If we were talking altering a gun to fake it, I'd agree not to do so. But we're talking either making a case, or reworking an old case, and I see no issue since you already know Sharps didn't make them. Any serious collector would appreciate a cased gun, and also know it's not from Sharps.
I personally am constantly looking for old hard gun cases to repurpose, and they're tough to find. Most people toss them away once the interior goes bad, and that's exactly what I look for. I want the exterior patina, and then I build out the interior to work with one of my 1800's rifles.
I've scratch built one complete case for an 1893 Marlin factory takedown, two barrel set. It was way too much work, but came out great. I'll never do one from scratch again!
I've repurposed 5 old cases, and I have two cased guns that were done early on in life by some original, or previous owner. I don't see when a case is made as an issue? If it's fitted to the gun well, then I think it's a nice addition.
This case came with my Pope Ballard 3 barrel set, and has the original owner's name on it. He was part of the Denver Rifle Club's team before WWI and after. Sure it's not original, but it is original to that era.
And this Schoyen Ballard came in this case when I purchased it. It's kinda funky with Hereford hide covering, but I like it anyway.
