- OK.
So what do we got here?
WAYNE: It's an 1861 Sharps and Hankins experimental rifle.
RICK: That's pretty cool.
It was most likely some weird prototype.
Do you know how many they made?
WAYNE: Somewhere between 700 and 750 in-between five
different models.
RICK: They were probably different models
they were running off and probably trying
to sell them to the military.
You'd normally call something like this a prototype,
but experimental sounds so much better when you're trying
to sell it to the military.
[laughs]
WAYNE: My Uncle's a gun collector.
And he got me started in collecting guns.
I found the rifle at a pawn shop,
and I got a great deal on it.
And looking at the name of the rifle,
I knew it was something special.
I'd like to sell my Sharps and Hankins
rifle so I can get the money to buy more antique firearms.
RICK: Right around that time period,
there was a million and one experimental,
or prototypes, all these other things
because there was, like, an explosion in gun technology.
Lot of weird designs were coming out
because all the other designs were patented.
And there was government contracts
going crazy to get guns.
I mean, the Civil War had just broke out.
We basically didn't have anything near of the Army
that we needed to actually go to war.
But I imagine a million guns were
sold to the military during the Civil War
and probably close to that number in the South.
By the 1830s, machining had become so good,
you could make better guns.
And by the 1850s, all these weird, experimental guns
were coming out.
Sharp's rifles are known for their quality.
And even the guns that didn't sell well
are still considered collectible.
It doesn't look like a rapid fire rifle when you--
literally, the way you fire this is--
you know, you have to do this, this,
pull the old shell out, put another shell in, and fire it.
But in 1861, that was amazing.
CHUMLEE: Does it still fire?
WAYNE: I believe it does.
Everything looks good.
The bore--
There shouldn't be any problem firing it, it's
just finding the ammo for it.
This probably takes a bizarro caliber.
And the beautiful thing is it says Sharps on it.
WAYNE: Yes.
RICK: And that's where the term sharpshooter came from.
Did you know that? WAYNE: Yes.
I did.
RICK: It used to be Sharp's shooter because Sharps
were so accurate.
They had serious accuracy for a very long distance.
- Kind of like me. - Yeah.
CHUMLEE: I'm pretty accurate, Rick.
[laughs]
RICK: But I dig it.
I think they're really, really cool.
There are some concerns here.
It looks like the stock has been at least sanded down.
It doesn't look like it's in the original shape.
What do you want for it?
Well, I was hoping to get $3,000.
RICK: One of my problems with this
is when you start getting guns that are,
you know, you said there's only 700 or 800 of them made,
and then there's five different models--
it's a very thin market.
And I don't know the value of it, quite frankly.
And I would like someone to take a look at it if you don't mind.
Not at all.
SEAN RICH: Sharps-- just the name--
it's well-known to this day.
And it's because of the quality of manufacturing,
and the fact that these guns were very accurate.
There's a large collector base for these guns out there.
The barrel length-- when they were going into production,
they're gonna make it a standard length.
It's going to be 23, or 25, or what have you.
This has got 23 and--
RICK: 3/4?
SEAN RICH: More-- it's-- it's in-between.
It's weird.
5/8.
SEAN RICH: That would not be the standard number
that they would land on.
So that raises a red flag for me.
There stands a chance that this could
be one of the experimental rifles,
but chances are it's been modified.
What do you think it's worth?
SEAN RICH: It's a solid $1,500 to $2000 gun.
RICK: So-- but it's most likely modified.
It's a modified rifle.
That's what I'm saying.
OK. Thanks, man.
Absolutely.
When it comes to anything of this period being experimental,
it could be extremely rare.
And anything that's extremely rare
could be worth a lot of money.
But because of that, that brings out a lot of the fakers.
RICK: I mean, so what will you realistically take for it?
I would say $1,750.
No, because that's what he said I could retail it for.
It's been messed with.
And if it hadn't been messed with,
I would have paid you your $3,000 in a minute.
I will give you $1,000.
That's what I can give.
WAYNE: The lowest I could go would be $1,500.
I mean, I'll go $1,050.
And I shouldn't even do that, but that's what I'll do.
No, I can't go less than that.
Have a nice day.
- Thank you. - All right.
Have a good one.
WAYNE: It's disappointing to get the offer.
Even the expert said it was worth more than that.
I'm going to take the gun home and do
some more research on it.