Shiloh Rifle Forums

I am really new to Sharps and I have two very basic questions.

What is a Hartford Collar?

I see it referenced as part of specific rifles illustrated on the site. But I can't see the Hartford Collar itself. I cannot find any pictures of it in the add-ons section. I can only find the Hartford Collar on the price list, but no description.

Also, I see that a 6x scope is available in a style consistent with an old Sharps. Was this type Scope used with percussion Sharps or only cartidge sharps?

thanks,

Canoe

Canoe112,
go to the add ons and scroll down to the antique finish pictures. The one on the left has the Hartford collar. You can see it at the junction of the action and the barrel. it is that nice rounded area right where they meet. for comparison look at the one on the right. it does not have the Hartford collar

Trigger dr

Trigger,

Thanks. I see it.

Is it a finish detail for appearance sake or does it serve a functional purpose?

Is the barrel narrower with a Hartford collar or is it the same barrel with the collar attached?

The rifle without the Hartford gives the appearance of having a wider barrel. Or, are my eyes just deceiving me again?

thanks,

Canoe

The barrel with the Hartford collar is not any narrower. The collar really is just cosmetic. I happen to prefer it. I just plain like the looks of it, so I have ordered it on both my Shiloh's, and will order it on all future Shilohs. Like the old lady said when she kissed the calf, "It's just a matter of taste".

Canoe112;

I forgot to comment on your question about the scopes.

The MVA scope you see on the Shiloh site is period correct. Some folks have thought that they are not long enough, but in actuallity, scopes of different lengths were available in the 19th century. And they were used both on percussion rifles and on cartridge rifles.

While a lot of folks say the MVA is the best period scope on the market (and I am probably one of those), there is also the R.H.O. scope that is a very good scope. Come the time I decide to get a scope for my Shilohs, I have not decided which of the two I will get. Here is the R.H.O. web site:

http://rho.lautard.com/

I just may end up having to get both.

It would be nice if I could get my act together and have put all of this in one post. Oh well, .

In reference to the barrel with the Hartford collar looking narrower. I just looked at the two referenced pictures. The picture on the left with the Hartford collar looks to be a rifle barreled with a heavy octagon barrel. The picture on the right with out the Hartford collare appears to be a rifle barreled with either a 14 or 16 pounder bull barrel, and of course would be thicker than the Hartford collared barrel. You can tell by looking that the wood of the forearm does not come up as high on the action and barrel of the rifle on the right. The wood of the forearm comes up higher on the action and barrel of the rifle on the left. So you have pictures of two different sized barrels.