IIRC, E.C. Meacham & Co. was a St. Louis outfit that modified surplus Sharps rifles and carbines for sporting and hunting purposes. I recall seeing one with a 32" barrel chambered for Sharps .45-2.1 (so marked), which, of course is the .45-70 basic cartridge. However, the barrel had a very slow twist, so that it is likely it was a rifle-musket barrel originally, and meant for a bullet weight in the 300 gr. range! Perhaps they meant to get extra velocity out of it...more than possible with the heavier bullets and black powder. The action was a regular Sharps, but the hammer had been slimmed down just a bit.