Long-range buffalo and target cartridge loaded with 90 grains of black powder behind a large .45-caliber lead bullet. Used extensively by buffalo hunters and Schuetzen competitors. Still chambered in modern reproduction Sharps rifles for long-range black-powder competition.
Type: Rifle
Introduced: 1877, United States
Parent case: .45-70 Government
Standardization: None
Bullet diameter: 0.458" (11.63 mm)
Case length: 2.4" (60.96 mm)
Max pressure: 25,000 PSI
Rim type: Rimmed
Primer: Large Rifle
Typical twist rate: 1:20
Muzzle velocity: 1350–1600 fps
Muzzle energy: 1214–2844 ft-lbs
Effective range: 500 yd
Common bullet weights: 300, 350, 400, 500 gr
Primary use: Hunting, Target
Production status: Active
Also known as: .45-90 Winchester · .45-90 WCF · 11.4x71mmR
History: Developed in 1877 for the Sharps Model 1877 and Model 1878 Borchardt rifles. Used extensively during the buffalo hunting era of the 1870s–1880s. Popular in long-range target competition where shooters engaged targets to 1,000 yards with black powder. The cartridge remains active today in reproduction Sharps and Remington rolling-block rifles for black-powder Silhouette and long-range competitions.
Notable firearms: Sharps Model 1877, Sharps Model 1878 Borchardt, Pedersoli Sharps replicas
Similar cartridges: .45-70 Government, .45-120 Sharps, .45-75 Winchester