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Sharps Model 1852 Saddle Ring

History of Sharp 1852 Saddle Rings

The

Sharps carbine was a classic mid-18th century single-shot rifle design that featured prominently on both sides of the American Civil War (1861-1865). The design was designed by gun designer Christian Sharps, who was employed by others before starting his own gun manufacturing business (founding the "Sharp Rifle Manufacturing Company" in Hartford, Connecticut) in 1851 people. In 1852, his Sharps Model 1852 Saddle Ring Carbine was introduced, a short gun suitable for cavalry and hand-to-hand combat.

The shortened length of the gun is a significant advantage over the full-length form.

Christian Sharps retained control of the design, providing marketing dollars and technical expertise, while partnering with Robbins & Lawrence to manufacture the carbine on a large scale. The Model 1852 is a traditionally arranged weapon system with a metal barrel in a solid wood stock, using only one strap. A large hammer is placed on the right side of the receiver, operated with the thumb of the master hand.

The gun relies on a shock cap to fire the primer, and the resulting force knocks the bullet down the barrel and out of the muzzle. The trigger is attached to the neck of the gun as usual, and a sturdy trigger guard doubles as a lever for access to the breech.

Despite its single-shot capability, the Model 1852 is a breech-loading firearm that surpasses comparable muzzle-loading types in effectiveness in the field.

The Sharps design quickly caught on in the market and began a line of like-minded firearms, the Sharps name still lives on from about 1850 to 1881. About 5,000 prototypes of the Type 1852 were built, hardly due to the inherently high manufacturing costs and general distrust of breech loaders by military authorities.

In use, they proved to be more accurate than front-loading rifles and had a higher rate of fire.

During the Civil War, live-fire carbines were very popular among the cavalry. Total production of the Sharp Carbine reached 90,000, well ahead of rival Spencer and Burnside designs.