Antique Sharps 4 Barrel Derringer

[Chrisoro]

Just bought myself this Sharps four-barrel derringer in .22 short, mostly as a curiosity as I don't think I will risk shooting modern .22 shorts in it.

Modern .22 short has much higher pressures than the original blackpowder .22 short, and this is also a gun that is 130 years old, so while it is in pristine condition mechanically(and I know it works with .22 blanks) and the barrel looks to be in good shape, even having some rifling left, I cannot know what previous owners have put it trough, and there might be micro fractures in the barrel, so best to play it safe. CB caps(Known as 6MM Flobert in Europe) and the CCI .22 CB Short (both of which are powered by the primer only) will probably be safe to use in it. Looking forward to killing hordes of empty beer cans at my cabin.

Weapons manufactured before 1890 can be freely sold in Norway, without any of the regular bureaucratic hassle associated with attaining weapons the regular way, and since I already have weapons chambered for .22 LR, I can freely buy ammunition for the derringer in the form of .22 CB caps, .22 BB caps and .22 short.

 

[elder999]

That's a pepperbox , the 1860 Sharps. If it's in good shape, you should be able to fire .22 shorts out of it without any problems. They used to be quite common here in the U.S.-at one time, I think my dad had five of them. You could also have the barrels flux mapped or x-rayed, but it's likely that if there are no indications of cracking, then there's no cracks or defects: this stuff was made pretty well, and methodiclaly, for the most part.

 

[Chrisoro]

That's a pepperbox

Actually, although it's often referred to as one, I'm not sure this can technically be called a pepperbox. Isn't the chief characteristic of a pepper-box that they have multiple barrels that revolve about a central axis, much in the same way that the cylinder rotates on a revolver? On this gun, the barrels do not revolve, and instead the firing pin rotates as the hammer is cocked.

If it's in good shape, you should be able to fire .22 shorts out of it without any problems. They used to be quite common here in the U.S.-at one time, I think my dad had five of them. You could also have the barrels flux mapped or x-rayed, but it's likely that if there are no indications of cracking, then there's no cracks or defects: this stuff was made pretty well, and methodiclaly, for the most part.

Yeah, but on the other hand, we are talking about a 150 year old firearm designed for a black powder cartridge with a far lower pressure than modern .22 shorts. I'm a bit worried about the barrels not being able to handle the pressure... :-/ Did your father fire modern .22 shorts in his Sharps? Any trouble?

 

[elder999]

Actually, although it's often referred to as one, I'm not sure this can technically be called a pepperbox. Isn't the chief characteristic of a pepper-box that they have multiple barrels that revolve about a central axis, much in the same way that the cylinder rotates on a revolver? On this gun, the barrels do not revolve, and instead the firing pin rotates as the hammer is cocked.

NRA Museums

If you can (rather improperly, however generic) call it a "derringer," I will call it a pepperbox, thank you.

Yeah, but on the other hand, we are talking about a 150 year old firearm designed for a black powder cartridge with a far lower pressure than modern .22 shorts. I'm a bit worried about the barrels not being able to handle the pressure... :-/ Did your father fire modern .22 shorts in his Sharps? Any trouble?

My grandfather, the Rev. Aaron J. Cuffee, for whom I'm named, carried his Sharps Pepperbox (as he referred to it) loaded with .22 shorts, and, I was told by father, frequently fired it in the indoor range in their home, in Fairfield, Connecticut-this would have been from the late 20's to the early to late 40's-by the 60's, it was no longer his custom to carry a pocket pistol-when armed, he was carrying a snub-nosed .38. He'd inherited that Sharps from his uncle, Capt. Aaron Cuffee,. That selfsame pocket pistol , though, (for it cannot be properly called a "Derringer," that frequent mispelling and genericizing of Mr. Vincent Deringer's pocktet pistol) is the only one of its kind I still own, and it is part of my S.A.S.S. regalia......I regularly fire .22 shorts through it....since it's hardly practical, and not particularly valuable, but has been rather scupulously maintained for more than a century, now.......

 

[Chrisoro]

Wow, that's actually good news. It's much easier (and cheaper) to get .22 short rounds here, than cb caps, as .22 shorts are stil used in some of the pistol competitions here. Any particular .22 loads brands you prefer?

I would guess you maybe don't use the CCI High Velocity stuff?

Edit:
And okay, you have convinced me. It's a pepperbox.

 

[elder999]

Wow, that's actually good news. It's much easier (and cheaper) to get .22 short rounds here, than cb caps, as .22 shorts are stil used in some of the pistol competitions here. Any particular .22 loads brands you prefer?

I would guess you maybe don't use the CCI High Velocity stuff?

Edit:
And okay, you have convinced me. It's a pepperbox.

Because, as I said, it's part of my S.A.S.S. regalia, slower is best-I like the RWS R25-keep in mind, too, that I don't fire it very much, mostly for noise, and generally at targets that are around 5 meters away.....you'd do fine with CCI's CB, as well.....

 

[Chrisoro]

Because, as I said, it's part of my S.A.S.S. regalia, slower is best-I like the RWS R25-keep in mind, too, that I don't fire it very much, mostly for noise, and generally at targets that are around 5 meters away.....you'd do fine with CCI's CB, as well.....

These rounds?

I decided to polish off the residual nickel plating. I am aware that this will lower the guns value for collectors, but I don't care about that, and have no plans of selling it. And I think polished brass looks much better than dirty brass and flaky nickel plating. Here's a picture of it now, with some OLD .22 cb caps I inherited from my grandfather together with his old .22 rifle.