Sharps · Rifle
Sharps-Borchardt Model 1878
Falling block · .45-70 Government · introduced 1878
Also known as Sharps Model 1878, Old Reliable Model 1878, Borchardt Sharps
About the Sharps-Borchardt Model 1878
The Sharps-Borchardt Model 1878 was the last single-shot rifle produced by the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company, based on Hugo Borchardt's 1877 hammerless falling-block patent. Unlike earlier Sharps rifles, it used an internal self-cocking striker and coil springs instead of an external hammer and flat springs, producing one of the strongest and fastest-locking actions of the 19th century. Offered in military, sporting, and long-range target configurations, it earned respect among Creedmoor competitors but sold poorly, and only about 8,700 were built before Sharps closed in 1881.
The Sharps-Borchardt was a commercial flop, but its designer Hugo Borchardt took the coil-spring action he perfected here and used it to build the C93, the world's first successful semi-automatic pistol and a direct ancestor of the Luger.
Sharps-Borchardt Model 1878 specifications
General
- Type
- Rifle
- Action
- Falling block
- Firing mechanism
- Striker-fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Calibres
- .45-70 Government
- Magazine capacity
- 1 rounds
- Magazine
- Internal
Dimensions
- Barrel length
- 813 mm (32.0 in)
- Overall length
- 1245 mm (49.0 in)
- Weight (empty)
- 4.08 kg (8.99 lb)
Barrel
- Rifling
- Right hand
- Grooves
- 6
Materials
- Barrel
- Steel
- Receiver / frame
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- blued
Performance
- Muzzle velocity (typical)
- 411 m/s (1348 fps)
- Muzzle energy (typical)
- 2210 J (1630 ft·lb)
- Effective range
- 500 m
History
- Introduced
- 1878
- Discontinued
- 1881
- Production status
- Out of production
- Country of origin
- US
- Designer
- Hugo Borchardt
Features
- Hammerless falling block action
- Internal coil springs
- Lever actuated breech
- Automatic extractor
- One of the strongest 19th century actions
Safety
- Sliding safety lock
- Self cocking striker
The military model was made only in .45-70 Government with a 32-inch round barrel. Hugo Borchardt later applied the same coil-spring expertise to the C93, the first commercially successful self-loading pistol.
