Rifle Magazine – July-August 2019

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buttstock. Still trying to avoid the
weight problem, buttplates were
hard rubber instead of steel. Fin-
ish was blue for the barrel and
color case hardening for the lock-
plate, lever, hammer and action.


Wood finish was oil or varnish.
Only two chambering options
were offered: .45 with 2.40-inch
case or .45 with 2.60-inch case.
If the total production of Sharps
Model 1874s seems paltry, con-

sider this: Only 46 Model 1877 No.
1s were produced, and 52 No. 2s.
(As the Sharps Rifle Company
was failing circa 1880, another 75
Model 1877s were assembled from
parts and given their own serial
number range of D1 through D75.
These were built as hunting rifles
chambered for the .40-70 Straight
and .45-70. All were sold to Denver
dealer J.P. Lower. Original Model
1877s are so rare that as avid as I
have been about Sharps rifles for
nearly 40 years, I’ve only had the
opportunity to hold an original
one time.)
Now let’s go back to Long Island,
New York, but almost 100 years
later. In 1976, Wolfgang Droege
formed a company named Shiloh
at Farmingdale, and its purpose
was to build new Sharps rifles.
In the beginning they were per-
cussion-style Model 1863s. Metal-
lic-cartridge-firing Model 1874s
quickly followed. As with most
small rifle manufacturers, Shiloh’s

July-August 2019 http://www.riflemagazine.com 49


.45-70 Handloads
velocity
bullet powder charge velocity spread comments
(grains) (grains) (fps) (fps)
560 Creedmoor Steve Brooks custom mould Swiss 1½ Fg 64.0 1,123 12 BPCR Silhouette load
Swiss FFFg 60.0 1,171 11 match grade load
405 Gov’t Lyman 427124 RN Swiss 1½ Fg 55.0 1,188 21 Gov’t carbine load duplication
405 Lyman 457193 FN A-5744 25.0* 1,247 66 hunting load
Factory load
405 Black Hills Cowboy FN 1,258 44 good hunting load
* Starline brass and Winchester Large Rifle primers
Notes: A Shiloh Model 1877 .45-70 with a 32-inch barrel was used to test all loads. All loads were chronographed at 6 feet. Winchester brass and CCI
Large Rifle Bench Rest primers were used except where noted. Five-shot groups were shot at 100 yards. Bullets cast by Mike were of 1:20 (tin-to-lead)
alloy, sized .458 inch and lubed with SPG.
For more data on this cartridge please visit LoadData.com.
Be Alert – Publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors in published load data. Listed loads are only valid in the test firearms used. Reduce initial powder charge by 10 percent and work up while
watching for pressure signs.

The side panels on 1877s shown here are vertical. On Model 1874s they tilt slightly
backward at the top.


Various grades of wood are available for
Model 1877s, including “extra fancy.”

With a reduced load equaling the U.S.
Government .45-55 Carbine load, the
new Model 1877 provided this 100-
yard group in 15- to 20-mph winds.

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