Original Item: Only One Available. This is one of the fascinating and still somewhat mysterious Nepalese Sharps pattern arms recovered from the historic Nepal cache, built around the distinctive Model 1853 type slant breech action and configured as a full length rifle with an impressive 40" barrel. Entirely unmarked as to maker, these unusual firearms have intrigued collectors since their discovery because they combine unmistakable early Sharps mechanical features with stocks, barrels, furniture, and finishing that differ considerably from standard American Sharps factory production. This example measures approximately 56 3/4" overall, has a smooth bore measuring approximately .50 caliber, retains its Lawrence type pellet primer mechanism, and remains in very good overall condition.

This is an antique black powder firearm manufactured before 1899. Under federal law, it may generally be owned within the United States without a special license or permit and does not require transfer through a Federal Firearms Licensee. However, state and local laws may vary. This firearm is sold solely as a historical collector’s item and has not been test fired or inspected for firing safety by a professional gunsmith. Any mechanical or bore observations provided below describe only its present condition and should not be interpreted as confirmation that the firearm is safe to load or fire. The purchaser is solely responsible for complying with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.

The design is unmistakably based on the early Sharps slant breech system of the 1850s. Christian Sharps' breechloading mechanism used a lever operated vertically moving breechblock, allowing the shooter to load a combustible cartridge directly through the breech rather than from the muzzle. The Model 1852 and Model 1853 family developed this concept into the characteristic sloping receiver profile now strongly associated with the early Sharps design.

These Nepalese rifles are not standard Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company products. They lack the normal Sharps maker, patent, and serial markings, while their extremely long barrels, full military stocks, furniture, sights, and general workmanship differ substantially from conventional American Model 1853 carbines and sporting rifles.

Their precise manufacturing history remains unresolved. Examples from the Nepal cache show a fascinating mixture of comparatively sophisticated action components and more visibly hand worked barrels, stocks, and furniture. This has led to considerable discussion over whether the complete arms were manufactured in Nepal, assembled there using imported components, or produced through some combination of local and foreign manufacture.

Without surviving procurement or factory documentation, we do not believe the evidence supports assigning these rifles to an American or European manufacturer. Their uncertain origin remains one of the most compelling aspects of the type.

In early 2004, IMA submitted samples of stock wood from Nepalese Sharps pattern arms for examination at the British Engineerium in Brighton. The wood was reported back to us as Honduran mahogany. If that identification was correct, the stock material itself was imported rather than native Nepalese timber. That finding does not establish where the metal components were manufactured and should not be taken as evidence that the complete rifle originated in the Americas.

Nepal possessed a longstanding indigenous armsmaking tradition and demonstrated a remarkable ability to reproduce foreign military technology with relatively limited industrial infrastructure. On these Sharps pattern rifles, the long barrels in particular show the irregularities and visible forging characteristics associated with comparatively labor intensive manufacture rather than standardized American factory production.

This example measures approximately:

56 3/4" overall
40" barrel

The bore measures approximately .50 caliber at present and is smooth. We do not see surviving evidence of rifling.

We cannot determine whether this particular barrel was originally manufactured as a smoothbore or whether it was later altered by wear, reaming, or arsenal work. For that reason, we describe only the configuration in which the rifle survives today.

The barrel is fitted with a simple barleycorn style front sight and a long folding ladder rear sight. The rear sight leaf raises correctly, although it is bent slightly to one side. The slider is also restricted and will only move downward approximately halfway from its upper position.

The action retains the distinctive slant breech configuration of the early Sharps system. Lowering the operating lever drops the breechblock and exposes the chamber for loading. The mechanism operates correctly during careful manual inspection.

A retaining arrangement at the end of the operating lever helps hold the lever securely against the rifle when the action is closed, preventing it from dropping unintentionally.

The lock remains mechanically responsive, but it does not hold correctly at half cock. This is an important mechanical deficiency and is fully disclosed.

The lock also retains a Lawrence type pellet primer mechanism, one of the most distinctive features associated with early 1852 and 1853 Sharps arms. Rather than requiring the shooter to place an individual percussion cap onto the nipple before every shot, the system stored small primer pellets and automatically presented a primer as the lock was operated.

The primer assembly on this rifle is incomplete and is no longer functional.

The bore is in good condition overall. It shows areas of old oxidation and black powder fouling, particularly toward the breech where old dirt and storage residue had accumulated during many years in the Nepalese arsenal. No evidence of surviving rifling was observed.

The exterior metalwork is in very good condition overall and retains a predominantly bright aged appearance with scattered staining and oxidation, particularly around the action and fittings. There is relatively little evidence of the heavy mechanical wear normally associated with prolonged field service. The barrel also shows portions of a visible spiral forging pattern, an especially interesting feature of its construction.

The stock has developed a handsome dark brown appearance. Much of the surface retains what appears to be an old dark military style finish, with several worn areas exposing the lighter underlying wood. The stock shows the expected dents, scratches, handling marks, and arsenal storage wear accumulated over many decades. The butt stock has several more substantial gouges and dents, but remains generally solid.

Both sling swivels remain present. The upper swivel is mounted to the upper barrel band, while the lower swivel is attached at the breech or lever pivot area.

The relative lack of extensive firing wear observed on a number of the Nepalese Sharps pattern rifles has generated considerable speculation about how extensively they were ever issued. Contemporary reporting following the discovery of the Nepal cache likewise noted the presence of unusual, unmarked Sharps Model 1853 type slant breech rifles among the arsenal contents.

Without surviving issue records, ammunition records, or contemporary Nepalese documentation for this individual arm, however, we cannot establish whether it saw limited service, was held largely in reserve, or simply survived unusually well.

With its full length 40" barrel, approximately .50 caliber smooth bore, functioning slant breech action, surviving Lawrence type pellet primer assembly, distinctive locally finished construction, reported imported mahogany stock material, and direct provenance from the extraordinary Nepal cache, this is one of the more unusual surviving interpretations of the early Sharps system. Its exact manufacturing history remains unresolved, which only adds to its appeal as a tangible example of Nepalese experimentation with advanced Western breechloading technology during the 19th century. It would be a fascinating addition to a collection of Sharps firearms, Nepalese military arms, early breechloaders, or unusual 19th century military rifle development.

Specifications-

Years of Manufacture: circa 1865-1870
Caliber: .50-caliber
Ammunition Type: Percussion Ignited Cartridge w/ pellet primer or cap
Barrel Length: 40 Inches
Overall Length: 56 3/4 Inches
Action type: Lever Action Falling Block
Feed System: Single Shot
Federal Classification: Pre-1899 Antique

History of the Sharps Rifle
Christian Sharps (1811-1874) was the originator of a line of sturdy, practical, and popular military and sporting rifles and handguns that were associated with several events that shaped American history in 19th century, including armed conflict in Kansas during the 1850s, the Civil War, the era of the Plains buffalo hunter, and the rise of modern long-range competition shooting during the 1870s. Sharps worked at John Hall's Rifle Works in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, where he learned the principles of arms manufacturing. His first breechloading rifle design was patented in 1848, and the toggle-linking trigger guard and vertically operating sliding wedge breechblock of later Sharps rifles and carbines date from that patent. These features are still with us today, and have seen use in both rifle and artillery breech mechanisms. The spring lever-toggle-breech mechanism of the Borchardt-Luger semi-automatic pistol also had its roots in Christian Sharps' lever-linked breech.

In 1850, Sharps moved to Mill Creek, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, and contracted with the firm of A. S. Nippes to manufacture two of his sporting rifle designs, which became known as the Model 1849 and Model 1850. Faced with difficulty in obtaining financing for further ventures, Sharps left the Philadelphia area in 1851 and relocated to Hartford, Connecticut, where he formed the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company. Lacking production facilities, he contracted with the Windsor, Vermont firm of Robbins & Lawrence to manufacture his new breechloader. This venture continued until 1855.

Among the Sharps-designed firearms manufactured under this association were the Model 1851 "Box Lock" Carbine, which featured the Maynard tape primer system, and the Model 1852 and Model 1853 "Slanting Breech" Carbines, which were equipped with the Sharps-patented pellet primer system as an integral part of its breech mechanism. Model 1853 Carbines were nicknamed "Beecher's Bibles," after noted New York clergyman and abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher. Approximately 900 of these arms were shipped in heavy crates marked BIBLES for use by anti-slavery "Free Soil" settlers who were fighting against pro-slavery forces in "Bleeding Kansas" during the 1850s. One of the most famous "Free Soilers" was John Brown, who later used 300 Model 1853 Carbines in his ill-fated attempt to capture the U.S. Armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859. Christian Sharps served as technical advisor to the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company, receiving royalties on the manufacture of their firearms. His relationship with the company was a rocky one, and in 1853, Sharps severed all connections with the firm. There is no evidence that he ever had any further association with the company that continued to bear his name.

NOTE: International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.

IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.

These antique guns are not sold in "live" condition, and are not tested for the ability to feed or load any type of cartridge. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers" not for use, and we make no guarantees regarding functionality aside from what is stated in the description. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.

Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.