One thing the Coen brothers do well is making sure the guns are portrayed accurately in their movies. This is kinda a big deal, in my opinion. Here is an article that also does a great job of describing some of the guns in ‘True Grit’, and highlighting the magnificent history of the legendary Sharps rifle…”the AK-47 of its day.”
“In the political (and often violent) “free state” struggles in the new Kansas territory that would prove to be a prelude to the Civil War, the term “Sharps Rifle” itself came to represent the growing and bitter national feud. Northern abolitionists, using the anti-slavery immigrants to the region as their proxies, armed them with Sharps rifles, making the gun the AK-47 of its day.”
Read more: True Grit’s LaBoeuf wouldn’t recognize Sharps rifle of today
And for reenactors, collectors, or just good ol’ home gun decor, Replica Armory has a special section just for True Grit Replica Guns
The Sharps Rifle
The Sharps was the rifle that made long range shooting practical on the frontier: a falling block action, a heavy barrel and a set trigger that could be tuned to a few ounces. It appears in western films whenever a character needs to hit something a long way away, and it earns its place.
The replica copies the falling block and the heavy octagonal barrel, which makes it one of the most satisfying pieces to handle in the catalog. The lever that drops the block should be moved with the rifle supported; the block is heavy and the linkage is cast. For display, the Sharps looks best on a horizontal rack with the tang sight raised.
Common questions
Does the falling block work?
Yes, the lever drops the block and the breech opens, but the chamber is blocked.
Is it a long range rifle in real life?
Yes. The Sharps was used for long range target and buffalo hunting in the 1870s.
True Grit's LaBoeuf Wouldn't Recognize Sharps Rifle Of Today http://www.historicreplicaguns.com/blog/sharps-rifle.html #TrueGrit
I have seen this carbine mis-identified ever since this movie came out. Apparently others are just repeating what someone else assumed. It was not an 1874 Sharps carbine, of which only 496 were made. He (like the real Texas rangers, see Durham’s “Taming the Nueces Strip”) is using an 1868 Sharps carbine conversion. .50-70….of which 31,000 were converted. from Percussion to Cartridge and distributed to troops and millitia’s and yes, texas rangers…was in use into the 80s.
If you want a replica of that gun, somebody makes an exact one of McNelly’s which is exactly like the one Matt Damon’s character is using.
bc
thanks for the info Brad… interesting. Gonna have to check out that book, looks like a good one.