POTD: Sharps Model 1878 Borchardt – The Hammerless Evolution
Sam.S 07.01.25
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! This J.P. Lower-marked Sharps Model 1878 Borchardt represents the final evolution of America’s most famous buffalo rifle, but with a revolutionary twist that confused traditional Sharps shooters. Hugo Borchardt designed it, and Sharps manufactured it from 1878-1881. This rifle kept the classic Sharps falling-block action but ditched the distinctive external hammer for an internal striker mechanism. The Model 1878 looks like older Sharps rifles but uses a hammerless striker rather than the traditional hammer and firing pin system. The falling block still dropped vertically when you worked the lever, keeping the mechanical DNA that made Sharps rifles legendary, but the firing system got completely modernized.
What made this rifle revolutionary was its use of coil springs rather than the flat springs common in 1870s firearms. The design was supposedly one of the strongest rifle actions ever built before the late 20th century, making it popular among Creedmoor match shooters who needed precision and reliability. The timing was disastrous. Although designed for huge black powder buffalo cartridges, it arrived too late—at the very end of the great bison slaughter. Only 8,700 rifles were manufactured in all variants before the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company closed in 1881.
The Denver retailer J.P. Lower’s marking adds western significance—Lower supplied hunters and settlers during Colorado’s boom, making this a premium rifle for demanding customers. But the hammerless design confused buyers used to traditional Sharps operation. Buffalo runners knew how external hammers worked. They could see when the rifle was cocked, feel the hammer under their thumb, and trust the familiar mechanics. The internal striker felt alien to shooters who’d learned on external hammer rifles.
Poor sales helped kill the company. This rifle represents innovation arriving too late—a superior design that couldn’t overcome market timing and buyer conservatism. Sometimes being technically better isn’t enough.
“J.P. Lower Marked Sharps Model 1878 Borchardt Buffalo Rifle.” Rock Island Auction Company, https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/5012/33/jp-lower-marked-sharps-model-1878-borchardt-buffalo-rifle. Accessed 23 June 2025.
