Description
Simply a WOW rifle from end to end. This beauty is a standard Sharps Borchardt rifle with THOUSANDS of dollars of custom gunsmithing from end to end. It is chambered in the ultra fast and powerful 22-3000 R2 Lovell.
The Sharps-Borchardt Model 1878 is a single-shot hammerless falling-block action rifle designed by Hugo Borchardt and made by the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company. It closely resembles older Sharps Rifles but has a firing mechanism that uses a hammerless striker rather than a hammer and firing pin like the old Sharps Rifle. This hammerless dropping-block breech-loader was based on a patent granted to Hugo Borchardt in 1877. It was the last of the Sharps single-shot rifles. According to company records, 8,700 rifles were made in all models from 1878 until the Sharps Rifle Co. closed down in 1881.
This example is serial #17241 and has a 27” round barrel with a bright, excellent bore. George Hyde was the chief designer at the Inland Division of General Motors and inventor of the M2 Hyde submachine gun, M3 “grease gun” submachine gun and the FP-45 Liberator pistol.
Before the war, Hyde worked for Griffin & Howe as a master gunsmith and then branched out on his own. This attractive custom Borchardt really reflects the Griffin & Howe style. The metal surfaces retain about 97% nice quality polished blue showing a few light handling marks and subtle thinning under bright light, the front of the lever with some mild gray-brown patina and the breechblock polished bright. The top of the barrel is neatly engraved “GEORGE J. HYDE” and shows cartridge designation on the left side and the left side of the action retains strong original factory markings. The lever has been neatly extended and terminates in a nicely checkered rounded knob embellished with attractive tight foliate scrollwork.
The bow of the guard has a nice portrait of a coyote in gold and the initials “FT” are inlaid in gold at the tip of the lever. The upper tang is embellished with an endearing small crow scene. There are no provisions for iron sights and the barrel is equipped with a pair of target blocks that support a set of Fecker mounts that hold a Unertl 10X riflescope, serial #16660, in very fine condition. The reticle has a very fine set of crosshairs with a dot in the center and the optics are rating good, (somewhat cloudy but serviceable).
The screw-in lens covers are present. The heavy checkered capped pistolgrip walnut buttstock and beavertail forend are in excellent condition and showing some scattered light handling. The custom walnut wood exhibits a lovely grain throughout and the stock features a high comb and no cheekpiece.
The checkered steel pistol grip cap has a white line spacer and the buttplate is also checkered steel with a wide arrow motif around the upper screw. The action is crisp and the top of the breechblock has been modified by Hyde with a small cutout to act as a cocking indicator. This is a wonderful classic custom Sharps Borchardt and a prime example of George Hyde’s independent custom work from the 1930s which is very seldom seen. Pure investment grade all the way!
