50-2" Sharps

[Mike]

Hey Don, I'm really just guessing but according to Sellers the .50-2" and the .50-2 1/2" were both introduced in the same month. That leads me to believe that they never tried putting 90 or 100 grains of powder in the 2" case. I'm wondering if they used it for easier loading with 70 grains of powder under a 500 grain bullet. Like I said before, Sellers mentioned the bullet weights but not the powder charges. And while Sharps dropped their .50 calibers as standard chamberings in 1876, other makers kept offering the .50-2 1/2" but not the .50-2". That's probably why we can "remember" the .50-2 1/2" cartridge so well.