Sharps Model 1874, .44 Caliber "Old Reliable", 30" Octagonal Barrels, 13 lbs. 10 oz.

Research shows that this Sharps Rifle was purchased by the fort sutler, Frank E. Conrad, at Fort Griffin Texas. The Sharps factory letter dates the transaction on September 5, 1877 and the shipment was made in care of Moorehead and Company in Fort Worth, Texas. The gun is pictured in a number of photographs with Roy Rogers who nearly purchased the entire Schwend collection in the late 1950's. The gun has been meticulously restored to its pre-fire condition. Family records state that there was a Sharps' rifle matching this one that was in the original collection owned by Billy Dixon and used in his famous shot that killed an Indian at a distance of almost a mile. This is not that gun as it was made more then 3 years after the incident. Nonetheless, it has an interesting history, even without the Dixon connection.