Lindcott Armory Rifle · Proprietary
.40-70 Sharps
Sharps black powder cartridge for target shooting and medium game; came in both straight and bottlenecked versions, a popular Creedmoor-era long-range choice..
- Caliber
- 0.403″ · 10.236 mm
- Introduced
- 1872
- Case
- Rimmed
- Status
- Discontinued
- Introduced
- 1872
- Type
- Rifle
- Origin
- United States
- Inventor
- Sharps Rifle Company
- Standard
- Proprietary
- Status
- Discontinued
- Availability
- Rare
- Primer
- Berdan Large Rifle
- Case type
- Rimmed
- 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.
SAAMI · approximate| Measure | mm | in | ✓ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bullet ⌀ | 10.24 | 0.403 | · |
| Neck ⌀ | 10.77 | 0.424 | ~ |
| Shoulder ⌀ | n/a | ||
| Shoulder angle | n/a | ||
| Base ⌀ | 12.88 | 0.507 | · |
| Rim ⌀ | 15.29 | 0.602 | · |
| Belt ⌀ | n/a | ||
| Rim thickness | 1.65 | 0.065 | · |
| Neck length | n/a | ||
| Case length | 63.50 | 2.500 | · |
| Overall length | 81.28 | 3.200 | ~ |
Size vs familiar rounds
Drawn at true 1:1 — every case is accurate relative to the others. Absolute size depends on your screen's pixel density, so measuring one against a real ruler may be off. .40-70 Sharps is highlighted below.
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.
Firearms chambered in .40-70 Sharps
1 model in the database chamber .40-70 Sharps. Browse all →
Connected reference
History
A mainstay of 1870s long-range shooting competition, the .40-70 Sharps was chambered in Sharps single-shot rifles for Creedmoor-style matches and medium game hunting. The bottlenecked version gave slightly better velocity than the straight case, and both were popular through the early 1880s.
FAQs
- What bullet diameter is .40-70 Sharps?
- .40-70 Sharps uses a 0.403″ (10.236 mm) diameter bullet.
- Is .40-70 Sharps still in production?
- .40-70 Sharps is discontinued; typical availability is rare.
Sources & provenance
- ManufacturerBuffalo Arms Co. — 40-70 Sharps Straight Black Powder Ammo .403" 330 Grain (for Original Chambers) · bullet ⌀, grain weightsarchived
- ReferenceGun Digest Books — Cartridges of the World (Frank C. Barnes, 16th/17th ed.) · year, bullet ⌀, velocity, grain weights
- SecondaryWolfe Publishing / Handloader (loaddata.com) — Reloading Data: .40-70 Sharps (Straight) / .40-65 Sharps (1876) · velocity, grain weightsarchived
Data & sources. Specs compiled from the Lindcott Armory reference; the trajectory is modeled (point-mass), not measured. See methodology. Spotted an error? Report it →