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LOT 1072
Iconic, Historic and Well-Documented Wyoming Territory Shipped Sharps Model 1874 Single Shot
Sporting Rifle Ordered by Captain John Nix of the U.S. Army with Sharps Letter - Serial no. C,54106, 40 cal., 28
3/4 inch octagon bbl., blue/casehardened finish, walnut stock. The Sharps Model 1874 was one of the classic rifles of the
post-Civil War American West. These rifles were renowned for their accuracy and durability and saw extensive use for hunting, target shooting,
and when required, fighting. Numerous western figures carried a Sharps, and many of the West’s legendary gunsmiths modified them to suit the tastes
and needs of their owners. While the Winchesters were famous because they could be fired rapidly, the Sharps rifles generally offered more power and long range accuracy, and long range accuracy is often what counted on the plains. Sharps rifles were popular among the buffalo hunters that decimated the great bison herds in the
1870s and early 1880s. The factory letter lists this rifle as invoiced on May 6, 1875, to Captain John Nix of the U.S. Army at Fort Laramie in Wyoming and indicates
it was a “Model 1874 Sporting Octagon Rifle” in .44 caliber with a 30 inch octagon barrel, double set triggers, open sights, and oiled finish on the wood. The letter notes that Captain Nix purchased several other Sharps at a dealer’s discount and appears to have been selling rifles to fellow officers and indicate he was stationed at multiple forts in the American West. This rifle evidently was later rebarreled by Norwegian trained gunsmith and locksmith Peter Bergerson of Cheyenne, Wyoming. He was listed in Cheyenne at least as early as 1884. Bergerson was a member of the Cheyenne Rifle Club in the late 19th century and held a 100 shot offhand record at 200 yards. The rifle has a beaded blade front sight, notch and folding ladder rear sight, “P. BERGERSEN” marked on top of the breech section, double set triggers, taps on the upper tang for peep sight mounting, and a smooth stock and forearm.
CONDITION: Good with traces of original finish, otherwise exhibiting an earned mixed patina and wear from authentic frontier use. The wood is also good and has a thin crack coming off the tail of the lock, minor chips, and general mild wear. Mechanically fine.
Estimate: 8,500 - 13,000
LOT 1073
Documented Cheyenne, Wyoming, Shipped Sharps Model 1874 Single Shot Sporting Rifle with Factory Letter - Serial no. 162392, 40 2 5/8 cal., 30 inch octagon bbl., blue/casehardened finish, walnut stock. The included factory letter lists this rifle in the factory records as “invoiced March 17, 1879, to Sharps Dealer, N.R. Davis & Company of Cheyenne, Wyoming. It is noted as a Model 1874 Sporting Octagon Rifle. The calibre was .40 using the 2 5/8 [inch] case. It had a full 30 [inch] octagonal barrel, single trigger, open sights and oiled finished stocks. The exact weight was 10 lbs. 10 oz. and the net price was $26.” N.R. Davis was a major cattleman in the late 19th century American West and was the president of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association. He formed N.R. Davis & Company in 1878
and had multiple cattle ranches as well as mining interests. Wyoming was still a very sparsely settled territory then with a
population of only around 20,000. This was also the era of the buffalo hunters who famously used Sharps rifles and others to
decimate the great bison herds in the 1870s and early 1880s. The rifle has a German silver blade front sight, notch and ladder
rear sight, the boxed “Old Reliable” marking and Bridgeport address ahead of the rear sight, “CAL. 40 2 5/8” on the left at the
breech, adjustable double set triggers, plain rifle stock and forearm, checkered steel buttplate, and “A.A. ONG” stamped on
the left side of the frame and wrist. This appears to be for Adalaska A. Ong (1862-1939). Ong was a railroad engineer born in
Illinois who lived in Missouri and then Iowa before homesteading in Wyoming in 1921 on Little Lightening Creek near Lance
Creek and had lands in the oil fields.
CONDITION: Very good “frontier issued” appearance overall with general moderate wear appropriate for a late 19th century
Sharps used in Wyoming. The barrel is mostly a natural gray and brown patina overall. The remaining metal has mostly dark patina, some oil staining,
and general mild overall wear including some mild pitting. The wood is good and
has some repairs in the wrist, a hole from a screw used to tune the trigger pull,
numerous chips along the edges of the forearm, age cracks in the heel, and moderate
overall wear consistent with use on the Wyoming frontier. The set trigger needs some
adjustments, but the rifle is otherwise mechanically fine.
Estimate: 6,500 - 11,000
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