Lindcott Armory Rifle · Proprietary
.40-50 Sharps
Lighter .40 caliber Sharps black powder cartridge for medium game and target use; the bottlenecked version was popular with hunters preferring the .40 bore for deer-sized game..
- Caliber
- 0.4031″ · 10.24 mm
- Introduced
- 1869
- Case
- Bottleneck
- Status
- Discontinued
- Introduced
- 1869
- Type
- Rifle
- Origin
- United States
- Inventor
- Sharps Rifle Company
- Standard
- Proprietary
- Status
- Discontinued
- Availability
- Rare
- Primer
- Berdan Large Rifle
- Case type
- Bottleneck
- Max pressure
- 22,000 psi
- Eff. range
- 200 yd
Ballistics
- Parent case
- —
Representative trajectory — modeled from a single velocity input (no published BC for this cartridge yet).
Dimensionscase measurements · scale drawing · size vs familiar rounds
Case dimensions — the scale drawing at the top of the page is built from these.
Cartridges of the World · approximate| Measure | mm | in | ✓ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bullet ⌀ | 10.24 | 0.403 | ~ |
| Neck ⌀ | — | — | |
| Shoulder ⌀ | — | — | |
| Shoulder angle | — | — | |
| Base ⌀ | — | — | |
| Rim ⌀ | — | — | |
| Belt ⌀ | n/a | ||
| Rim thickness | 2.03 | 0.080 | ~ |
| Neck length | — | — | |
| Case length | 42.86 | 1.687 | ~ |
| Overall length | 55.37 | 2.180 | ~ |
Missing a dimension for .40-50 Sharps? Some case measurements aren't in a published SAAMI/CIP drawing yet. Have a factory or reamer print? Send it → — verified hard-to-find data earns a free Lindcott sticker.
Reloading costestimate cost per round vs factory
Estimate your cost per round and how it compares to factory. Inputs are yours — nothing is stored.
Cost estimate only — not load data. Charge weight is your input; follow published manuals for safe charges.
Connected reference
History
The lightest of the .40 Sharps family, the .40-50 was chambered in Sharps single-shot rifles for deer hunting and target use. Like the .40-70, it came in both straight (SN) and bottlenecked (BN) versions. Less powerful than the buffalo-hunting calibers, it was favored by hunters who valued lower recoil for smaller game.
FAQs
- What bullet diameter is .40-50 Sharps?
- .40-50 Sharps uses a 0.4031″ (10.24 mm) diameter bullet.
- Is .40-50 Sharps still in production?
- .40-50 Sharps is discontinued; typical availability is rare.
Sources & provenance
- ReferenceF+W Media (W. Todd Woodard) — Cartridges of the World, 14th ed. — W. Todd Woodard, pp. 586 (.40-50 Sharps Bottleneck) · bullet ⌀, velocity, grain weights
- SecondaryWikipedia (pointer to Woodard & Guns of the World) — .40-50 Sharps · yeararchived
Data & sources. Specs compiled from the Lindcott Armory reference; the trajectory is modeled (point-mass), not measured. See methodology. Spotted an error? Report it →