Page Index Toggle Pages: 1 Send TopicPrint
Hot Topic (More than 10 Replies) New Old 74 Sharps Midrange (Read 7816 times)
Zack T
Senior Forum Member
****
Offline



Posts: 354
Joined: Apr 9th, 2010
New Old 74 Sharps Midrange
Jul 24th, 2014 at 11:21pm
Print Post  
Howdy All,

Here are a couple pics of a old sharps I picked up recently. I think it is a midrange and is in 45-70. I think someone may have clubbed a buffalo to death with it as it was smashed through the wrist. Someone did a decent job putting it back together and it feels solid but there is a fair bit of glass in there. Other than that and the fact that I think someone cleaned the barrel with 90grit and then rubbed on some browning solution it is in very decent shape and tight. The barrel marking are still all very good. There are three cursive "L"s on the bottom barrel flat behind the serial number and if anyone knows what these mean I would appreciate your input. It has one of those neat front sights with the little sliver of elk ivory inlet into it. There are no marks on the sight unfortunately. Was hoping to see a "Cooper" stamp on it but oh well. Need to get her lettered as I suspect she may have been an award rifle with that little plaque on the side of the stock. My little boy is telling me how many buffalo he wants to shoot with it. "Just one daddy. Two are too heavy to carry." Smart Boy. Best,

Zack
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
westerner
Frequent Elocutionist
*****
Offline


deleted posts and threads
record holder.

Posts: 11521
Location: Why, out West of course
Joined: May 29th, 2006
Re: New Old 74 Sharps Midrange
Reply #1 - Jul 25th, 2014 at 12:07am
Print Post  
Very nice Sharps.

My Borchardt military rifle has the three " L"s also. Have no idea what they mean. The sight is a Lyman #4 . I have one. It has extremely small stamp on it.  


         Joe.
  

A blind squirrel runs into a tree every once in a while.
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
harry_eales
Ex Member


Re: New Old 74 Sharps Midrange
Reply #2 - Jul 25th, 2014 at 2:22am
Print Post  
westerner wrote on Jul 25th, 2014 at 12:07am:
Very nice Sharps.

My Borchardt military rifle has the three " L"s also. Have no idea what they mean. The sight is a Lyman #4 . I have one. It has extremely small stamp on it.  
Joe.


Hello gentlemen,
There was a long discussion about these letter 'L''s a couple of years or more ago on this Forum. Eventually it seemed to be the consensus of opinion that these rifles so marked had been through the hands of J.P.Lower of Denver, Colorado who bought large numbers of rifles and parts from the Sharps factory. Those complete rifles he bought were stamped with his full name and address, those assembled from parts were apparently just stamped under the barrel  this 'Script' letter 'L'. The number of stamped 'L''s varies from two to about seven.

Harry
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
westerner
Frequent Elocutionist
*****
Offline


deleted posts and threads
record holder.

Posts: 11521
Location: Why, out West of course
Joined: May 29th, 2006
Re: New Old 74 Sharps Midrange
Reply #3 - Jul 25th, 2014 at 3:13am
Print Post  
I don't remember that consensus or much about the previous thread.  Would have to look in Sellers book but think Lower stamped rifles JP Lower on the top of the barrels.  

Wished I knew how to use the search function.  Never works for me. I've asked several times for help, but that hasn't worked either.  Cry

Hi Harry!

   Joe
  

A blind squirrel runs into a tree every once in a while.
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
harry_eales
Ex Member


Re: New Old 74 Sharps Midrange
Reply #4 - Jul 25th, 2014 at 8:34am
Print Post  
westerner wrote on Jul 25th, 2014 at 3:13am:
I don't remember that consensus or much about the previous thread.  Would have to look in Sellers book but think Lower stamped rifles JP Lower on the top of the barrels.  

Wished I knew how to use the search function.  Never works for me. I've asked several times for help, but that hasn't worked either.  Cry

Hi Harry!

   Joe



Hello Joe my friend,
The full name and address of J.P.Lower was stamped on Factory supplied Borchardt's, it was only apparently those that were assembled out of parts that were stamped on the barrel with the letter 'L'.

The search function doesn't work for me either. Grin 

Harry 
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
shovel80
Oldtimer
*****
Offline



Posts: 896
Location: Sonora,CA
Joined: Jun 6th, 2011
Re: New Old 74 Sharps Midrange
Reply #5 - Jul 25th, 2014 at 9:13am
Print Post  
ZackT

On your same post on the Shiloh Forum, Someone answered about the L's as the Lennox Brothers.

Terry
  

ASSRA Member # 11021
Back to top
IP Logged
 
Old-Win
Frequent Elocutionist
*****
Offline



Posts: 1692
Location: Minnesota
Joined: Nov 24th, 2005
Re: New Old 74 Sharps Midrange
Reply #6 - Jul 25th, 2014 at 9:48am
Print Post  
At one time, I thought that the script L and the JPL were inspectors marks but now I'm not so sure.  I was looking through my Seller's book again and found two mentions of Lower's use of letters.  On page 240, Sellers mentions a rifle built for Lower by Sharps which had the monogram JPL on the bottom of the rifle.  On p 270, he mentions two 1878's made for Lower that had the script L after the serial #'s.  Maybe Sharps put the stamps on for Lower as he ordered large amounts of Sharps rifles from the factory to be sold out of his Denver shop.
I bought a Sharps 1878 action last year at the Q that has the L script in 2 places.
Here is a link to one of our discussions.  Bob
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Old-Win
Frequent Elocutionist
*****
Offline



Posts: 1692
Location: Minnesota
Joined: Nov 24th, 2005
Re: New Old 74 Sharps Midrange
Reply #7 - Jul 25th, 2014 at 2:40pm
Print Post  
Here are a couple of pictures of the script L's on locations I haven't seen before.  To me, these look more like inspector's marks.  Bob
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Zack T
Senior Forum Member
****
Offline



Posts: 354
Joined: Apr 9th, 2010
Re: New Old 74 Sharps Midrange
Reply #8 - Jul 28th, 2014 at 3:12pm
Print Post  
Thanks all for the replys and thoughts. It had been so long since I had seen a #40 or #50 sight I honestly forgot they existed. I cleaned off some crud and sure enough a very faint Lyman stamp. Thanks for the ref on the Lennox brothers as well as the ref to the JP Lower discussion. It is interesting that this stamp apparently has shown up on military rifles as well as sporting rifles and also rifles not Shipped to JP Lower. One friend of mine has a very plain sharps factory sporting conversion with the stamps. I asked Dr Labowski about the stamps and he did not know for sure what they meant. I am hoping that this rifle letters but it is 15?687 with the 3rd digit a victim of the sight screw as is sometimes seen on target models. Under the forend is just 15687 with no gaps. Dr Labowski was very pleasant to talk to and very helpful. Am going to send him some pics and measurments and hope that I can find out some history on this old rifle. All the best,

Zack
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
John in PA
Oldtimer
*****
Offline



Posts: 580
Location: Hollidaysburg, PA
Joined: Nov 3rd, 2009
Re: New Old 74 Sharps Midrange
Reply #9 - Aug 20th, 2014 at 12:55pm
Print Post  
That's not a Frank Freund front sight, is it?
  

John Wells
Hollidaysburg, PA
Peabody and Peabody-Martini's Wanted!
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Zack T
Senior Forum Member
****
Offline



Posts: 354
Joined: Apr 9th, 2010
Re: New Old 74 Sharps Midrange
Reply #10 - Aug 20th, 2014 at 8:59pm
Print Post  
I wish it was ! Its marked Lyman and looks like a #40 from my Gunsight book. still looking for a cooper with an elk tooth in it. If any of you schuetzen guys have any crusty old walter cooper 74 sharps rifles you are tired of having scratch your Ballards and High walls let me know. I have some good trading material too. Best,

Zack
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Hi-Wall56
Full Member
***
Offline



Posts: 204
Location: Banks of the Brazos River
Joined: Feb 11th, 2011
Re: New Old 74 Sharps Midrange
Reply #11 - Aug 21st, 2014 at 11:25am
Print Post  
Nice find Zack, hope to see you at Ben Avery in a couple months.
Kirk
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Zack T
Senior Forum Member
****
Offline



Posts: 354
Joined: Apr 9th, 2010
Re: New Old 74 Sharps Midrange
Reply #12 - Aug 21st, 2014 at 6:22pm
Print Post  
Hi Kirk,

That would be great ! Hope to make the match. Depends on work. Also have two lil guys so very wife dependent but plan to be there. The rifle is up with Richard McKinney getting the half cock notch rewelded. Got the letter back on it. Left in 76 as a longrange target rifle sold to a shooter in New York. Looks like it was sent back to factory and rebarreled. Chamber cast looks like a 45-100. All the best

zack
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Page Index Toggle Pages: 1
Send TopicPrint