period-correct items that might be reflective of the buffalo hunting era. Authenticity played a big part in
helping me choose between the steel or the brass crescent butt plates. Both are good, certainly, as well as being equally attractive, but most of the original Sharps rifles fitted with the “rifle” butt plates received brass. Often those brass butt plates were nickelplated. And along with the brass butt plate, I requested brass escutcheons americanshootingjournal.com 91
