With all the blacktical rifles and tacticool camo gear on display at SHOT Show, it was nice to see some old style craftsmanship — hand-built rifles with colored case-hardened receivers, fine engraving, and beautiful wood. We found just that at the Shiloh Sharps booth. The heritage style of the Shiloh Sharps rifles harkens back to another era, when the West was still wild, and gifted smiths crafted rifles with pride, skill, and true artistry.

The cartridges shown in the photo (left to right above rifle) are: 45-110, 50-100, 45-90, and 40-70.

This video shows how Shiloh Sharps crafts its rifles, from “Foundry to Finish”:

This week the NRA Black Powder Target Rifle Championship is being held at the Whittington Center in Raton, NM. Top Black Powder Cartridge Rifle (BPCR) shooters from around the country have come to Raton to test their skills during a week-long event with targets set from 200 to 1000 yards. Today through Thursday, mid-range matches continue at 200 to 600 yards. On the firing line you’ll see many handsome, custom-built BPCRs (Sharps, Ballards, Browning High Walls, Rolling Blocks) with exquisite wood, hand-checkering, and color-case-hardened receivers.

The 800-1000 yard Creedmoor matches will be held Friday and Saturday, August 24-25. Interestingly, for safety reasons, there are minimum bullet weight and muzzle velocity requirements for the Creedmoor matches. These BPCR shooters launch some seriously heavy projectiles downrange:

Overall, this is an exceptional auction, with most items unreserved. Auction items are displayed in a full-color, two-volume catalog, which can be ordered through the mail ($60) or viewed online at RockIslandAuction.com. The auction will be held in RIAC’s Moline, Illinois auction hall. You can bid on-site, by advanced sealed bid, or via telephone.

CLICK HERE to search auction items online. (Many photos and detailed descriptions.)

From early flintlocks to WWII vintage rifles and handguns, this December auction offers something of interest for virtually every firearms enthusiast. Shown in the photo below is an octagon-barreled target rifle, circa 1885. It features an extra fancy walnut stock with a finger spur and scroll trigger guard. There is a single set trigger, and the rifle comes with a 32″ tubular scope on custom mounts. Lot #260, this R.R. Moore rifle carries an estimated price of $2,500 – $3,750.

If you’re interested in a 20th-century piece with a fascinating military history, consider lot #1496, a J.P. Sauer model 30 drilling (triple barrel) shotgun/rifle, complete with case. This “survival rifle” was produced by Sauer for the German Luftwaffe in 1941. It has two shotgun barrels and one rifle barrel chambered for 9.3X74R. The Luftwaffe procured a limited number of these drillings in 1941 for issue to bomber crews stationed in North Africa. The drilling is complete with the aluminum storage case, rarely seen “Drilling M.30″ manual dated “Juni 1941″, factory target serial numbered to the gun, cleaning equipment and belt buckle. Also included with the group is the original capture paper issued to S/SGT C. C. Moorland on April 23, 1945. How much for the Luftwaffe Drilling? RIA estimates this unique gun (with accessories) will draw $27,500 – $35,000.

There is a special grouping of Sharps long Arms in this auction. The rifles, muskets and carbines are comparable to those RIAC sold from the famous Sharps collector Frank Sellers. Two examples include an extremely rare Sharps ultra heavy barrel special order Model 1874 target rifle (photo below) with factory letter ($25,000 – $37,500) and a rare Berdan Sharpshooters Sharps New Model 1859 rifle ($10,000 – $16,000). Such model 1859s were issued to the 1st and 2nd U.S. Sharpshooter regiments (Berdan’s Sharpshooters).

Shotgun collectors won’t be disappointed. Over 200 shotguns will be offered including superb examples from Holland & Holland, Purdey, and Westley Richards. An engraved, gold inlaid, consecutively-serial-numbered pair of Holland & Holland exhibition grade hammerless game bird set shotguns with factory letter is estimated at $35,000 – $65,000. Photo below.

Eastern Time 4:30 PM, 8:30 PM, 12:00 Midnight
Central Time 3:30 PM, 7:30 PM, 11:00 PM
Mountain Time 2:30 PM, 6:30 PM, 10:00 PM
Pacific Time 1:30 PM, 5:30 PM, 9:00 PM

Rifle shooting was a very popular spectator sport in the 19th Century. Thousands of spectators came to watch long-range rifle matches held on “Creed’s Moor”, a range built by the NRA with funds from the New York state legislature. The first International Creedmoor match took place in 1874, when a group of Americans responded to a “Challenge to the Riflemen of America” from the Irish rifle team, considered the world’s best. The match was shot at 800, 900 and 1000 yards and was decided on the very last shot. After an Irish cross-fire near the end of the match, American John Bodine shot a final bullseye to win the international challenge cup. The U.S. team used a combination of breech-loading Remington Rolling Blocks and Sharps rifles. The Irish team used Rigby muzzle-loading rifles.

Click Here for Creedmoor Match History | Click Here to view 12’x6′ 1874 Match Target

Gun Giveaways Indexed on the Web
You could spend hours fishing around the web for all the gun-related contests, or just log on to WeaponsCache.com. Matt, webmaster of WeaponsCache.com has scoured the web for gun and knife give-away contests. He has provided, all in one place, handy links and contest descriptions. Current give-aways listed on Matt’s site include:

Remington Model 870™ Express 20 gauge Shotgun

S&W M&P 15-22 (Rimfire AR15 Clone)

SIG SAUER p229 .40sw Pistol Drawing

Arsenal 7.62×39 Saiga Rifle Contest

OMB Glock 21 Pistol Give-Away (LEOs only)

Puma M92 Lever Gun Give-Away (Connors 50th Anniv. edition)

Grand View 12 Guns for 12 Months Sweepstakes

Shiloh Sharps 45-70 Rifle Drawing (for Active-Duty Military, Ends 9/11)

Take Note: The Shiloh Sharps Drawing is a once-a-year event for service personnel, and entries close Sept. 11, 2009.