40/70 Sharps: 300 grains at 1400 fps
The one I shot was a 9 1/2 pound Sharps and was nice off the bench and offhand.This is what I intend to shoot cast bullets in the 405 Win. 40-70 equivalent. Should be a creampuff with this.
Still have a C.Sharps .40-70 SS, beautiful rifle. Got headed down the wrong path with it right away and sadly I have never recovered. I got it with intentions of hunting and plinking with it. Instead I got to hanging around with guys shooting buffalo silhouette matches. Even that would have been fine but, as matches evolve and shooters and equipment gets better the targets got set father and farther away, they also got heavier. BPCR silhouette also affected the way shooters looked at the .40 caliber rifles. Cartridges that were along the lines of "Express" loads i.e. the .40-65 Winchester, got bastardized with faster twists and heavy bullets to play target games with. Suddenly fine old hunting calibers designed to kill medium size game were tasked with knocking down 30 lb. steel targets 500 yards away and even with 410 grain bullets were outgunned, (), by the big .45's and even 50's.The one I shot was a 9 1/2 pound Sharps and was nice off the bench and offhand.
You are 100% correct; the gamers changed everything for the .40’s. I kept the 40/50 Sharps Straight just for a hunting rifle as it kills anything I would hunt anymore.Still have a C.Sharps .40-70 SS, beautiful rifle. Got headed down the wrong path with it right away and sadly I have never recovered. I got it with intentions of hunting and plinking with it. Instead I got to hanging around with guys shooting buffalo silhouette matches. Even that would have been fine but, as matches evolve and shooters and equipment gets better the targets got set father and farther away, they also got heavier. BPCR silhouette also affected the way shooters looked at the .40 caliber rifles. Cartridges that were along the lines of "Express" loads i.e. the .40-65 Winchester, got bastardized with faster twists and heavy bullets to play target games with. Suddenly fine old hunting calibers designed to kill medium size game were tasked with knocking down 30 lb. steel targets 500 yards away and even with 410 grain bullets were outgunned, (), by the big .45's and even 50's.
So I ended up getting a .45 to play games with and the .40 has languished. This post has caused me to think about that fine old cartridge and the need to return to its roots. I need a replica of its 330 grain paper patched bullet either in PP or a greaser, shoot it, enjoy it for what it is, and to heck with the competitive games.
I did take two deer and a buffalo with the .40-70 and a 410 grain Saeco flat nose. Too many guns, too little time and I want to go fishin'.