50-2" Sharps

[Don McDowell]

Yup, wish I could find that reference..

[Mike]

I won't let you forget to keep looking....

[Don McDowell]

It might of been in one of the Buffalo Hunters Encyclopedia books.

[Don McDowell]

Not exactly what I was looking for, but Zimmerman sold to Bob Cator, 200 500/100 long and 100 50/100 short case..

[Mike]

I'm pretty sure the "50/100" in that order refers to only the caliber of .50 with no reference to the powder charge. In the old Sharps catalog all of the bore sizes are referred to as 40/100, 44/100 and so on. We can also see the "50/100" type of indication on some of the cartridge boxes. One more thing, that order for the 50 caliber cases might have been for .50/70s and .50/100s. In the copy of the Sharps 1875 catalog all three .50 caliber case lengths are listed.

[Don McDowell]

Well yes and maybe. They also list selling 50-70's and 50-90's. I'm beginning to think the 2 inch case is where the 50-90 business comes from as the factory load for the 2.5 inch case was 100 grs, and some of the journals from the buffalo hunters reported loading as much as 120 grs....
There's been an awful lot of info lost to the ages.

[Mike]

Putting 90 grains in the 2" case is a real "maybe" I suppose. One thing we can be pretty sure of, the .50-2" was a Sharps cartridge exclusively. No other rifles that I've ever heard of chambered it or even mentioned it.

[Don McDowell]

I don't recall ever seeing the 2 in. case in the Sharps catalogs..

[Mike]

Don, I have only a reprint of the 1875 Sharps catalog and under "Brass, Centre Fire Re-loading Shells" they list the 50/100 - 1 3/4", the 50/100 - 2", and the 50/100 - 2 1/2". In this same catalog the only .50 caliber loaded ammo they detail is for 70 grains of powder with either the 457 grain "naked" ball or the 500 grain patched ball.

[Mike]

I might add that in the same 1875 catalog reprint brass is listed for two .45 caliber cases; the 45/100-2 1/4" and the 45/100-2 5/8". They follow the brass listed for the .44s; 44/100-2 1/4" and the 44/100-2 5/8". We must guess that the .45 caliber listings were either complete mistakes or they were actually meant for the .45-2 1/10" and the .45-2 7/8". In another catalog Sharps is quoted as listing the .45/70 as their .45-2 1/12" and that might have been shown on cartridge boxes as well. Like Mark Twain said, when following a written diet be sure you don't die from a misprint. And I didn't think the .45-2 7/8" cartridge was available in 1875 but then, I wasn't there.