Accuracy Test Part III

Sharps Model 1853 “Slant-Breech” Carbine

- William P. Mapoles

In the 1850s, if you lived in a dangerous area, you wanted a Sharps carbine. Likewise, if you were traveling through an area inhabited with hostile Indians, bandits and bushwhackers, you wanted a Sharps carbine. With your muzzleloader, you could only fire three shots a minute, even with paper cartridges; with a Sharps rifle you could fire 10 aimed shots in the same time. Loading your muzzleloader on a moving horse was extremely difficult; however, you could fire one aimed shot every 15 seconds at a full gallop with a Sharps carbine by clamping the buttstock under your armpit and loading with one hand, while holding the reins with the other. The only problem was that a ‘53 Sharps carbine cost more than one month’s salary for the average American, but it was still the biggest selling Sharps prior to the Civil War. It was all about firepower.

In the two previous issues of this publication, I shot the “slant-breech” Models 1851 and 1852 for function and accuracy. In this issue, I will test the Model 1853 “slant breech” carbine in the same manner, with a bit of history thrown in. I promise not to dwell on the story of the abolitionist John Brown, “Bleeding Kansas,” and “Beecher’s Bibles,” because we have all read about that before. Instead, I will focus on a lesser-known bit of Sharps history, namely the Model 1853 in the hands of the 1st Dragoon Regiment, and the Confederate Territory of Arizona.

In the late 1850s, the 1st Dragoons were stationed roughly from the New Mexico Territory, through California, to the Pacific Northwest. The regiment numbered about 650 souls on a good day, and there were often not enough horses to go around. Individual companies were stationed at key forts scattered throughout the frontier wherever trouble was expected. The Dragoons brought some semblance of law and order to the Wild West, sometimes with an iron fist, but most often with thoughtful diplomacy.