Period correct '74 Sharps Buffalo Rifles?

[MikeR]

If you are going to spend the money to get an American made Sharps rifle and want to know how to configure it, get the book Sharps Firearms by Roy Marcot and others. It has a lot of pictures and information in it that will help you to build a period correct buffalo rifle.

My self, for an early buffalo rifle I would choose a Hartford model with a military butt and a pewter cap with a 28 to 30" polished #1 heavy barrel with a blade front sight and a semi-buckhorn rear. The caliber would be either, .44-2 1/4 SBN, .50-70 Gov., or .50-2 1/2 SS.

For the later period I would choose a #3 sporter with a shotgun butt and Schnabel fore end. Also with a 28 to 30" polished heavy barrel using a blade front and a semi buckhorn rear. For this rifle I would choose a .40-2 5/8 SBN, .45-70 Gov., or .45-2 7/8 SBN.

All the calibers listed here are correct. The .44-2 5/8 SBN and the .50-2 SS would also be correct. Both .44's may be hard to get quality brass for, so make sure you have your brass in hand before you commit. Doing that has saved me from grief twice.

The rifle Kurt has posted is also period correct and has a very nice period correct front sight.