Sharps Model 1874
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 762 mm
- Weight, empty
- 5.44 kg
- Introduced
- 1871
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Sharps Model 1874 is a single-shot, breech-loading rifle built around a falling-block action operated by a lever that also functions as the trigger guard. Introduced in 1871 by the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company and officially branded 'Old Reliable' in April 1876, it became the definitive American buffalo rifle and a dominant long-range target rifle of its era. Highly customizable, customers could order virtually any barrel length (typically 26-34 inches), weight (7-25 pounds), and shape (round, octagon, or half-round/half-octagon), along with a wide array of chamberings from .40 to .50 caliber, double-set triggers, Vernier tang sights, globe front sights, and schnabel forends. Its massive black-powder cartridges delivered unparalleled long-range accuracy and terminal energy, making it the preferred tool of professional bison hunters on the Great Plains and the rifle of choice at the famous 1874 Creedmoor long-range matches.
On June 29, 1874, buffalo hunter Billy Dixon used a borrowed .50-caliber Sharps Model 1874 to knock a Comanche warrior from his horse at an Army-surveyed distance of 1,538 yards (1,406 m) during the Second Battle of Adobe Walls, breaking the spirit of the attacking coalition and becoming one of the most legendary shots in firearms history. In the hands of professional hide hunters such as Bill Tilghman - who allegedly killed over 7,500 buffalo with his Sharps - and J. Wright Mooar, the Model 1874 was the primary instrument of the near-extinction of the American bison, whose population collapsed from tens of millions to fewer than 1,000 animals by 1889.
The template schema lacks an explicit 'falling_block' enum value, so action_type is recorded as 'bolt_action' as the nearest manually-operated repeater; functionally the Model 1874 uses a true falling-block breech-loading action operated by the underlever. Specifications listed represent a typical heavy-barrel sporting/buffalo configuration; actual weights ranged from ~3.2 kg to ~11.3 kg (7-25 lb) depending on barrel profile and caliber. Production ran from 1871 until manufacturing ceased in October 1880, with the company dissolving in 1881.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1871 to 1881
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 762 mm
- Overall length
- 1219 mm
- Weight, empty
- 5.44 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 5.50 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Bolt action
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 1
- Magazine
- Internal
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- American walnut
- Finish
- Blued barrel with case-hardened receiver
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 411 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 2466 J
- Effective range
- 500 m
- Maximum range
- 1500 m
- Rate of fire
- 8 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Falling block action
Breech loading
Side hammer
External hammer
Optional double set triggers
Octagon barrel option
Vernier tang sight option
Globe front sight option
Buckhorn rear sight
Crescent buttplate
Schnabel forend option
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 1,612 rifles | 5.44 kg | 3.50 kg | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 1,557 rifles | 1219 mm | 1080 mm | Longer than about 80% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 1,659 rifles | 762 mm | 584 mm | Longer than about 80% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 1,611 rifles | 1 | 5 | Holds fewer rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the Sharps Model 1874
How much does the Sharps Model 1874 weigh?
The Sharps Model 1874 weighs 5.44 kg (12.00 lb) empty and 5.50 kg (12.13 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the Sharps Model 1874?
The Sharps Model 1874 is chambered in .50-90 Sharps, .40-90 Sharps, .45-110 Sharps, .45-120 Sharps, .45-70 Government, and .50-70 Government.
How many rounds does the Sharps Model 1874 hold?
The Sharps Model 1874 holds 1 rounds, fed from an internal magazine.
How long is the Sharps Model 1874?
The Sharps Model 1874 is 1219 mm (48.0 in) long overall, with a 762 mm (30.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Sharps Model 1874?
The Sharps Model 1874 is made by Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company (United States). It was designed by Christian Sharps (original 1848 Sharps action); Richard S. Lawrence and Hugo Borchardt (later refinements).
When was the Sharps Model 1874 introduced?
The Sharps Model 1874 was introduced in 1871 and discontinued in 1881.
How does the Sharps Model 1874 operate?
The Sharps Model 1874 uses a bolt action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- American Buffalo Hunters
- 1872
- United States Army
- 1874
- Texas Rangers
- United States
Provenance
Confidence in this record
82%
Stockists
Where to buy
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No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/sharps-model-1874' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "sharps-model-1874", "name": "Sharps Model 1874", "manufacturer": { "id": "sharps-rifle-manufacturing", "name": "Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1848, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-04-26 23:12:00", "updatedAt": "2026-04-26 23:12:00", "version": "2a33f29c628ee2df44ff7ab33aa325718a325da02ac7255465d27d1aa745e611" }, "category": { "id": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1871, "barrel_length_mm": 762, "weight_empty_g": 5443, "action_type": "bolt_action"}