I am an admitted fan of the Sharps carbine and rifle. I do believe the Sharps action to be one of the finest actions in existence for a military arm. I first saw an M1859 Sharps carbine while trading with the Lakota just prior to the war. The magnificent M1859 was in the hands of an Irish sergeant of the US Cavalry. Like me the man was a veteran of the Crimea. The man had been part of the ill fated “Charge of the Light Brigade” made famous by deed and poem. He had immigrated to the United States and quickly found his niche as a professional soldier of the US Army. I learned recently that the man survived the war and had gained a commission in the US Army. After the war he was returned to his pre-war regular army rank of sergeant but he remained later gaining a commission for the second time with a United States Colored Troops Cavalry Regiment. I suspect his professionalism, experience and competence have given those men good service.
I like the Sharps pictured above, a wartime carbine converted from the percussion system using a paper or linen cartridge to the brass center fire cartridge in .50-70 caliber. The .50-70 is a hard hitting round that is in my opinion in all ways superior to the original paper cartridge. I admit to being a slow convert to the idea of a metallic cartridge. I have changed my opinion and can see no negative to the use of a brass cartridge. The Sharps was not the only breach loading action in use before or during the war. Others used a copper foil cartridge which was difficult to extract after any fouling, some used a brass cartridge without an extractor of any kind which made removing a spent cartridge rather difficult. The Ballard used a simple ejector that worked well. Sharps watched what other designers had done and installed a simple lever that automatically kicked a spent cartridge free from the action upon opening. Simple, robust, reliable and accurate enough to easily strike an enemy out to a range of two hundred yards or more.
The Sharps carbine is handy to use from horseback or afoot. It is suitable as a military or a hunting arm. The .50-70 providing ample power to bring down man or beast. Unfortunately, the US Army seems to prefer the trapdoor Springfield. Thus these have begun to enter the surplus market in large numbers. As I now own one I cannot and will not complain.