Does anyone have a safe smokeless powder  load for a 50-140 cartridge in a C. Sharp rifle.

Not to be too cynical, but why did you buy a rifle chambered in a cartridge which is definitely for black powder and want to shoot smokeless powder in it?   In my opinion that cartridge has way too much "empty space" between the powder charge and the base of the bullet to be safely used with smokeless powder.  Even with black powder, it "kills on both ends."   Back in the mid 1980s I was shooting next to a fellow at the Virginia City shoot who had a Ballard chambered for the 50-140 and everytime he fired it  (with black powder) he got a bloody nose.

I'm partial to the 50-70, and while it will work quite well and safely with smokless powder, I prefer to shoot black powder in it.

Just my two bits worth.   

George

Yea,  when Shiloh first started making cartridge rifles I bought a 50-90.   That was plenty enough recoil to satisfy anyone with a masotistic inclination.   I didn't hang on to it very long.  As for 50 calibers, the 50-70 is really hard to beat.  For more fun though, the 56-50 CF is very pleasant 50 caliber to shoot, as is the percussion 50 caliber Maynard carbine.

George

Hi Malkin. I am also new to this forum, though not new to large cal single shot rifles. My choice is large frame Martini Henry's and Cadet rifles. The heaviest cal I have is 577-500No2 and I have shot it with smokeless and BP. The case capacity on this round is almost identical to your 50-140. The 500No2 case will take 140gr of FFg level with the bottom of the neck. 
The safe smokeless load I have used in mine is 67gr of ADI 2207 ( IMR4227 ). This is around half a case full and I put some raw wool in to take up the space. Bullet is a paper patched, 500gr RNFP with a cupped base and of my own design. 
My rifle weighs just over 10lb with sights and recoil is manageable. This same bullet over a case full of BP is makes the rifle Very lively indeed! My favourite load is shooting the Lee 50-450-F over 25gr of ADI AP100 ( SR4756 ) once again with wool packing. 
I was using dacron, but our range is located on private property and the owners are trying to keep their pastures toxin free and I thought that Dacron wasn't something that would normally be found in a paddock. 
Hope this info is helpful in your quest.
Cheers,
Tony. 

A great forum!  Some of the folks always offer help.

Malkin,
My neighbor has a Caugswell and Harrison double rifle in 50 BPE that I think is pretty close to the 50-140. He has used it for years with smokeless powder. If you want I can find out his load. I talked him into shooting black powder in it and I think the load he researched was 140 gr. powder and a 425 grain bullet. He did say it bucked a little more than he thought it might.

JS

Well, you were doing pretty good since you didn't get a bloody nose too.   Never have figured out why people like to pound themselves to a pulp.

George

40_Rod wrote on Sep 9^th, 2019 at 9:06am:


I've used dacron in 32-40 and 30-30 and other BN cases for years and have not ringed a chamber.is the ringing  particular to larger straight cases? ive heard of it before and usually in 45-70 ,45-90 with large wads of dacron over 4759