C. Sharps Big Fifty?

[Gunlaker]

I imagine it will be stable at 200. My Browning BPCR in .50-90 has a 1:26 twist Badger barrel and it shoots the BACO 698gr Creedmoor well at 200m. I've never shot that rifle past that distance. Too many black powder guns to play with. Today I loaded up some really short 440gr bullets I was given over 96gr of FFg to see how they do. I haven't used this rifle in a while and your posts inspired me to dig it out of the safe. :-)

Chris.

[Eric Johanen]

Kind'a fun to see what is lurking in the back of the safe every once in a while! Lucrezia is a real pussy cat with these loads and I think she will shoot that light bullet well. I'll test at 200 and then see how they stretch out to 500 or so. Good luck with that 440 grain bullet...I tried the Accurate 51-465 and they did not perform too well in the 1 X26 twist. Between these 550 grainer's and the BACO 625 Creedmoor bullets I'll be happy as a cat with a saucer of milk! Now I have a bit of sight work to get after!

[Eric Johanen]

Today I got Lucrezia out to 200 yards. Boy's, I can not believe just how flat she shoots that Accurate 51-550S! SR posted and settled onto the bench, flipped up the ladder, settled the blade into the rear notch and it printed slightly left at 11:30 up in the 6 ring. Wow!!. That won't work so I put the ladder down and brought up the full blade holding center of the black. Shot 6 inches low centered up. By bringing up the front sight to the sight base level in the bottom of the rear sight notch, It prints in the lower half of the black using a half the black hold. Now to me, that is really something! Like a old express rifle loading. Flat, flat shooting! Getting that sight picture the same shot to shot will take a bit of practice but when it's right, she puts them in the center lower half. Core group is 3.5 vertical by 3 horizontal! Not to bad for open rear and blade front. I shot with 110 grains of GOEX 1 fg and used 1 .060 vegi wad testing this load. With the ladder up using the V notch in the bottom of the U I think she will be on at 325 + yards. Probably won't change it until I can out shoot it! She is one of the easiest rifles to work a load up for I have ever had. Lucrezia is money well spent!

[Mike]

Eric, That's some doin's! Keep sharing such good news with us. Shoot sharp, Mike

[Eric Johanen]

I decided in the spring that this would be a Sharps summer and have been really working with my rifles. 45 70, 45 90, 50 70 and now the new 50 90 are really coming together. I'll keep posting my results and hope some beginner's can pick up some useful information from them. Do hope I'm not sounding too goofy with all my posts lately, but I am really having a good time both on the practice range and at several matches this summer. I expected the .45 caliber chambering's to shoot well and have not been disappointed. The .50's are a real pleasant experience with how easy it is to get a good shooting load for them. Fine tuning my use of the target sights and working with the open barrel sights has been a great insight into the mechanics of shooting. We'll keep on having fun trying to get the most accuracy from these rifles.

[Lumpy Grits]

Eric-You just keep on post'n
Gary

[Mike]

    Beginners, nothin'!! I'm hopin' I pick up some useful information... A year or so ago I was doin' pretty well with my .50/90 and now the way things are going I'd better get back to it. Shoot sharp, Mike

[Eric Johanen]

Thank you LG and Mike! Just finished up another casting session running more of the 51-550S for the 50 90. I'll be shooting them again early next week and may take Lucrezia to a buffalo gun match next weekend just for the ooh and ah! My shooting partner think's it would be a good idea so I may just oblige. Good thing I have lots of lead and a plentiful supply of powder as we are sending it down range at a rapid rate this summer.

[J.B.]

Good to see those bullets working for you Eric and the ongoing reports are good value also. I've just been casting up some 700 grn gg bullets for my 50 x 2 1/2" and looking to give them a run in about 2-3 weeks time at a competition. I've trialled about twenty of them over 500 yds on steel and they seem to be holding vertical very well. Well, that is as good as I can hold anyway. Generally keeping to 1.5 and under 2 moa. It certainly lets you know its going off though ! The big fifty is a very reliable distance performer if one can maintain their trigger control and composure.

J.B.

[Eric Johanen]

JB, that 51-550S seems to be working really well in the 1X26 twist. Hope they maintain stability to 500 yards or so as with the barrel sights I probably will not be running them much further out than that. Not too bad for a Buffalo gun! I'll keep posting my results with these rifles and loads so new shooter's have a idea for weighing and dropping powder, seating a good bullet and just taking them out to shoot. Easy...peasy! I'll be working on getting a good sight picture and smooth trigger pull and making every shot the best I can. The exchange of information made possible by the internet is really a huge benefit for all of us. I asked Tom at Accurate Molds if he could scale up the 44-410P to .50 caliber and he has listed just such a mold. 51-590P. My order is in and I can't wait to give it a good try. A .504 base diameter, patched to .512 seats snuggly in my Starline fire formed cases. That section is .400 long and then tapers off to .493 into the ogive. Should be just about perfect for a two dimention paper patched bullet. I plan on using it for banging steel and hunting.