Any knowledge or opinions about C. Sharps Arms, Inc.?

[2ndovc]

I've been wanting a Sharps rifle for as long as I can remember. A couple weeks ago I just missed a C. Sharps 1875 in .40-65 for under $1000. I didn't know anything about the company or much about the cartridge and by the time I'd done a little research it was sold. The .40-65 seems fairly simple to make but I would like to be able to hunt with it and here in Ohio it's not on the list. In Ohio the cartridge has to be straight walled so the .45-70 is an easier choice. I had been looking at the Shiloh rifles for a few years but when I called their customer service to ask a pretty simple question they were pretty rude. My thoughts were that if I'm going to spend about $3k or so they could be a little more professional.
Back to C. Sharps, sounds like their turning out some pretty nice rifles and the reviews have been pretty good. I've come across a couple internet gripes that sound like the company had some issues in the past but haven't found anything worth while.
Any way, if any of you guys have one or know anything about them the info would be greatly appreciated.

jb

[Dusty Texian]

C. Sharps is a good co. to deal with. I have had a .45 cal. 74 Sharps made by them fo eight yrs. now. Fine rifle great workmanship and deadly accurate . Have a Badger Barrel on mine. If I buy another it will be the 75 model C. Sharps, in .40 cal. They are shooters. RW .

[marlinman93]

C Sharps is a top quality rifle, and I doubt you'll ever regret buying one. Surprised that Ohio wont consider the .40-65 legal. It's pretty hard to even see a "bottleneck" on a .40-65 case!

.40-65 :

[Wildgoose]

I have been into BPCR for about 20 years or so. Have a few rifles and shot in many silhouette, long range gong and buffalo matches around the country. Many of these matches were shot out to 1000 yards. I am still active and load both black and smokeless cast bullet rounds depending on the match rules I am headed for. I have owned and shot both C. Sharps and Shiloh rifles. All that being said I can say that both rifles are of top drawer quality and accuracy. However the overall difference in my opinion having done business with both companies over the years has been with customer relations. C. Sharps and I have had some differences over warranty, granted mostly in the past, but problems all the same. It would take too long and get into personalities to cover what is now history so I will leave it at that. On the other hand I have always found Shiloh to be very supportive and willing to honor all claims even beyond the call at times. Can't say why you had a bad first experience with them but that is not what I have found to be the case.
To be honest if C. Sharps has the rifle you like I wouldn't hesitate to recommend that you buy it. Just be aware that in the past there have been problems with customer support and warranty claims. Will that still be the case, I can't say as I have not bought one of their guns in the past ten years. I will also say you can not go wrong with Shiloh. In my opinion they make the best and back them up.
On the straight walled cartridge in .40 caliber you might want to look at the 40-70 Sharps Straight. Its is an excellent BPCR silhouette round and would work very well for hunting too. I have been shooting a Shiloh in this caliber for many years with great results. You really can't go wrong with the good old 45-70 either. Its most likely the best all around BPCR of all time.

[6pt-sika]

C Sharps is a top quality rifle, and I doubt you'll ever regret buying one. Surprised that Ohio wont consider the .40-65 legal. It's pretty hard to even see a "bottleneck" on a .40-65 case!

.40-65 :

Use 45-70 brass neck it down and if the bunny warden checked 99 out of a 100 of them wouldn't know the difference !

[Bill in Oregon]

Jason, I would sure be tempted to bug your Ohio fish and game folks about letting the .40-65 onto their list. It sure is "in the spirit" of a straight-walled case.

[Griff]

Jason,

Shiloh gets phone calls all day long from "tire kickers"... and, while some may result in sales, I'd say that's probably the exception rather than the rule. The few times I've visited, there's either only one or two people in the office, and they can get pretty harried. When my wife ordered my rifle, it went with an order for 3 rifles from the same dealer, all pre-paid, guaranteeing both price and free shipping. We were quoted an 18-month lead time, 10 months later we were called to confirm the final configuration (I upgraded the wood and shortened barrel length) and told to expect them in 2 months. Due to a match, they shipped mine early, and I received it in time to make the match... (the day before)! Luckily I got 2 sighter shots before the record... finished in 2nd place... couldn't have been happier! I either order on-line or wait until I'm traveling thru there to do any buying... plus, it's very nice to see the factory where these (IMO), works of arts are produced. C. Sharps makes at least as good a product as Shiloh, and from other shooters I know that have ordered there, they've all had excellent results. I happen to feel the Shiloh has a bit better support for the hunter, shooter and competitor for after the sale. Plus, their support for BPCR and other long range shooting matches is unequaled, (again, IMO).

The last time I was in there, (last summer), they had some VERY nice rifles for sale on the wall... I think Blaine got his from their small inventory a couple of years ago. These are rifles someone orders, then for whatever reason, it falls thru.

[2ndovc]

Thanks for the input Guys!
The .40-65 sounds like an interesting cartridge but I'd rather stick to the .45-70 if I'm ordering a new rifle. I've been reloading it for years and it's probably my all time favorite. I would have bought the 1875 had I'd known more about it at the time since the rifle was going for less than half the cost of a new one.
C. Sharps has a rifle that closer to the style I want, pretty much an SRC. It's going to take a couple months to get the $2800 or so together but I think it will be worth the wait. Griff, I'll try Shiloh again before I order anything. We'll see how that goes.

jb

[RIHMFIRE]

I was impressed with the one I had the chance to shoot...45-110....outstanding, accurate gun...
C-Sharp and Shiloh Sharps are neighbors....In Big Timber MT

[jnyork]

I had a C. Sharps 1875 in 45-70, very fine rifle, excellent workmanship throughout. Would certainly buy another if I wanted one.

[cas]

https://shilohrifle.com/forums

^ Your best bet for asking questions.

[kaschi]

I have a Shiloh Model 1874 Military Carbine in 50-70 and it is absolutely beautiful and a joy to shoot as well. Great quality workmanship in all respects.

[fordwannabe]

C. Sharps is a good co. to deal with. I have had a .45 cal. 74 Sharps made by them fo eight yrs. now. Fine rifle great workmanship and deadly accurate . Have a Badger Barrel on mine. If I buy another it will be the 75 model C. Sharps, in .40 cal. They are shooters. RW .

[Mike Armstrong]

I prefer Johnnie Browning's take on the Sharps, the Winchester 1885 Hi-wall, and C. Sharps makes great ones. Had two, a .44 WCF and a .30-40, but sold the .44 to an LG member. Still have the .30-40; great pig killer.

If you ever get the chance, visit C. Sharps' factory and store in Big Timber, MT. Phone ahead and ask if you can have a "guided tour." My brother and I did that several years ago and it was an eye-opener! Mixture of hi-tech and hand work was astonishing and you can see why the product is the way it is. Employees were very enthusiastic and showed us THE gun they were working on, not the batch of guns, the gun itself. Their product is semi-custom in the best sense of that term; the economies of modern production of major components get invested in the individual time and attention each gun gets later in its finishing and fitting.

There are still die-hard partisans of each of the two Big Timber single shot producers, Shiloh and C. Sharps, stemming from some bitter divisions between the respective owner/partners that led to the formation of two current separate companies. The perils of partnerships are well known; I'd suggest you choose between the two by the firms' product quality and customer care. When I got my two Hi-walls, Shiloh didn't make them so it was an easy choice!

When I visited C. Sharps they were selling scrap walnut from their stocking operations. I spent a whole $11 and am still makin' stuff with those lovely bits and pieces!

[Woodtroll]

I have no recent experience, but the man who used to run the company (John Schoffstall) lied to me repeatedly about my rifle and cheated me out of money by raising the final price which had been paid in full FIVE YEARS prior to delivery (after he promised a one-year delivery). If he is still in charge of the company, I wouldn't buy a newspaper from them, much less a rifle.

That said, my rifle was well-made with only one small issue, and I have been very pleased with it. Were I to find another one I was interested in on the market that I could look over first-hand prior to purchase, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it. But I will not buy one new from the factory since I don't deal with crooks and liars (at least not more than once). Strong language I know, and I am usually reserved with my public opinion about others, but in this case the shoe fits (and Schoffstall didn't seem to care when I called him on it, either).

I have bought three more Sharps since then, all from Shiloh, and find them fantastic people to deal with - honest and patient, and the wood always seems at least one grade better than you pay for.

Good luck, hope you enjoy your new Sharps whatever you end up with!
Regan