.50-140 Sharps

Infobox Firearm Cartridge
name= .50-140 Sharps


caption= .50-140 Sharps cartridges
origin= USA
type= Blackpowder Rifle
service=
used_by=USA
wars=
designer=
design_date= 1884
manufacturer=
production_date=1884
number=
is_SI_specs=
parent=.50 Basic
case_type=Rimmed, straight-taper
bullet=.512
neck=.529
shoulder=.529
base=.551
rim_dia=.652
rim_thick=
case_length=3.25
length=3.95
rifling=
primer=Large rifle

is_SI_ballistics=
bw1=638
btype1=FN
vel1=1413
en1=2829
test_barrel_length= 30"
balsrc= The Complete Blackpowder Handbook "The Complete Blackpowder Handbook (3rd Edition)", Book by Sam Fadala, Krause Publishing, 1996 p.248]

The .50-140 Sharps rifle cartridge is a black powder cartridge that was introduced in 1884 as a big game hunting round.

This round was introduced 3 years after the Sharps Rifle Company closed its doors in 1881. The combination of a very large heavy bullet with a lot of powder made it a very effective round for large game.

Nomenclature

The cartridge is commonly called the .50-140 Sharps and is also known as one of the family of the "Big .50" It also referred to as the 3 1/4" 50.

Bullet diameter was typically .512" (13.004 mm) diameter. However, older black powder rounds with lead bullets are frequently loaded with a variation of bullet diameters based on which particular diameter shoots best in that particular gun. The type of rifling (grooves), bullet composition (lead/tin/alloy), etc. affect how well a particular diameter bullet will shoot.

Bullet weights ranged from 600 grains to a much heavier and more powerful 700 grains were used.

The powder charge was typically 140 grains of black powder. Modern substitutes such as Pyrodex can be used.

History

The .50-140 was created specifically with big game hunting in mind. This cartridge was created about the time that the last of the great buffalo herds had been destroyed. An obsolete round, ammunition is not produced by any major manufacturer although reloading components and brass can be bought.

Rifles are only produced on an infrequent basis by a few companies such as Shiloh Sharps and C. Sharps. The rifles are typically used for buffalo hunting and reenactments. Occasionally they are used for vintage competitions, but the heavy bullet and powder charge produce more recoil than other old-time cartridges such as the .45-70, and so are used less frequently.

References

*"Accurate Smokeless Powders Loading Guide Number Two" (Revised), Book by Accurate Arms Co, Wolfe Publishing, 2000 p.371