50-140 anybody?

[oltom]

I started to be interested in the sharps rifles........and, as big as they are, why not a 50-140?

[KING]

:-D  :-D   Kaintuck.  Yup..I gots me one of them.  The only way someone is going to get that one away from me is going to steal it.  Like BW says.  It does have a lot of kick,but inturn that is kinda introspective.  I have shot up to sixty rounds in an afternoon with a full charge load of 140 FG with a 650 projo comming out of it.  I have found that the rifle shoots better than I do and I have placed three rounds in a cloverleafe at 100 yds with it a couple of times.  C.Sharps made mine and they did one great job on it,now,it might not be the prettiest thing on the bench,but it is when the trigger is pulled.   It is not a true caliber that was used during the buffalo days,but did come out a few years after i am told.  The .50-90 is a great one also.  If you have to have the biggest and best,then by all means go for it.  I will tell you that it will get your attention when the trigger is pulled,and also hope for some wind to clear the smok so you can see the target.  When I take it to the range it always will draw a crowd,and that  before you shoot it.  Most will agree that it does kick,but i think if feels more like a sharp push than a heavy smokeless kick (I said smokeless, Marsh,i did not say I was shootin smokless).  I always make sure that it is tight to my shoulder when i pull the trigger.  Others have shot it always thought that the recoil was going to kill em ,but after shooting it,they always wanted to shoot a couple more (sometimes).  If you do get one,you will not regret it.  Stay safe,and let me know,gots some good loads for it....King

[Coydog C.]

I think the first question you have to ask yourself is; “What am I going to use it for?”

IF, you’re just going to casually plink with it, hunt with it, or you have other BPCRs to play with then sure, why not get one.

The reasons why not to get one are many, as the other guys listed:

1.   Brass is expensive. For plinking and hunting no big deal, for a competition gun “OUCH”. I buy brass in 250-500 piece lots, it adds up.  :cry: I’ve got $350.00 tied up in 2.6” brass alone. Check out the price of dies while you’re at it.

2.   Recoil can be severe, not for a couple shots, but the cumulative effect. Again for plinking and hunting no big deal. To get a good BC you’re looking at a 650+  bullet. A light short match is around 60 shots a day, which doesn’t sound bad, but with a big gun it will wear the average shooter out. It’s hard enough to keep your concentration with a big .45 and shooter fatigue effects everyone to a different degree.  It is one thing to get up from behind the gun and say “not bad” it is another to have had all the rounds impact where you wanted them to also. I’ve shot my 45-2.6” over 60 rounds a day in matches, and I know it’s had an effect on me at the end of the day.

3.   The 3.25” cases weren’t original chamberings. Enough said.

4.   The bigger cases are harder to get shooting well. This is a combination of recoil and fouling. The caveat is your definition of well. Mine is 1-1.5 MOA for at least 10 shots and good chronograph stats. IF your criteria is minute of rock, or an 8” kill zone on an Elk, it’s easier to achieve. I’ve got a friend that took over a Shiloh order from me last year, just prior to delivery. He changed the caliber to 50-2.5”, because he wanted something different. He took delivery of the rifle in July, and is just now reporting getting good groups with it. This guy is very, very meticulous, a heck of a shot, and this is his 5th BPCR! I asked him about the recoil and he said “not bad”.  :eek:  

By now you’re probably saying “but I don’t want to shoot in matches”. Yup, I said the same thing once. Now I’m waiting delivery of my 4th competition rifle, once the bug bites, it’s all over. If I were ordering my first BPCR, I’d do some research and find a match close to me and go to it. Check out some rifles and calibers. The guys that shoot matches are very friendly and chances are very good you’ll get the chance to try some guns.

But, if your heart’s set on one, go for it. If you decide later on you don’t like it, A rebarrel job is only about $450 or so, and you can make the brass into wind chimes or something.  :lol:


Good Luck,

   Chuck

[Lead pot]

Hi All;

I dont have a 50-140 but I have shot one.It does get your attension when the hammer dropes.It hits a little harder than my .45-120 with a 560 gr bullet.
It's not bad sitting on the ground and shooting off of sticks,BUT lay it on low sand bags and snuggle up to it ,it will knock off your hat,and rattlel your teeth.   LP

[Brian in Oregon]

I have a Winchester 1885 High Wall Thickside with a 28" #4 octagon barrel and a traight grip with crescent buttplate in 50-150. I'm loading a full 140gr FFg with a 700 grain bullet.

Even with a weight of 10.5 lbs, recoil is brutal.

I'm hoping some year to use this for a bear/moose/buffalo hunt. Otherwise, it is gross overkill for anything else. The 700 grainer is passing clean through a three foot diameter Douglas Fir trunk.

One of the sweet points of a Winchester 1885 is that by swapping the barrel and the extractor, you can have more than one caliber. I'm going to set up a heavy barrel (#4) in 45-70 for this rifle, and park the 50-140 until such time as I can afford a big game hunt in Alaska or Canada.

Brass is not cheap. I have Red Willow, Bell and PMC, and each case costs about $3.00.

For target shooting this caliber is useless due to heavy recoil. But it will knock the stuffing out of anything in North America. In fact, it is quite similar to the British 500 that was popular for tigers in India.

[cal44walker]

I hav'nt fired the 50-140 but a friend of mine has a Remington roller which was rebarreled with a 50BMG barrel and chambered for 500 Black powder express.( 50 cal 3.25" OAL) Vicious is the only way to discribe this behemoth. 150 grains of Swiss 1F with a 750+ grain prjectile being launched from a light 10 pound rifle with a steel military buttstock is more an act of attempted self mutilation than a sport. I tried it 2 times.
The first time was standing and I felt like someone had hit my shoulder with a hammer. Second time I tried sitting postition and I crap you not I ended up on my back with my feet sky high. My friend almost took his eye out on the hammer as the beast recoiled. The holes in the mud backstop at 100m looked like a small animal had tried to set up a new burrow. Personally I would not own anything in that league because I just could'nt use it without developing the mother of all flinches, and spending a fortune on a chiropractor. There is no way that caliber could ever be seriously used for even limited competition or plinking.

[KING]

  I put 60 rounds through mine last wednesday..  Recoil is a bit stiff,but the rounds managed to stay on target..lotsa fun fer the boooooom....king