Sharps Infantry Rifle M1859

Max effective range

800 yd

Length

47 in

Ammunition

.52" Minié Ball

The Sharps Rifle was issued to sharpshooter and cavalry units on both sides of the war. The M1859 featured a breech-loading system that allowed for faster loading than any rifle from its era. There were two variants of the Sharps produced: A full-lenght variant for infantry, and a Carbine variant for cavalry. The full-length guns had 11,000 produced, although most never saw use during the war. The carbine variant had almost 90,000 produced, most of which being supplied to cavalry units.