Sharps New Model 1859 Rifle Berdan Sharpshooter Serial Number Range

Civil War Sharps New Model 1859 Military Rifle with Malcolm Scope in the Berdan Sharpshooter serial number range. serial #55xx9, .52 caliber, 29"? barrel with a fine, bright bore having some very mild freckling within the grooves towards the breech. This double set trigger equipped rifle has an overall smooth, plum-brown patina with gray speckling evenly distributed around the receiver. The barrel is original, numbered to the gun under the forend, and was trimmed  at the muzzle which removed the bayonet lug and front sight. Indeed, this may have been the reason for the modification. The action itself is tight and the trigger mechanism is fully functional with a crisp, light let off when set. The rifle is equipped with a Malcolm telescopic sight that measures 33 1/8? in length with a tube diameter of 3/4?. The optics are slightly cloudy, but still perfectly serviceable, and the fine crosshair reticle, with four horizontal stadia for different ranges, is intact and in excellent condition