The letter from R.L. Moore Jr. (owner of the original Sharps records) indicates this rifle was invoiced on April 13, 1876, for Benjamin Kittredge & Co. of Cincinnati, Ohio, and is listed as a "Model 1874 Sporting Octagon Rifle" in .44 caliber with a 28 inch barrel, double set triggers, open sights, and oiled wood. The barrel has the standard sights, the Bridgeport address, "FREUND & BRO," and "50" (in place of the original caliber) followed by "CALIBER" on top at the breech. The right flat has "90" upside down. "JV" (letters opposite/flipped vertically) is stamped ahead of the forearm on the bottom of the barrel along with the original barrel weight "4-15/16" and the matching serial number. The forearm, lock, trigger group, and buttplate are also numbered to the gun. Like many in the American firearms industry in the 18th and 19th centuries, the Freund brothers were German immigrants. They had various shop locations as they followed the Union Pacific west and established permanent shops in Denver, Colorado, and Cheyenne, Wyoming, where they regularly modified firearms to fit their customer's needs. They are well-known for converting and altering Sharps rifles and sold rifles to the likes of generals Philip Sheridan, George Cook, and Theodore Roosevelt. Benjamin Kittredge & Co. acted as agents for many firearms companies and regularly forwarded the arms to retailers further west.

Good as professionally modified with thin blue finish mixed with gray patina, mild pitting, and scattered scratches and marks. The wood is fine and has scattered light scratches and dings throughout, some minor surface chips, and a crack in the wrist that is only visible with the stock removed. Mechanically excellent. Overall, this is a solid representative example of Sharps rifle that saw real use in the Old West and is connected with two well-known companies in the western arms trade.