Sharps New Model 1863
Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company · Rifle · Discontinued · 1863
Also known as: Sharps Model 1863, New Model 1863 Carbine, Sharps Saddle Ring Carbine
Overview
The Sharps New Model 1863 is a single-shot, breech-loading falling-block percussion carbine and rifle designed by Christian Sharps and produced by the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company of Hartford, Connecticut. Lowering the trigger-guard operating lever drops the vertical-sliding breechblock to expose the chamber, into which a .52-caliber paper or linen combustible cartridge is loaded; closing the breech shears the rear of the cartridge to expose the powder, which is ignited by the Lawrence pellet primer or a conventional percussion cap. A trained soldier could fire eight to ten aimed shots per minute and reload from the prone position, roughly three times the rate of a muzzle-loader. The most-produced of the Sharps New Model series, it was the standard breech-loading carbine of the United States Cavalry during the American Civil War.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3400 g (119.9 oz) |
| Overall Length | 994 mm (39.13") |
| Barrel Length | 559 mm (22.01") |
| Action Type | Falling Block |
| Firing Mechanism | Percussion |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Magazine Type | None |
| Muzzle Velocity | 380 m/s (1247 fps) |
| Effective Range | 366 m (400 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 800 m (875 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 9 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .52 Sharps Linen Cartridge · primary — also known as .52 caliber, .52 Sharps, .52 Sharps Paper Cartridge
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Single Shot
- Safety mechanisms: Self Locking Breechblock
- Features: Falling Block Breechblock, Trigger Guard Operating Lever, Lawrence Pellet Primer, Saddle Ring Carbine, Single Set Trigger Option
Variants
- Sharps New Model 1863 Rifle — Rifle
Service history
Operators
- United States Army · adopted 1863
- United States Cavalry · adopted 1863
- Berdan's Sharpshooters (1st and 2nd U.S. Sharpshooters) · adopted 1863
Conflicts
- American Civil War (1861-1865)
- American Indian Wars (1865-1891)
Production
Estimated total produced: 60,000 · Production years: 1863-1865
Over 60,000 New Model 1863 carbines were produced during the Civil War; the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company delivered roughly 80,000 carbines and over 9,000 rifles of the New Model period to the Union Army.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Christian Sharps
Discontinued: 1865
Notes
The New Model 1863 is mechanically nearly identical to the 1859 and 1865 models, distinguished mainly by markings and minor fittings; the carbine had a 22-inch barrel while the infantry rifle used a 30-inch barrel with three barrel bands and a bayonet lug. After the war many were converted to fire the .52-70 rimfire and .50-70 Government centerfire metallic cartridges.
Background
The Sharps was the carbine of the Union cavalryman and of Colonel Hiram Berdan's elite U.S. Sharpshooters, who used its accuracy and rapid breech-loading to harass Confederate officers and artillery crews from long range. The Sharps name endured into the 1870s as a byword for long-range accuracy through the .50-caliber buffalo rifles.