Period correct '74 Sharps Buffalo Rifles?

[Don McDowell]

Yeh I don't think it runs out of power till sometime beyond 1000 yards...

[Gunner500]

LOL, yes, we had been talking about Sharps rifle cartridges used for hunting.

[Don McDowell]

It's always interesting when someone says "oh well you could catch one of those bullets at 1000 yards with a baseball mitt". HEHE guess they've never seen one of those bullets cut edgeways 2x4's of the target frames in two... Or been to a 1000 yard steel target and the only thing you find of bullets that hit it, are the "dimes".

[Distant Thunder]

I've got a feeling that would leave a mark! Ouch!

[Don McDowell]

Yessir.

[Gunner500]

You bet Don and DT, we were discussing killing power of different rifles, smokeless included, one guy smart crack commented, omg, your Sharps is just over the speed of sound, I said yes, and my 300 mags lose three times the velocity in half the distance, my Sharps' may still be packing 800+ fps at 1000 yards, want to catch one?

Another was commenting of the prowess of the 338 and 375 magnums, I said hey buddy, i'll loan you a nightforce scope, i'll even run a ballistics program for you, even IF you can hit that buffalo at 5 or 600 yards, will your big 250 or 300 grain partition bullets open up and expand? let me answer, no they will not.

At 45 or 50 cal on arrival, a big Sharps doesn't need to expand, there is no other sporting round that can put heavy game down as good as a big Sharps at extended ranges.

They both shut up and left me alone.

[Kurt]

Just tell them to align up 20 gallon milk jugs filled with water and shoot their .338 at 2900 fps and compare it to a .45-70 at 1260 fps and see which will empty the most

[Distant Thunder]

The .45-70 with the right load and bullet will out penetrate the .458 Winchester Magnum! And all other .458 calibers. http://www.garrettcartridges.com/penetration.html

[Gunner500]

LOL, dang right Kurt, I had just the victim lined up a few years ago, had already talked to rdnck about the contest, this guy did indeed shoot a 338 win mag, we were going to shoot milk jugs of water at the shale pit at my MIL's place, I was going to use my 45-70 Shiloh and a government bullet at 16 to 1 alloy.

But, he made some bad ethical/marriage choices, MIL told him if he was going to behave that way he's no longer welcome there and to leave his gate keys in the mailbox, I don't see/hunt with him anymore, oh well, another non-knower will be along shortly.

DT, yes I've heard about Garrets loads, i'll bet the Linebaugh penetration seminars have plenty of folk walking around with eyes still bugged out ; ]

[Distant Thunder]

You don't need any special loads for deep penetration with the .45-70. You just need to push a 400 to 500 grain bullet at 1200 to 1600 fps. You can get into that range with BP or very easily with smokeless. A good hard cast round nose bullet will travel straight and penetrate a long ways. They are actually hard to stop and a catcher's mitt isn't going to do it!