This rifle is mentioned by serial number in the book "Sharpshooter: Hiram Berdan and His famous Sharpshooters and their Sharps Rifles" by Wiley Sword and noted as "Perhaps one of the few non double set triggered Berdan Sharps" in his section on rifles "Relevant to the Berdan Special Order." Frank Sellers in "Sharps Firearms" suggests 500 rifles were manufactured with double set triggers and 1,500 had standard triggers. Sellers also notes that these rifles fall in the 35000-57000 range "with a scattered few above this" confirming this rifle is potentially one of the Berdan rifles. The differences in the amount of estimated rifles with double set triggers vs regular triggers are based on different interpretations of General Ripley's instructions to Sharps. Ripley informed Palmer at Sharps that the company would be responsible for any additional costs if they complied with Berdan's requests; however, as Sword details, a New Model 1859 with double set triggers and a socket bayonet was actually the same price as a standard Army version with a saber bayonet the Ordnance Department originally ordered due to the expense of the saber bayonets. All we know for sure is that at least 500 rifles had double set triggers and some surviving Berdan rifles have regular single triggers. Sword believed the single triggers were generally just replacements, but it is not clear that this is the case. This rifle has standard markings and sights, a plain trigger, iron patch box, "M.N.M." inspection mark on the barrel, no visible cartouche (previously reported by Sword to have had the correct "JT" cartouche for a Berdan Sharps), and "E" markings on the bottom of the forend, trigger plate, and buttstock.

Good. Mostly mottled gray and brown patina along the moderately pitted barrel, darker patina on the action, artificial gray patina visible on the replaced hammer, dark patina on the pitted patch box, and most of the refinished case colors on the replacement buttplate. The stock is fair and has some chips and slivers absent, even re-oiled finish, and numerous scrapes and dings throughout. Mechanically fine. This rifle has seen the heat of battle and is also importantly listed by Wiley Sword as a rifle relevant to the Berdan Sharpshooters.