86
The Lyman tang sight and globe
front sight certainly fit this rifle. To
wring out even better results, the
WilliamMalcolm 3x scope is a good
match to the gun’s vintage lines.
‘Little Sharps’ was originally developed by
Ron Otto and Aaron Pursley in Big Sandy,
Montana,” said Norton.
“The first time I saw the Little
Sharps was at the Safari Club International
Convention in Reno, Nevada in 2005.
After seeing the many possibilities of a ‘Lil’
Reliable’ in a multitude of calibers for the
young, the old and everyone in between,
we developed a relationship with Little
Sharps and the rest is history.”
The difference between this new rifle
and an original Sharps is simply its size.
The Little Sharps produced by Chiappa
Firearms is a close duplicate of the full-
sized Model 1874. The Lyman Ideal is
reduced in scale by 20-percent from the
original’s dimensions.
The ratio of size reduction doesn’t
equal weight reduction, though. The new
design weighs nearly half as much as its
full-sized brother, while modern barrel
and action steel make it stronger as well.
The new rifle’s button-rifled barrel
is as capable of producing superb accuracy
matching the legendary rifle’s performance.
Lyman’s new Ideal model is a
continuation of where the historic Sharps
rifle series left off. The streamlined lock
profile and vintage- style laser engraving
are exclusive to this beautiful rifle.
Most befitting is the Lyman tang
sight and globe front sight. Double-set
triggers raise the accuracy potential, and
provide an adjustable, crisp let-off.
The bore groove measured .3775 on
the rifle I tested. The receiver is finished
bright matte, with vintage-style laser
engraving. The 26-inch barreled .38-55
rifle has a 1-in-18-inch twist.
The overall length is 42 inches, and
the rifle tips the scale at approximately
6 pounds. The stock is straight-grained,
classic walnut. As much as I like the sight
setup on this rifle, my eyes are a far cry
from the 20/12 vision I had when I was
in college. To give the rifle a fair chance
at proving its potential, I decided to add
a scope.
Now, it wouldn’t do to add just any
scope to this vintage classic, so I chose
On June 27, 1874, more than
500 KIOWA
AND COMANCHE WARRIORS
suddenly surrounded young Billy Dixon
and 27 buffalo hunters.
The Kiowa medicine man told the warriors
that his medicine made them invisible to the
bullets of the ‘white eyes.’When Dixon fired his Sharps sporting rifle
and blew a Kiowa from his horse at 1,538 yards, the Indians got
A SHARP DOSE OF REALITY.
“
”