Edition 2013-6 Published by C. Sharps Arms Co., Inc.

SHOOTING THE BIG .50

Manufacturers of A WORLD FAMOUS SERIES of Classic Metallic Cartridge Rifles and Classic Sights P.O. Box 885, Big Timber, MT 59011-Pnone: 406-932-4353-Fax: 406-932-4443

2013 csharps@ttc-cmc.net * www.csharpsarms.com 2013

THE AMERICAN SHARPS SHOOTERS Publisher: C. Sharps Arms Co. Inc., John R. Schoffstall – President

Mike Nesbitt - - - Editor (miken54@aol.com)

Dakota Dick Savage - - Field Contributor (honodick@mt-rushmore.net)

Dangerous Don McDowell – Field Contributor (ranch13@hotmail.com)

Table of contents: SHOOTING THE BIG .50 by Mike Nesbitt page 3

Outstanding Products ” 8

AN OLD RANCHER MEETS AN “OLD FARMER” by Dangerous Don McDowell ” 14

SHOOTING THE BIG .50

By Mike Nesbitt

When this story was being started it was going to be about a particular new rifle being used with a new

bullet. However, it didn’t take me very long to realize that I didn’t have enough “ammunition” prepared to

write a story that specific. So, in order to stay with the subject of shooting the Big .50, allow me to talk in a

more general sense about this cartridge and some of the loads that it can devour. Yes, maybe I’ll keep working

on that new bullet and if so data about it can be shared with shooters at a later date.

My interest and appreciation for the .50/90 Sharps, more accurately known as the .50-2 ½” cartridge, is

what really keeps me going with rifles chambered for that round. As this is written I have three rifles that

devour those cartridges, all versions of the Sharps 1874 by C. Sharps Arms. But liking the “Big .50” as much

as I do, this affection does not come without some pains attached and I don’t mean simply in recoil.

This is Mike’s 14 pound .50/90 with the #2 Heavy 30” barrel

The biggest pain that I’ll mention, and I really don’t intend to start a long list, is the general

accuracy of those rifles. Of course, that statement needs to be clarified and rather quickly. While the Big .50

has never enjoyed the reputation for accuracy that the long range cartridges like the .44/90 or the .45/110 have

rightfully earned, it should still perform better than they often do. My comments are given here only in the very

general sense because the .50/90 will shoot rather well when it is fed with the proper loads and bullets.

Rather than beat around the bush any further, let me point out that the biggest root to any problems with

accuracy with the Big .50 stem from bullet weight and bullet design when mixed with the 1 turn in 26” rate of

twist found in most of the .50/90s made over the last several years. That rate of twist is desired for long range

shooting while using bullets that are much heavier than the 473 grain paper patch bullets of the old factory

loads. Using those long very heavy bullets is just fine, if that’s what you really want to do.

For myself, I have always been more interested in duplicating the old loads while using paper patched

bullets. It might just be that “looking like the old factory loads” is one of the characteristics I’m striving for in

addition to some good and accurate shooting. By “accurate shooting” what I’m referring to is accurate enough

to be dependable on a hunt where shots out to 150 yards or maybe even 200 yards might be expected. We can

add to that, of course, with the

chances of knocking down

silhouettes or ringing gongs at

longer ranges, or even trying

to plug the “Quigley bucket”

that’s out there nearly as far as

the eye can see. Those are not

exacting parameters but they

will certainly require some

good shooting bullets to fulfill.

Those ideas were being

followed when I had Tom

Ellis at Accurate Molds make

bullet #50-470T, a tapered

paper patch bullet. Several

friends told me that bullet

Here the #50-470 bullet in both the 50/90 (left) and a .50/70 (right) would not fly with the

accuracy I was hoping to get but I kept trying. It did come close to keeping me satisfied, but not quite.

After getting my “heavy” rifle in .50/90, with

a #2 heavy barrel which gives the rifle a weight of an

even 14 pounds, I tried some 535 flat-nose grease

groove bullets with 90 grains of Olde Eynsford 1.5F

and those shot quite well. Let me admit that I don’t

care for the flat-nosed bullet shape because they make

the cartridge look like they’re intended for tubular

magazines. At the same time I certainly do like their

performance.

So, I ordered another paper patch mold from

Accurate, #50-525T, a tapered paper patch with a long

nose. This bullet is listed as being 1.3” in length and

with a soft alloy it weighs in the neighborhood of 535

grains. The bullet was intended to be just the thing

for that 1 turn in 26” rate of twist and I was rather

hasty with excitement to get some of them “on paper”

to show off that increase in accuracy. Well, that

increase has not yet materialized. In fact, I haven’t

gotten this bullet to shoot as well as the lighter one. Notice the long nose on the bullets from #50-525T

Some more work needs to be done with that 535 grain paper patched bullet in order to get it to perform

better, of course. But in order to get a good shooting load more quickly I have turned to using greased bullets

and this child was in for a couple of surprises. The best surprise came with the old standard 450 grain bullet for

the .50/70. I had used those before but only for fire-forming loads, where they hit on the target simply didn’t

matter. In fact, good performance wasn’t expected because almost everyone says a bullet weight less than 550

grains will seldom perform well in the 1 n 26” rate of twist in these .50 caliber barrels.

At least part of the general belief about bullets

weighing less than 550 grains in a 1 in 26” twist is not

completely true. I had seen that with my own eyes when

Adam Sampson easily won our summer league using that

very bullet in his .50/70. So, if a .50/70 can use that bullet so

well, why not a .50/90 with the same rate of twist?

Dangerous Don added to that good question when he was

helping Doc work up loads for his “Old Farmer” and Don

told me that just about everything they tried worked best

with 100 grain loadings. (For more of Don’s comments, see

his story in this volume.) That made me try some of the

.50/70 bullets from Lyman’s #515141 mould over 100 grains

of Olde Eynsford 1 1/2F. Those worked well enough that I

tried the same bullet over 90 grains of the same powder and

that’s where I am staying for a while.

Bullets and loads with Lyman’s #515141 One thing I am doing is compressing the powder slightly

with a card wad, then adding a grease cookie under the greased bullet. This simply adds more lube to the mix

and that added lube should keep the barrel just a tad cleaner for continued shooting.

This experience with the 450 grain greasers also put me back on the track of shooting the 480 grain

paper patch bullets while trying different lubes and different amounts of lube. My real desire is to get that paper

patch “slick” working well because that is the bullet I really want to hunt with.

During the shooting that is described in this short tale there was one shot taken that might have a little

bit of the “ring of the hunt” to it. That was done shortly after Halloween and a nice big pumpkin was selected

as the target. With the pumpkin set on the ground at just 60 yards from our shooting line, the heavy .50 was

loaded with one of the paper patch bullets over 90 grains of Olde Eynsford 1 1/2F powder and then the sights

looked about right, the trigger was squeezed. To say that pumpkin looked like it was hit with a buffalo gun

would certainly border on a redundancy,

we might even say it looked like it was hit

by a Big .50! Even so, the result was not

as explosive as it might have been.

That shot hit the pumpkin just a bit

higher than center so very little internal

fluid added any “hydraulics” to the show.

But the bullet “wounds” on the pumpkin

will speak for themselves. The entry hole

is big enough but the exit hole is simply

gaping. Shooting or making that shot was

simply a lot of fun, almost enough fun to

make me go get more pumpkins.

Shooting the pumpkin with the

.50/90 was even more revealing when the

pumpkin was shot a few more times with

a .44/40 revolver. The bullet holes from

the .44 seemed to be self-closing and the

Rifle and pumpkin before the shot .44 could hardly make that pumpkin leak!

Entrance hole Exit hole

More shooting was done and this included shots with 650 grain grease groove bullets that Dakota Dick

sent to me to try. Dick also sent me some loading recommendations that I’ll include here. He said to load the

650 grain bullets in un-sized cases with the 95 grain powder charge compressed with a card wad and a .06”

vegetable wad for “padding.” The powder needs to be compressed enough that the bullet can be seated to its

proper depth with just the fingers. After the bullets are seated they should be taper crimped just enough to hold

those bullets in the cases.

I followed Dick’s recommendations rather closely but not exactly. My loads used 90 grains of Olde

Eynsford 1 1/2F and that powder charge was compressed with a card wad plus an oiled leather wad which is

about .06” thick. (I have plenty of leather scraps from oiled sides and if anyone can think of a good reason not

to use them, please tell me.) In order get that tapered crimp on the loads I simply started the loaded cartridges

into the sizing die, not all of the way, just far enough that the bullets were snuggly held by the mouth of the

cases. Then, of course, the loads were slid into the rifle’s chamber just to be sure they would fit.

My report about shooting those loads is a good one but it can’t be considered conclusive yet because I

only loaded and fired five of them. Yes, I’m just getting started. This means I cannot give you any data from

the chronograph with the 650 grain bullets but I probably will do that in the future. What I can show you is my

five-shot group with those five rounds, fired at the bullseye target you see below with the target posted at 50

yards. Now, that’s not a bad start!

All of my shooting for this report was done with the 14 pound rifle but soon I’ll be doing more shooting

and I’ll be sure to include at least one other gun because I still have and like the Billy Dixon rifle that was

written about a year ago. That rifle, you might remember, has a # 1 ½ Heavy barrel that is 32” long and it

weighs just one pound less than the 14 pound rifle.

In fact, much of my shooting is done to find hunting loads that can be depended on and if I do get to

hunt with one of my Big .50 caliber rifles it will probably be done with the Billy Dixon model. One reason

for that is because the Billy Dixon rifle has the silver front sight while the 14 pound rifle has a black

aperture front sight. It could get very hard to see that black front sight while trying to

make a hunting shot.

Mike’s Billy Dixon Rifle

One thing I will say about shooting the Big .50s, it kind of gets in your blood. It’s habit

forming! At this immediate time there is nothing more conclusive that I can say because I have not

found the accurate loads wanted but I certainly do know that I will keep trying. The main thing that really

keeps me going is simply this, there’s just nuthin’ else quite like shootin’ the Big .50!

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTS:

LYMAN’S NEW MODEL OF 1878

By Mike Nesbitt

Here’s an imported rifle we might give some attention to because Lyman’s new offering is something

BPCR shooters can appreciate. It’s a new copy of a Sharps Model 1877 rifle. In fact, this rifle is good enough

that it will help introduce some new shooters to black powder cartridge shooting.

A couple of comments need to be made about the designation of Lyman’s new Sharps. It is a rather

good copy of the old Sharps Model of 1877 but Lyman has tagged it as their Model of 1878. The reason for

that is because Lyman’s history goes back to 1878 and they gave this gun their own designation. Yes, the 1878

Sharps Borchardt is a totally different rifle but right now we’re talking about the Lyman Model of 1878, which

is a copy of the 1877 Sharps.

Here’s a general description of this new rifle; it is made by Pedersoli in .45/70 caliber and the barrel has

a rate of twist for one turn every 18 inches. That barrel is round and 30” in length. The rifle comes with a

Lyman covered front sight which has changeable apertures and a Lyman 2A tang sight on the wrist. It is

stocked in very select walnut which is checkered quite nicely and the forearm has a very attractive

ebony tip. The receiver and buttplate are finished with a gray color and the receiver is tastefully

engraved with Lyman’s name, “Model Of 1878,” and their logo on the buttplate. Lyman lists the

weight of this new rifle at 9 pounds and this particular one was weighed at an even 9 ½ lbs

Part of the lighter lock for the 1877s was a lighter weight hammer and that is duplicated

rather well on the Lyman Model of 1878. The hammer on this new rifle has a rather high half-

cock position and that suggests these locks use the same spacing for notches on the tumbler as

on percussion guns. And, differing a bit from the original Sharps 1877 rifles, the new Lyman

Model of 1878 has double set triggers which work very well.

The stock wood is outstanding and it must be praised for both its fit with the

metal of the rifle and for its fit to the shoulder of the shooter. It has a length of pull of 14

inches and the fit to the shoulder is so nice that the rifle is a real pleasure to shoot. The pistol

grip stock is very comfortable to hold and the properly styled 1877 Sharps forearm must

be appropriately complimented too.

Shooting with this new rifle was good and all of the shooting done for this

review was while using black powder loadings. First to be tried were some “carbine loads”

which used 55 grains of Olde Eynsford 2F under Lyman’s #457124. This was chronographed

with an average of 1245 feet per second out of the 30” barrel. It is interesting to note that the 55

grains of Olde Eynsford gave an extreme spread in velocities of only 13 feet per second over the five

shots recorded. These shot very well at both 50 and 100 yards.

More shooting was done with Lyman’s #457658; a pointed plain base bullet listed as weighing 480

grains. These were loaded over 65 grains of Olde Eynsford 2F and they crossed the chronograph at an average

of 1248 feet per second. Again the extreme spread of the velocities was very small, only 11 feet per second

over the five shots recorded. More shooting needs to be done to form a better base for real definite conclusions

but at this time the heavier pointed bullet looks like it will be the real performer in this rifle, good enough to be

a true competitor.

One other load was tried in the new Lyman and this one again is for single shots only. That was a copy

of the old Sharps .45/75/400 load using 75 grains of Olde Eynsford 2F under a 400 grain paper patched bullet.

This load has “hunting” written all over it and the single load that was chronographed crossed the screens at

1396 feet per second. More will possibly be said about shooting this rifle at a future date.

All of the shooting with the new Lyman Model 1878 went very well and, of course, there is still a lot of

shooting yet to do. For shooters interested in Sharps style rifle, this is a very good gun to have. It has a list

price of $1995 and for more information simply contact Lyman Products Corporation, 475 Smith Street,

Middletown, Connecticut 06457. You can also visit their website at www.Lymanproducts.com.

H&H LEATHERS’ RIFLE CARTRIDGE BELT

By Mike Nesbitt

One of the things I wanted to go along with my Sharps rifles was a cartridge belt that was made along

the lines of the “Quigley belt.” By that I mean it would have loops for three cartridges on each side of the

buckle in the front, then a space on each side to allow carrying a knife or a sidearm, then a row of cartridge

loops across the back. Several leather workers offer Quigley type cartridge belts but the maker who would

make me what I wanted at a rather reasonable price was Harrison & Harrison Leather Works out of Kitty Hawk,

North Carolina.

And what I wanted was actually rather plain while most other Quigley styled cartridge belts are lined

and more deluxe. Also, I wanted the loops for .50 caliber Sharps cartridges and too many of the other makers

would not consider making such a cartridge belt for any sized cartridges than the basic .45s. So, when Jim

Harrison said he’d make me an un-lined cartridge belt for with loops for the .50/70 (same as for .50/90) and

with a price of $150.00 he quickly got the job.

We discussed the design of this belt by comparing some details. Often the Quigley style belts are made

4” wide and this one is a bit thinner at 3 1/4” wide. Also, this is a tapered end design so this belt is made from

only one piece of leather except for the cartridge loops. And those loops are positioned higher than on the

centerline of the belt just to keep the cartridges from riding too low. (H&H does make a belt they call their

Quigley model but it is lined and carries a much heavier price tag.)

This belt has 3 cartridge loops about 6” from the buckle on either side, then a space of 8” on both sides

with a dozen more cartridge loops across the back. Those dimensions and spaces might differ slightly because

each belt is handmade and belts ordered in other sizes come with more or less cartridge loops. Those cartridge

loops, of course, can be ordered to fit other sized cartridges.

One of the duties I expected to give this belt was the task of hauling .44/77 cartridges and in the photo

you see of this belt it

is “loaded” with paper

patch .44/77 ammo.

The .44/77 cartridges

have proven to be just

a bit too skinny for the

.50 caliber belt loops

and while I haven’t

lost any of my .44

rounds, they do fit

loosely in the

cartridge loops. There

is one very easy way

to fix that problem and

my love for the .44

Sharps cartridges will

probably prompt me

to make that easy fix,

and simply get another

cartridge belt fitted with loops for the bottlenecked .44s. That way I wouldn’t need to change the ammo in the

belt should I take a different rifle.

Harrison & Harrison Leather Works is very easy to contact. Just go to http://harrisonleather.com/ to

view their very impressive web site and ask for Jim, simply because he’s the most familiar with the belt he

made for me. A complete mailing address is; Jim Harrison, Harrison & Harrison Leather Works, P.O. Box

1029, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina 27949. And their telephone number is (252) 305-6059.

DEAN OLIVER’S CUSTOM “RIVER BOWIE” KNIFE By Mike Nesbitt

You might have noticed the Bowie knife I carry on my H&H Leather Works cartridge belt. It is a style

that was made for me, at least at my suggestion, by Dean Oliver and Dean’s knives are very widely known

although not really by his name. The reason for that is because his knives are sold by a large number of traders

and mail order houses. We can always identify one of Dean’s knives by his “canoe” trademark and while his

standard knives are rather well known, his custom knives really deserve more attention.

The custom or “one of a kind”

knives that Dean makes can have

blades up to 12 inches long and all of

his knives come with sheaths. Dean

personally favors the “rifleman’s knife”

style, which dates back to the mid

1700s. When he fills an order for a

custom knife the price he wants is

determined by the hours he puts into it,

the size of the knife, and the thickness

of the steel. His short tang antler

handled knives use no adhesives to hold

the antler piece to the tang. Instead,

Dean uses poured pewter as the

“bonding agent” and finishes the

pewter to be an attractive bolster

between the steel of the knife blade and

the antler piece used for the knife’s

handle. This, of course, is for short tang knives only. If antler or wood is used for handle slabs on the full tang

knives, the slabs are held on with pins for rivets.

All of Dean’s knives have a lifetime warranty on the blades and the buyer’s satisfaction is guaranteed.

If you don’t like the knife he makes for you, send it back for a full refund minus the postage. Dean also makes

completely finished blades for those who want to fit their own handles to the knife.

This “River Bowie” is worth braggin’ about too. It is in the style of an early Bowie knife from, as

suggested by Robert Abels in his book Classic Bowie Knives, the 1830’s period. That fits right in with my

favorite time period and it is a style of knife that might have been seen on a hombre’s belt from the rendezvous

era right up through to time of the great buffalo hunts.

The original knife that this new River Bowie was patterned from had an 8 ½” blade but to me that is a

bit too long. I asked for a blade over 6 ½” long. The blade is 3/16” thick and near the bolsters it is about 1 ¼”

wide or tall. The handle, which is coffin shaped and features rosewood slabs is just 4 1 /2” long so this trim

“belt Bowie” has an overall length of just over 11 1/4 inches. The blade’s edge is very sharp but the top edge is

not sharpened. I’m guessing Dean will sharpen the top edge if requested.

Dean can make this style of Bowie knife with the spec’s or “ingredients” that the buyer might like. For

instance, making this style of knife with antler slabs for the grips would simply be a natural thing to do. Also,

keeping the blade’s shape but with a longer blade is on the list of how it could be made. Of course, just like the

old Bowie knives that were made one at a time, each one of Dean’s will be just a little bit different, true

individuals. If there is a feature you want for a knife of your own, just ask Dean if he’d like to make it that way.

The price for one of these early style Bowie knives from Dean falls into his price range for custom

knives. These River Bowies are priced, usually, at the $250 mark but each knife is individually priced. Things

that can help vary the price are the hours he devoted to making the knife and the material for the bolsters and

the grips. And all of his knives come with very nice handmade sheaths.

Dean has no catalog so the best way to find out what he makes is to just ask him. To make contact you

can write to; Dean Oliver, River Traders, 2826 Kane Street, Klamath Falls, Oregon 97603, or telephone 541-

365-4482. And his email address is rivertraders@hotmail.com.

And I have two of these “River Bowies” simply because having one just wasn’t enough.

NEW

ARMED PATRIOT DRONE T-SHIRTS

C. Sharps Arms’ “Armed Patriot Drone” T-Shirts. Logo reads, “I AM AN ARMED

PATRIOT DRONE, CONTROLLED BY GOD.” These Tee’s are 100% cotton,

available sized Medium, Large, and Extra Large. Colors, either red or blue. Price

$15.00 plus postage.

To get your shirt send orders to

or call C. Sharps Arms, P.O. Box 885,

Big Timber, MT 59011-Pnone: 406-

932-4353. You can also order these

shirts from our web site at

www.csharpsarms.com

These new shirts do make a “timely”

statement. Let’s spread the news by

declaring our loyalty and faith.

AN OLD RANCHER MEETS AN “OLD FARMER”

By Dangerous Don McDowell

Doc Munson grew up spending most of

his life on the hurricane deck of a saddle horse in

north eastern Colorado, Nevada, Kodiak Island

and high deserts of Oregon. His grandfather

made 7 trips up the Texas trail before settling in

the lower end of the South Platte valley. From

this close tie to the old days and ways, Doc grew

up on a plethora of neat old rifles, to even

include old man Fraker’s Sharps rifle of the

Johnson County War fame, that is the one

responsible for shooting those big slugs thru the

log walls of the barn at the TA ranch, but that’s

another story for another time.

Doc with his love of the shooting sports

never did acquire a Sharps rifle of his own until

this fall. After the loss of his dear sweet bride of

50 + years, a friend of his decided to try and get

Ol’ Doc something to bring his spirits up a tad. I

don’t know all the details of how it came to pass,

but an old Shiloh Sharps ’74 in .50-90 with a

34” barrel wearing the Farmingdale, NY address

(that makes it an ‘old Farmer’) managed to fall

into Doc’s possession.

We started from scratch as the rifle only

came with some cases of unknown lineage,

except for a handful of empty Bell’s. I had

nothing in my junk that would be of any help

except for a hole punch that would punch a wad

of the proper size, and a case of GOEX Cartridge

powder. Putting out the call for some assistance

on the Historic Shooting Forum, brought bullets

of all sizes and shapes from the many good folks

that typify the BPCR shooting world.

The sights that came on the rifle consisted

of the old globe with the pin and ball post, and

one of the cheap Italian “Creedmoor” sights that

lack any thing for serious adjustments. Those

needed to be replaced and I was able to lend Doc

a Heilman Soule rear sight to get Doc started

with his shooting of this Big .50. That could

easily last until he figured out what sight he

wanted. A short time later another fine

gentleman sent him a ‘parts unknown’ Borchardt

rear sight and an MVA 11 front. And did I

mention how many fine folks there are in the

BPCR sports world?

So after a time Doc came over for Sunday

dinner and we proceeded to my range. That’s

where the fun

began. He had

assembled 50+

rounds of

ammunition

utilizing at least 10

of each bullet that

had been sent to

him, plus some cast

from the original

Ideal mould that he

had acquired from

another fella.

We started

on the small gong

from 100 yards. He

was, I think, hesitant

about shooting the

Old Farmer. That

was somewhat

underlined when he

suggested, “Bein’s

that you do a lot of

shooting with these

things, maybe you should start it so we get on target quicker.” Well, bein’ flattered and somewhat humbled I

sat down behind the rest, using the tailgate of a pick-up truck for a bench, and went to work. Surprisingly, it

only took 3 shots to get the bullets landing on ‘top of the bead.’

Then Doc sat down and went to work with another of the boxes of ammo he brought along, and the

smiles just kept getting bigger, the excitement is his voice was similar to a kid on Christmas morning.

Some where along the line the shots started crawling up a bit, and one of those big fat slugs plowed into

the pipe that makes the framework for holding the

gong. That shot nearly cut the pipe in two, which

caused no end of laughter and grins from Ol’ Doc.

In the photo to the right you see Doc pointing to the

bullet hole.

About all I can tell you for certain about the

load details is that the powder measure was 3 ¼

dram scoop which was filled with GOEX Cartridge

powder, later weighed out on a scale to show 89

grains. That seemed to work very well and it didn’t

matter if that powder charge was under a 473 grain

paper patched bullet or a 615 grain grease groove

bullet, that old rifle just kept dumping those rounds

pretty much one on top of the other.

So now the hopeful plans are, if we still

have time left during this elk season, to try to

stumble across a nice fat dry cow. If we can do that

maybe I’ll get to watch Ol’ Doc tip an elk over with

that grand old rifle. Yes I was there the day Doc

shot the Old Farmer. It was such a fine day I know

I won’t soon forget.