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Author Topic: .50-140 Sharps  (Read 2105 times)

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Offline IOWA DON

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.50-140 Sharps
« on: August 22, 2007, 02:38:55 PM »
Here is a Thompson Center TCR '87 with a barrel chambered for .50-140 Sharps. The usual load is a 580-gr paper patch bullet at 1,600 fps. It is possible to get a lot more velocity but recoil becomes unpleasant. The stock is one I made of fiberglass. The factory wood stock broke from too many .50-140 loads. Besides the paper patched slugs, the other photo shows the 3-ball load. That is three .500 balls each weighing 187 grains with poly patches behind and to keep them separated. The velocity is 1,200 fps and they stay in about a 5-inch pattern at 50 yards. I think they would be a very effective shot-range deer load. Has anybody shot deer with a multiple-ball load? If so, how does it work for killing power?



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Offline jrkrk

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Re: .50-140 Sharps
« Reply #1 on: August 22, 2007, 05:32:24 PM »
Iowa Don where did you get the barrel from? :) :)
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Offline IOWA DON

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Re: .50-140 Sharps
« Reply #2 on: August 23, 2007, 02:49:34 AM »
The barrel was a "de-militerized" .50 cal Browning Machine Gun barrel I got for $50. I had a gunsmith pull a 12-ga slug barrel from a TCR barrel/monoblock. He turned down the .50 barrel and press fitted it back into the shotgun monoblock, and spot welded it in like a lot of the TCR barrels. There were two problems. The barrel had a very hard lining which did some damage to the chamber reamer, and it cost me extra to have it re-ground. Also the barrel's groove diameter is only 0.507 instead of the standard 0.510 so I don't feel safe shooting standard 0.510 jacketed bullets. And the interior of the barrel seems kind of rough and has a 1-in-15-inch twist. That's why I pound out bullets in a hammer die and paper patch them. A good commercial .50 caliber barrel would have been a better way to go.
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Offline gitano

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Re: .50-140 Sharps
« Reply #3 on: August 24, 2007, 12:45:17 PM »
That 0.003" isn't going to cause you any problems, even with jacketed bullets. Furthermore, you can swage jacketed bullets in a sizing die. I regularly do it with Lee sizers, swaging .338" jacketed bullets to .332" for a .330 groove diameter. The rifle has a pressure sensor installed, and using the same charge used for .330" bullets, the .332" bullets raise the chamber pressure an average of about 150 PSI. If you doubt the issue regarding the 0.003", read Ackley.

Paul
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Offline IOWA DON

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Re: .50-140 Sharps
« Reply #4 on: August 25, 2007, 05:34:19 AM »
gitano - Thanks for the info about barrel versus bullet size. I won't get rid of my 600-grain Barnes bullets. - DON
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