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MODEL 1868 SHARPS CARBINE – 3RD CAVALRY
REGIMENT MARKED:
A very historic, Indian War
period conversion of a Civil War Sharps Carbine,
modified to chamber the .50/70 cartridge, this carbine
features unit applied
stampings on the butt stock identifying it as once
having been in the inventory of the 3rd
Regiment of Cavalry during its service life.
Boldly stamped on the left hand side of the butt stock
is “F 3 Co” surmounted by “20”, indicating this carbine
was assigned number 20 in the unit’s inventory and was
issued to Company F of the 3rd Cavalry
Regiment. These unit applied marks are well documented
through an exchange of information in the US ORDNANCE
DISPATCH column in several issues of The Gun Report
magazine, and further bona fides was provided through
the presence of a second Sharps Carbine bearing an
identical set of stampings save for having the
individual carbine number of “21”.
As indicated in the summaries of Ordnance Returns
provided on pages 23-27 in Arming and Equipping the
U.S. Cavalry by Dusan Farrington, the 3rd
Cavalry Regiment was armed exclusively with the Sharps
Carbine. In 1867, Company F was stationed in Cimarron,
New Mexico Territory likely guarding the Santa Fe Trail,
however during the late 1860’s the company is listed as
participating in actions as far north as the Red River
in the Indian Territories, south in the Guadalupe
Mountains of Texas and as late as 1871, the company was
involved in actions against the Apache in the mountains
of Arizona. By the fourth quarter of 1872 the company
had moved to Ft. McPherson, Nebraska, patrolling the
land of the Arapaho, Cheyenne and the Sioux. While it
is quite certain that this carbine was in the hands of a
3rd Cavalry trooper during the late sixties
and early seventies, a collector is tempted to consider
that this carbine may have remained in the company’s
inventory after the issue of the Model 1873 Springfield
Carbines. It is well known that Sharps carbines were
carried in the unit's inventory long after they were
replaced by the M1873 Carbines for issue
to the packers, teamsters, scouts while in the field,
and for use by the soldiers for hunting and
foraging, and such may have been the case when Company F
found itself engaged against the hostiles on the Rosebud
River on June 17th, 1876, and again later
that same year on September 9th, at the
battle of Slim Buttes.
While this carbine shows evidence of issue and use, it
has survived the untold miles of campaigning in
remarkable condition. The metal is overall smooth with
a pleasing even plumb brown color, with the original
bright blue finish still present under the forearm. The
bore is clean and generally bright with a couple of
scattered dark patches, and distinct clear rifling
throughout. There is no serial number on the upper
receiver tang, but the absence of the serial number is a
recognized and commonly encounter feature of these
refurbished Civil War Sharps, the number having been
eradicated during the refinishing process. All of the
other Sharps manufacturing stamps and patent information
is present and legible on the lock and receiver.
The rear sight has been replaced during the period of
the carbine’s use with a custom or hand made three-leaf
sight that incorporates “peep” apertures in each leaf.
The two moveable leafs are marked “300” and “500”
respectively, and the base leaf is marked “100”, all
indicating the sighted distance. The sight has the look
of being made by a frontier gun smith, but is well
executed and finished. The sight was designed to
provide a quicker adjustment for longer range shooting
without having to cope with the finer and more time
consuming adjustments necessary with the standard Sharps
sight. The threaded hole immediately forward of the
sight dovetail that mated with the screw hole in the
original Sharps sight base has been filled, indicating
this sight replacement was more than just a field
expedient repair, but rather a modification made to suit
a particular shooter. The lock and breech block both
operate properly, with a crisp, tight action and with no
loose play in either.
The forearm is full form, with no splits or chips from
the barrel channel edges. There is a minor amount of
wear around the forearm screw washer, evidence of the
desirable “pommel wear” caused by the carbine being
carried across the pommel of the saddle over many miles
on campaign. The butt stock is likewise in full form
with no cracks or splits, and the toe is still intact,
an area often split away or damaged. The wood surface
of the butt has a wonderfully patinated feel and
appearance with a deep, rich color only obtained through
years of handling. The left side of the stock
immediately adjacent to the carbine sling bar base shows
wear caused by the sling snap hook. Further up the
stock on the left side, between the wrist and the butt
plate, the stock shows a darkened arc worn in the
surface of the wood by the sling snap hook roller bar as
the carbine was suspended from the soldier’s sling. As
mentioned above, the unit identification stampings are
clear and completely legible.
The unit identification on this Sharps and through that
identification, the close association with a very
historic period of the American West and a well
established record of frontier service will make this
carbine a star addition to almost any collection. It is
worthy of note that in addition to the coverage in the
Gun Report issues cited above, this carbine is
featured on page 333 of Charles Worman’s most recent
publication, GUNSMOKE AND SADDLE LEATHER.
These firearms that are identified to the frontier army
units, particularly the cavalry regiments, are
significantly rare enough to be highly desirable, well
worth the investment, and as a result seldom appear on
the market. SOLD
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