Why no rifle receivers?

[ewmail15]

I've noticed one thing in my months of serious CW rifle and carbine parts - that nobody sells rifle or carbine receivers. Most of the barrel-only sales I've seen look to be in minimal rust condition. Why then did the scavengers decide to junk the receivers?

Is it the issue of how the barrel metal was Damascus(?) vs. whatever for the receiver? The bluing on the barrel vs. whatever for the receiver? Other considerations? My searches are for Sharps primarily.

 

[gary]

On metallic cartridge guns and breechloaders, the receivers were recycled into other firearms or calibers. Unwanted barrels are leftovers from that process.

 

[Jobe Holiday]

Gary is quite correct, with many of them ending up on the Plains as Buffalo Rifles!
J.

 

[sourdough]

On metallic cartridge guns and breechloaders, the receivers were recycled into other firearms or calibers. Unwanted barrels are leftovers from that process.

Gary is quite correct, with many of them ending up on the Plains as Buffalo Rifles!
J.

I am no expert on the historical aspect of this, but I'll add my modern experience. Mind you, this was my first and last experience of this type, and I was (and am) a rank newbie in this area.

In the early 90's I came across a Remington Rolling Block #1 at a garage sale. It had a burst .45-70 barrel (about 12" from the muzzle) that her deceased husband had owned. I relieved her of it for $100.

Then my imagination went wild.

I completely disassembled it and the receiver was in very good shape, and only had to replace a couple parts which I obtained from Numrich. The case colors were faded, and a friend and I managed to heat the barrel a bit and remove it.

I ordered a 34" barrel chambered in .45-120 from some company (?) and we installed it to the frame, and magically the top barrel flat came up perfectly horizontal with no fitting.

I then ordered 100 new .45-120 brass casings from SMI (?) from Montana and loaded 20 0f them using RCBS .45-70 dies (adjusted high) on an RCBS single-stage press using 405 gr leadSpeer bullets and IMR 4895 powder (smokeless).

We tied the re-assembled gun to a tree and used a 50' string to pull the trigger. It didn't come apart so we did it for several more rounds like that and everything held together.

I then ordered some fancy walnut wood (butt and fore-end) from E.C. Bishop in Warsaw MO (they were cheaper than Reinhart Fajen in the same town) with crescent buttplate. I spent nearly 3 months using Linspeed oil on the wood.

Added a tangent caliper aperture rear sight and a globe front sight w/level.

When it was all finished, it shot well, but it sure was a heavy rifle. My, my, I had my pseudo Creedmoor!

After several years I got burnt out on it and told a co-worker about it. He took one look at it and offered me $2000.

I took the offer and broke even, without adding in the sweat equity, which was the learning experience. He died a few years later, his wife did not like guns, we moved out of state, and I have no idea what happened to it.

I got lucky and I won't attempt anything like it again!

To the OP: that's where some frames end up.

Jim

 

[ikesdad]

Yep, I agree. Freund of Denver and Cheyenne was just one concern building custom rifles on the Sharps (among other) receivers. Same reason there are currently more original Mauser 98 barrels than actions on the market.
Damascus was used on higher end double shotguns post war.

 

[Jobe Holiday]

E. C. Meacham of St. Louis probably converted more military Sharps Carbines and Rifles into sporting rifles than all of the others put together!
J.

 

[sourdough]

Same reason there are currently more original Mauser 98 barrels than actions on the market.

When I lived in Alaska long ago, I had a friend who owned a "sporterized" Mauser 98 in .30-06, custom stock and all. He used it for moose/Dall sheep hunting. Bought it used back in the day, 1980.

Slick gun as all of those Mausers were.

But I am off topic.

Jim

 

[ewmail15]

Never thought of the repurposing aspect. Ssfirearms' list of CW era and late 1800's orphaned barrels is long. I don't think I've seen in my abbreviated six months of being a Sharps owner anyone who had just a receiver to sell.