The .50-140 Sharps is a rifle cartridge introduced in 1884 by Winchester as a big game hunting round, three years after the closure of the Sharps Rifle Company. It was believed to have been introduced for the Sharps-Borchardt Model 1878 rifle.
Design Details[]
The .50-140 Sharps is a large-caliber black powder hunting cartridge. The casing is rimmed with a straight taper.
The bullet diameter is typically .512 inches, and the weight ranged from 600 grains (39 grams) to 700 grains (45 grams).
The powder charge was usually 140 grains (9.1 grams) of black powder. Modern alternatives, such as Pyrodex, are sometimes used, albeit using smaller charges due to Pyrodex having a lesser density than black powder.
When in a strong action with modern smokeless powder, the .50-140 Sharps can achieve a muzzle velocity exceeding that of a 500-grain .458 Winchester Magnum load while using a heavier 550-grain projectile.
History[]
The .50-140 Sharps was developed as the most powerful of the Sharps Buffalo hunting rounds. However, it was introduced around the time that the last of the great buffalo herds were destroyed.
Obsolete, ammunition is not produced by any major manufacturer, though reloading components and brass are available for purchase.
Rifles chambered in the .50-140 Sharps cartridge are produced on an infrequent basis by a few companies, and were typically used for hunting buffalo and in reenactments.
Occasionally, the cartridge is used in vintage shooting competitions, but it produces more recoil than other old-time cartridges such as .45-70 Government that it is used less frequently.