Hi everyone, I'm Eric, a humble gun, cars, outdoors and cigars enthusiast from a tiny country called Switzerland. Tune in for a glimpse of my life, hobbies and poor financial decisions.
I also happen to have very cool dogs that you might see on this channel ;)
Yeah that quick detach mount bracket does add an obscene amount of extra height to it. I remember gooseneck mounts for AR's have a much smaller mount surface for these old Trijicon CQB optics, perhaps something custom could be cut/stamped to fit on that rear sight base. Or perhaps you'll get one of these angled pict rail sections with a step, but then you'll likely have to move the sight EVEN further to the front.
Oh yeah another adapted to move it further forward could be a good idea. That would be perfect for that "Cursed gun" idea I'm going for, something to think about ;) Getting something custom cut or stamped would cost too much and doesn't fit the spirit of the build though
There is nothing about that gun that screams 1860/1861. The loading lever is more like an 1851, than the rack and pinion loading lever that the 1860/1861 used. It almost looks like someone took an 1851, and tried to reshape it into an 1861 pocket navy but screwed up. Which would explain the disproportions with the barrel, and loading lever. And then maybe tried to refit a longer Dragoon cylinder, to a navy frame? Which would explain the thin chamber walls, and uneven cylinder length. But that gun, sounds like and behaves the exact same way my brass frame Confederate Navy does.
There are some Swiss ones in the US, they command a bit of a premium because they aren't common here. Roughly $1,200 to $1700 last I looked, even for ones with a rough exterior. (Most I've seen are a bit worn)
If they're imported in very low numbers 1.2k isn't too bad a price. Still a lot compared to Switzerland but somewhat accessible for the right collector
Also finding one mint is basically impossible except in rare cases, even here. The people that bought them used them, that's what they were meant for. Which isn't a bad thing, every rifle tells a story
@neutral_af yeah, I was being nice, they're beat up. The prices are as low as they are cause nobody here knows what to do with them. Too beat to be a fine collector gun, ammo is too rare for a cheap shooter. There is zero historic data because they are civilian. And most are in exotic calibers we have to reload for (7.5x55 is somewhat available, x53 is not) not to mention most Americans don't understand euro markings. I saw one listed as 7mm mauser once because the barrel was stamped 7.57 So it's just folks like me who like martini actions.
beautiful analysis and presentation. thank you! They are fascinating rifles, almost a piece of the history of the great Swiss gunsmith who produced and customized them to measure (I believe with raw parts purchased from Hammerli & Hausch) for the great Swiss shooters.. The Swiss national shooting team, dominant at 300 meters in many competitions at the beginning of the last century with these beautiful rifles including the 1900 Paris Olympics with Staheli world champion (his Stutzer Martini are preserved in the shooting museum in Bern)
Palmetto from Italy. From what I've learned they sold the tooling to Pedersoli when they went out of business. Mine is from the 70's if you can trust Italian date codes
Nice video! Too bad none of these come up on Gunbroker and when I did a Google search the first page was just weird .ch websites that I didn't want to click on. I like single shots and if I could get something functional for relatively cheap I'd be sure interested.
Just to add a few points: I'm gonna do this mad minute with this rifle again pretty soon. There's room for improvements because I move the rifle too much between reloads and leaving the bandoleer and box of ammo near me was confusing as I got ammo from both places. Also using the set trigger slows me down a lot but as mentioned in the edit, I'm quite dumb so there you go. Next time I do it I'll work on keeping the rifle in my shoulder more, use the (very heavy) front trigger and place my ammo very close to my right hand. I believe that with a better setup and some training I could reach 13-14 rounds a minute. So stay tuned for that But this was my first Mad Minute and I'm happy I did it , I learned new things and I'll get the opportunity to apply those lessons and improve. We keep pushing. Love you all, don't forget to pet dogs and drink water !
Well done on showing how you make the paper cartridges for your Sharps. I recently purchased an original Model 1869 Sharps. Now Sharps never actually put the model name/number on any of their rifles except the 1869 or 1863 . . They called the latest version which began production in 1874. It was the public and the catologue which mentions 1874 model of which came in many configurations and calibers. Sharps started chambering the 1874 in 45-70 that year and produced 45-90 45-100 . Prior to that the most made chambering was the 44-77. The one I bought is a " 1874 model" chambered in 45-70 made in 1877. I also got at the same time an original Springfield Trapdoor in 45-70. The markings on this gun date it to 1873- 74. Both are off to a gunsmith who works mostly on single shot rifles to be looked at for safety and then be in firing condidtion. I also have 2 1885 High walls in 45-70 one winchester one Browning. They both shoot 5 shot cloverleafs at 100 yds. I will look for some more of your videos. For your additional information the Buffalo rifles made by Sharps weighed 14 to 16 pounds some more. The one I have is the Hunter model with octangonal barrel 30 inches weighing 10.5 pounds with double set triggers. I live in Canada and will have no problem shooting Moose, Elk, Bear, Whitetail deer or Bison if I so choose.
I've had for 7 months and keep it on lock 1 with no problems. Using it this way the burn risk is avoided but downside is need for double press and ~3/4 sec delay to turn on. This is a reasonable trade-off for me as the security feature of instant-on strobe and flat form factor are main reasons I chose. The unit also appears to be well-made. So far I've been pleased with the purchase. I saw a video indicating a new version with some improvements is coming or just released, as well as a slightly scaled-down model with reduced cost (EDC 25).
Due to how our gun laws work, we can have pretty much any semi-auto Uzi we want in the states, but the ATF banned open bolt Semi-autos years ago, due to how simple they are to convert back. ;) Semi-auto Uzi's in the United States all use the Mini Uzi striker system to fire from a closed bolt.
Yeah we got some of these in Switzerland (the semi with a two piece bolt). Mostly some very rare Action Arms and some Norinco clones. We also have quite a few original IMI's down converted to semi, which is cool but kinda sad as they were full-auto guns to begin with
It is your rifle; it is not a holy relic. Some people would rather you left it in original condition and let it rust in a closet for the next 30 years. The way it is now, you're probably shooting it and giving it a new life. Those people should go buy a rifle and do that to it, and not concern themselves with what other people do with their own property. Obviously, if the rifle had historical significance that would be different.
The amount of comments from fudds I've received over this is kinda insane. hunters are ok with it because a lot of them started with sporterized guns, but Swiss sports shooters absolutely hate it (I actually got insulted over it). But idk honestly, I'm not even the one that sporterized it in the first place. And yeah it's the rifle I shoot the most with my Sharps by far
Absolutely awesome and EXTREMELY PRACTICAL. Probably the best scout rifle build I have ever seen. I wish I thought of that. Had no idea magazines were still made for them. Definitely inspired me to start looking for one now lol Thanks. K31s are scary accurate and fast 😳
