Lyman’s 140th Anniversary Sharps Carbine Is Pure Eye Candy
Lyman Rifle
One look at Lyman’s beautiful 140th Anniversary Sharps Carbine and anyone who appreciates the history of the West is going to want to their hands on this single-shot reproduction, just to work its drop-block action.
And once you do get your hands on it — like I did at the National Rifle Association’s convention earlier this year — you’re not going to want to put it down. Lyman President Rick Ranzinger was wearing a big smile when he handed me the display rifle, probably because we’ve known each other for decades — and he knows I’m a sucker for handsome rifles.
Built by Davide Pedersoli of Italy, the anniversary model is, alas, a limited edition piece with 140 being offered. The rifle is a “streamlined” version of the Sharps 1878, a legendary rifle on the frontier for its ruggedness and accuracy. This one is chambered for the .30-30 Winchester, so it represents two legends on the American landscape.
I once estimated more deer have fallen to the .30-30 Winchester than any other cartridge. It may no longer hold true — it was about 30 years ago or more when I wrote that — but the .30-30 is no slouch when it comes to putting venison in the freezer.
But will anyone really want to take this superbly finished rifle into the field? I have no doubt it would stack up to anything that comes along, but this Sharps reproduction is pure eye candy and would certainly look good on a fireplace mantle.
Let’s talk about its features. Hitting the scale at 7 lbs., the 140th Anniversary Lyman Sharps Carbine has a 24″ richly blued barrel topped by a pivoting front sight allowing a shooter to select between a blade or globe-style bead.
Lyman Rifle Trigger
The rear sight is Lyman’s No. 2 tang sight, originated by the company when it first opened its doors 140 years ago. This sight has endured for a reason.
There is much more. It has double set triggers, and the hammer, receiver, tang, sideplate and lever all wear a brushed nickel finish. The hammer plate features this engraved inscription: “The Lyman Gun Sight Corp. 1878–2018” while the receiver sideplate is inscribed with the Lyman name and “140 Years.”
The sample model I examined showed superb wood-to-metal fitting, and the curved buttplate is straight out of the Wild West.
While I never got the pleasure to press the trigger and drop the hammer on a live round, my educated guess is if someone actually wants to shoot this rifle, it will deliver the kind of accuracy one might expect from any Pedersoli reproduction.
Once the anniversary models are gone, I just might encourage Lyman to introduce a production model.
For the record, Lyman does offer a Model 1878, a 9-pounder in .45-70 Govt. It’s also made by Pedersoli, and is an eye-catcher as well.
The 140th Anniversary model carries a pricetag of $1,999.95, and will begin shipping in November.
For more info:
Lyman
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/lyman-products-corp/
Ph: (800) 225-9626
