Many improvements were made to the Sharps carbine as seen through its many models:  1851, 1852, 1853, 1855, 1859, New Model 1859, and New Model 1863. There were at least seven patents that directly affected the carbine.a The inventors, including Sharps, Lawrence, Conent, and Rollins, strove to make the gun more versatile, while still maintaining their established supply output. Innovations for the carbine made changes in its priming and ignition systems as well as its ammunition.



All of the cartridges for the Sharps carbine and rifle were .52 caliber (the bore was .54). The first Sharps cartridge type was covered in paper or linen. Those cartridges were easily made as long as the soldier had access to paper. Yet, when paper was not available and the marksman was out of cartridges, he could just drop the ball and powder in loosely.3 That feature made the gun more versatile. Sharps cartridges could also be used in other carbines, such as the Gibbs and Starr. (The later models of Sharps used metallic cartridges.)



The linen and paper covering contributed to the problem of not having uniform cartridge length. When the cartridges were too short, the end was not cut by the knife-edge of the breechblock (also known as a  chamber). Later, that problem was solved. The manufacturers decided to create a cartridge wrapped in a thin layer of “goldbeater’s skin,” like Colt’s percussion revolver. The new covering ignited with the explosion from the priming system even if the end of the cartridge was not cut. Because of the new cartridge cover, “the vent opening in the face of the block was moved to the center of the counterbore and extended through a hollow cone so the fire from the primer would impinge directly against the skin base of the cartridge.”4 The vent communicating tube was fashioned to be longer and have two right angles.  That change then required that a small hole be put in the side of the block, filled with a headless screw. The screw's slot, where you would put the end of the screwdriver, was too small and could not turn when it got dirty from old powder and primer. The screw would then strip.  That problem was fixed in the 1863 model by inserting a “screw with a large filaster head."4​

Other improvements ranged from the priming system to the sight. One improvement was the tumbler, a mechanism that contributes to the hammer movement, in the priming system. Due to the springs being too small, the tumbler easily broke. A stronger tumbler was put in the 1859 model. Also, a separate sear spring was eliminated and replaced by an extension of the main spring in the 1855 Model and after.4  Those two improvements ultimately made the percussion system more durable and reliable.

In trying to supply the most favorable priming system, the Sharps would shift between two and then was able to use a third. The 1851 and 1855 models used the Maynard Priming System.  The 1852 and 1853 models used the Sharps Pellet Primer. Then, finally, the 1859 Model and later used the Sharps Pellet Primer with a Cut-Off, allowing for the use of percussion caps.5 See patent section for details.

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