48 http://www.riflemagazine.com Rifle 305ation, formulated rules for Creed-
moor competition. One was that
rifles could not exceed 10 pounds
in weight, and another was that
rifles must have single triggers as
opposed to the popular double-set
types. And those triggers had to be
no lighter than 3 pounds.
In those first years, most if not
all Creedmoor competitors in
America used either Remington No.
1 “rolling blocks” or Sharps Model
1874s. Both companies called their
special long-range target models
Creedmoor. Most had lightweight,
full-octagonal or half-octagonal/
half-round barrels of 32 or 34
inches. Most Remingtons and early
Creedmoor Sharps were .44 caliber.
However, about 1876 the Sharps
Rifle Company introduced .45s with
case lengths of 2.400 inches and
2.600 inches specifically for tar-
get shooting. Rifles for those new
rounds were labeled Long Range
and came in four versions: No. 1,
No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4, with prices
in the same order being $125, $100,
$75 and $65. The differences in the
rifles were cosmetic in regard to
wood quality and finish, checkering
and straight grips stocks instead of
pistol-grip style for the lower two
grades. At the same time, a run-of-
the-mill Sharps Model 1874 Sport-
ing Rifle sold for about $35.
As with all shooting sports, avid
competitors immediately started
looking for an edge. Any factor re-
garding rifles, sights, ammunition
and shooting position was closelyexamined. Gaining even a single
point could mean the difference be-
tween winning and losing an event.
With that thought in mind, a
small group of Creedmoor rifle-
men led by New York gunsmith
C. E. Overbaugh began advising
the Sharps Rifle Company as to
changes needed to enhance the
Model 1874’s performance. Prime
among the complaints voiced by
Creedmoor shooters was that
Sharps barrels had to be too light
in order to meet the 10-pound rule.
A Sharps Model 1874 action is big
and likewise heavy. Overbaugh be-
gan trimming actions down and al-
tering the ’74’s substantial lockplate
and hammer. All this was an effort
to accommodate heavier barrels.
Sharps Rifle Company’s hier-
archy decided an entirely new
rifle would better satisfy Creed-
moor demands. It was named
Model 1877 and was truly a new
rifle, albeit functioning exactly as
its predecessor; the breechblock
is lowered by pulling the trigger
guard down, exposing the cham-
ber for loading. With a cartridge
chambered, the breechblock is
raised in reverse order, but the
hammer must be manually cocked
before shooting.
An interesting fact is that
despite the rivalry between Amer-
ican and British long-range rifle-
men, the Sharps Rifle Company
turned to England for help in
building its new target rifle. Bar-
rel blanks were imported but rifled
at the Sharps plant. Also bought
from England were very trim
lockplates and locks. Some shoot-
ers even called Model 1877s the
“ E n g l i s h S h a r p s .”
Model 1877s came in two vari-
ations, the No. 1 for $125 and the
No. 2 for $100. Both versions had
32- or 34-inch round barrels. Tar-
get sights were supplied for front
and rear. The fronts had a spirit
level and interchangeable inserts.
Tall Vernier-style rear sights were
attached at the action’s tang. No.
1 Model 1877s included a black
buffalo horn cap at the end of the
forearm while No. 2s simply had
a schnabel. Both versions had
checkering on the forearm andThis Shiloh Model 1877 Sharps is the
company’s No. 1 version as denoted by
the pistol grip-style buttstock.For hunting with his new Shiloh Model
1877 .45-70, Kirk Stovall equipped it
with a mid-range Soule-style Vernier
tang sight by Montana Vintage Arms.Shiloh
Model 1877