Sharps Model 1855 Carbine
Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company · Carbine · Discontinued · 1855
Also known as: Sharps M1855 Carbine, Sharps Model 1855 Slant-Breech Carbine, British Contract Sharps 1855
Overview
The Sharps Model 1855 is a single-shot, breech-loading percussion carbine and the first Sharps pattern fitted with the Maynard patent automated tape priming system in place of the earlier Sharps pellet primer. Built on the distinctive slant-breech falling-block action designed by Christian Sharps, it loaded a linen or paper combustible cartridge from the breech, sheared open by the rising block. U.S. military examples were chambered in .52 caliber, while the large British contract guns were bored to .577 to match the P-1853 Enfield. Only about 6,796 Model 1855 carbines were produced, the great majority delivered to the British Army during the mid-1850s.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3600 g (127.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 953 mm (37.52") |
| Barrel Length | 546 mm (21.50") |
| Action Type | Falling Block |
| Firing Mechanism | Percussion |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Single Shot |
| Muzzle Velocity | 290 m/s (951 fps) |
| Effective Range | 180 m (197 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 460 m (503 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 9 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 1219 mm (47.99") |
| Number of Grooves | 3 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .52 Caliber Percussion · primary — also known as .52 cal, .52 caliber combustible cartridge, .52 paper cartridge
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Single Shot Breech Loading
- Features: Maynard Tape Primer, Slant Breech, Saddle Ring, Single Shot Breechloader, Paper Cartridge
Service history
Operators
- British Army · adopted 1856
- King's Dragoon Guards · adopted 1856
- United States Army · adopted 1856
- United States Navy · adopted 1856
Conflicts
- Indian Rebellion of 1857 (1857-1858)
- American Civil War (1861-1865)
Production
Estimated total produced: 6,796 · Production years: 1856-1858
Approximately 6,000 British military contract, 600 U.S. Army, 101 U.S. Navy and 95 commercial. Produced between May 1856 and 1858.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Christian Sharps
Discontinued: 1857
Notes
The Maynard tape primer proved unreliable in field service and was abandoned on later Sharps models in favor of the pellet primer and separate percussion caps. British contract guns were later re-barreled to nominally .55 caliber with a faster 1:48 twist.
Background
Adopted alongside the Springfield Model 1855, the gun shared the era's fashionable but troublesome Maynard tape primer, a roll of paper caps fed automatically over the nipple to speed loading. The system's poor weather resistance led both the U.S. and Sharps to revert to conventional percussion priming on later carbines.