Hello Michael,
Yours is not the only (more or less)standard Borchardt with a Long Range breech block.
I have recently had correspondence with another Borchardt owner who has a Zischang Mid Range Target Rifle cut for Zischang DST's (unfortunately missing). It is currently with Joe Lozito in New York to have a set of his reproduction Zischang DST's fitted. It too has the Long Range Rifle breechblock.
As most people know, A.O.Zischang worked for the Sharps Rifle Company during the time that the 1878 Borchardt was in production and on the closing of the Factory set up his own gunsmithing business in New York.
It would appear from my own research that the remaining stock of the Sharps Co was bought by Schyler, Hartley and Graham the Military Equipment dealers (who could equip an army if requested to do so). They sold off Borchardts for about $12.00 each but they were even cheaper if you bought a case of them.(circa 1905) They also had stocks of spares for the Borchardt and the 1974 Model Sharps rifle.
As you know Zischang favoured the Borchardt action and built many fine target rifles upon that design. It is very likely he sourced his parts from Schyler, Hartley and Graham who were in the same city, and it is probable that others did so as well. As long as the parts fitted together I don't suppose it was of any consequence that the action was assembled using a military or target rifle breech block. It's likely there are more out there than we know about.
Harry
Last edited by Harry Eales; 11/26/12 12:27 PM.
