For comparison, Parker Shotgun records are owned by the Parker Collectors club. Factory letter is 100 dollars, 40 if you are a club member. This seems to be about normal charge for other makes. Parker club web site tells you if factory information is available no charge

Considering how values are enhanced with factory information it's a bargain. It the subject 1885 was shipped with a 26 inch barrel letter would be well worth having.  If it's been cut no sense in paying the fee, best convert it to suit your needs.

Boats

Among my many regrets involving guns I have owed is having an 1885 38-55 in excellent condition drilled and tapped for scope blocks. Hard as it is to believe, I never even fired the rifle before selling it. Talk about stupid.

I have called Dr. Labowski in the past and he has been nice enough to furnish me with info about a couple of original Sharps rifles over the phone no charge.

Steve 

40_Rod wrote on Jan 23^rd, 2014 at 8:38am:


Why do I need the paper if the pertinent information is available as indicated in the preceding post?  Anyone who can afford the price of an original Sharps will probably not be troubled by the cost of the letter.

When I was a member, it was $35 for a paper letter and 50 e-mail info requests per year at no cost. $65 for non-members and no on-line research info. Now that membership is up to $250/yr that is out of my price range. Non-member letters are $70, pre-paid. Here is a link to their fee schedule:
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

Redsetter
I measured and the sight is cut 7/8" from the muzzle so I'm guessing the barrel was cut a 100 years ago.
The rifle is still in otherwise too good of shape for me to monkey with due to its age. I'm going to install a Rocky Mountain style front sight and enjoy the old rifle as it is.
thanks for all the helpful input.

BP wrote on Jan 24^th, 2014 at 4:22am:


A more direct scam is simply to "manufacture" a higher-grade gun with new parts, such as barrel & wood, & during the '80s & '90s I was well acquainted with a master gunsmith doing such work, mainly on Winchester levers.  The guns to be faked were provided by a dealer (now deceased), who sold them at shows in the NE, as often as not to other dealers, so by the time the gun reached the "collector," it might have passed through 2 or more hands.  At one big show I once saw 4 or 5 of these faked guns at high prices on the tables of several different dealers.

Usual fakery consisted of a rust re-blue, XXX wood, & very often a rebore, or a new barrel, in a more desirable caliber, such as 45-90.  One supplier of these barrels was Sonny France, who used a set of fake roll dies to mark them, with, believe it or not, "Manufactured" misspelled!  At least that was true of one of his barrels that I happened to examine before it was installed; it didn't stop the gun, an '86, from being sold for big dough.  I rescued a nice high-wall in 32-20, with PG & SST, that was destined to be rebored to a more desirable caliber.

Now that everyone (except me) carries a cell in their pocket, & can call Cody (if they are members) to check ser. nos., this kind of fakery must be harder to pull off.