About Us

Sharps Rifle Company is the proud heir of the now legendary 19th-century rifles, embodying the spirit of the American Old West. Designed by Christian Sharps in 1848, Sharps rifles became known for their long-range accuracy thanks to Sharp's commitment to "build a better mousetrap." By improving on the deficiencies observed in the Hall Rifle, Sharps rifles became the first widely-adopted breechloader. 

Large-scale production of Sharps rifles was favored by the onset of the American Civil War, and they quickly became the mainstay of both Union and Confederate armies. 

Today, it's a rare sight to come by a gun enthusiast who has not heard the iconic name that is Sharps. 

These days there’s no question that America’s all-around “workhorse” rifle is the AR/ MSR, in various versions the U.S. military service rifle, the choice of law enforcement agencies around the country and hugely popular in the civilian market for personal protection, as well as for a variety of hunting and target shooting applications. In the same way that Christian Sharps sought to improve on the breechloader designs of his era, the folks at Sharps now have their eye on improvements and advancements in respect to critical AR/MSR components. “The tremendous popularity of the AR/MSR platform,” notes Jay Johnston, President and CEO “speaks for itself. It is a highly versatile platform that is adaptable to a wide variety of applications.

Our goal at Sharps has been not to build yet another version of the AR/MSR but instead to take a close look at how we can make a great rifle even better.”

We are proud to be led by our President & CEO Jay Johnston, who is also the visionary behind the revived Sharps Rifles Company.

Coming from a humble background, Jay is the epitome of the American dream. After a successful career on Wall Street, Jay went on to establish a number of successful companies, among which Sharps Rifle Company. Without Jay's expert vision and guidance, Sharps would never have become what it is today - proud of its roots but constantly reinventing itself.

Jay is now dedicating his time to what he loves most - hunting, fishing and horse riding at his beautiful Virginia residence, known as Western Gailes Ranch.