Far be it from me to drag this thread off-topic...
But... it appears Pedersoli Sharps shoot about as well as Shilohs and such, even if they ain't so pretty.
I'm thinking if'n I was in the market for a Sharps, I'd get a Pedersoli and use the other $1,500 to pay for a buffalo hunt.
JMHO,
Birdwatcher (who is svelte and lovely as a lissome reed in the wind)
"...if the gentlemen of Virginia shall send us a dozen of their sons, we would take great care in their education, instruct them in all we know, and make men of them." Canasatego 1744