.40-50 Hepburn

[Kurt]

I have a friend that is cleaning out some of his collections and he has an original .40-50 Hepburn that is very clean and clean bore and it also has two butt stocks one shorter and the other with a Swiss hooked butt plate.

I know nothing about a .40-50 I have seen this rifle at the range when we were shooting, but I don't remember much about it. I know it has a slow twist because he was shooting light cast bullets and I asked about it.

What are your thoughts about the .40-50?

Kurt

[beltfed]

Kurt,
According to COW, both the 40-50 SS and the 40-50 BN were 18-20 twist
The SS can be made from 30-40 brass and the 40-50 from 45-70 brass.
It was said in the case of the BN version, not only Sharps but "Rem rollers" and other SS rifles
were chambered in it.
I think the rifle could be fun with a bullet about 1.1 to 1.2" long, probably in the 330 gr area.
I would check to see if the chamber neck is tight for a bore diameter bullet for straight PP bullets.
Or is it a GG chamber-- for dual diameter bullets then.
A person for whom I suggested, bought a BACO 403380 gr bullet for a 40-50 he got built. But, I believer he
has a 16 twist barrel. He is just getting shooting it.

[Kurt]

Arnie,

Like I said I saw him shoot this rifle several years ago and back then I told him if the rifle is ever for sale let me know. I have always had an interest in the Hepburns but the originals were always more then I wanted to invest in but these last few years they have dropped in price.
Heck I just about spent that much when I ordered the DZ Arms Hep.
I have asked him a couple times if he was ready to sell this #3 and give me a price. Yesterday I asked him again when he saw me shoot my Hep and he finally said what he would take for his but I know nothing about the .40-50.
Years ago I had a roller in the .40-70 BN but I never got it to shoot worth a darn so it went down the road.
I was wondering how that little short .40 would work for silhouette. From what I saw that he shot this rifle at 200 yards I know it would serve just fine for the Schuetzen matches.
He put 6 out of 10 in the 3" X ring the last time I seen him shoot it using those little flat nosed GG bullets.

[Don McDowell]

I know 4 people that shoot the 40-50 bn and a couple that shoot the st for the most part it does as good or better job on the rams than the 38’s
Dean Scoggins sometimes shot a st at Alliance and did fair with it

[Kurt]

TNX. Don.

I was wondering how it did with the rams.
I never seen him use black powder in it but it sure does well for him and even at 84 years of age he will hold 10 ring or better here at the local CMP matches with his heavy barreled AR.
Bob is one fine off hand shooter and did well at Camp Perry. The NRA even mentioned him in an article they wrote up.

[Semtav]

I've got a Wickliffe I had a 16 twist Badger barrel on that I still need to finish a few things on to make it shoot comfortably.
I think they are a neat cartridge.
There was a neat original sharps at a gun show a few years back that I sure wanted to follow me home. But at 8000 I had to pass.

I think a sharps 75 would make a nice platform for one.

[Kurt]

Last night I dug in the second safe I keep rifles I seldom shoot, mostly the HP rifles to re oil the rifles and I found another .44-90 bn Shiloh I forgot I had. I don't know why I put that rifle in that safe.
I really think it's time I quit buying rifles
But this little Hep is working on me.

[Tgc]

Kirt, I occasionally find something that I forgot I had. But a Shiloh 44 has me beat. What a delightful surprise. I have been hoping to establish a breeding population of sharps rifles of my own. Tim.

[Steveu]

My 40-50 sbn shoots the RCBS csa 300 very well, I use it for the chickens and pigs. For the turkeys and rams I am still experimenting with the Saeco 380. I have knocked over rams that were hit in the back foot with it. I also have a RCBS csa 350 that has shot well. My Shiloh has a 18" twist and I am wiping between shots.

[Kurt]

What happen with the two Shiloh .44-90's was I pulled the barrel on the first one and had Shiloh re barrel it with a 16 twist Krieger heavy 1.3" X 35" untapered round barrel in the .44-2.6 straight to make it a 25# long range rifle.
I liked that .44-90 bn so much and at a local gun show there was an original rifle a collector had on display that was used for the Creedmoor matches looking unused and we talked about it and I said I shot one for several years for hunting and gong shoots and it did it's job well. He asked if I had any shells left I would like to have some for display with this rifle.
I said I have but I would like to have a chamber cast of your chamber in trade so I can have a reamer made for another rifle. The trade was made and I had a reamer made as well as a rifle.
I also have a CPA in this caliber with a 16 twist.