Half a double is correct.
It has a trigger that is about 5 pounds, that is not gritty and not bad. Perhaps I will leave it alone til I get out to NM next year, as I have a cabin within 50 miles of Silver
City. As in most of the military 1878s, this rifle is a 45-70 GOVT with 32 in barrel. (Some were bought and shipped to China.)
There is a picture in Sellers book and it comes up when researching the Model 78 Sharps. It's a period photo of JP Lower shooting a military 1878 offhand at a two hundred yard target. My guess is that with a bit of trigger adjustment and a mid-range Vernier tang sight, it might shoot well. I have an Axtell Mid-range on my 1874 Sharps now, I will think about installing the spare mid-range, so that the original ladder Sharps sight might still be usable.
At any rate, Sharps original military Borchardt rifles are not that common, especially with good bores. A nice companion rifle to my Winchester 1885 HW in 45-60 WCF, which is a rare chambering. That 1885 has an excellent bore, mid-range Vernier Winchester tang sight- 1885 made made in 1886.
It has already slain a coyote with a 400gr cast FP bullet.
Last edited by 1916XE; 12/22/25 10:35 PM.
