Chrome
Firefox
Edge
I love to shoot old 50-caliber black powder cartridge guns like this rolling block cadet model. Let's take a look at some of them.
These guns were produced in several factories and in a wide variety of models, mostly in the 1860s and 1870s. One of the smallest 50-caliber metallic cartridges is the 50 Remington pistol. This cartridge actually came in two versions--the 50 Army and the 50 Navy--with only minor differences. Both were loaded with a 300-grain bullet and 25 grains of black powder. The cartridge was also referred to as the 50 25 300: caliber, weight of powder, weight of bullet.
Here we have several original Remington Rolling Blocks chambered for this round. An early Navy model pistol, an 1871 Army, and a Cadet rifle.
A bit larger cartridge is the 50 45 400. It simply used a longer case to contain the larger powder charge and a longer, heavier bullet.
The Remington Rolling Block Model 1867 Navy Carbine is chambered for this cartridge.
One of the most commonly encountered 50-caliber cartridges is the 50 70, also known as the 50 70 450 or 50-70 Government.
This cartridge was developed for the Springfield Model 1866 breech-loading rifle known today as the trap door. This gun was given its nickname because of the hinged breech block, which indeed worked like a trap door.
Sharp's also chambered some rifles for this cartridge. One of the earliest was the 1863 Sharps, converted after the Civil War from percussion to metallic cartridge. This original carbine still retains the Maynard tape primer system designed to hold a strip for percussion caps.
The Remington Rolling Block was also chambered in 50-70, and it is commonly found in the model 1871 Springfield and the guns made for the New York State Militia. One interesting feature on these rifles is the half-cock safety. When the breech block is closed, the hammer drops to the half-cock or safety notch and must be pulled back to the full cock notch to fire the rifle. The New York State militia used the 50-70 round until the late 1890s. They purchased rifles and carbines, and again, both incorporated the half-cocked safety.
As the smallest 50 used only 25 grains of black powder, it was definitely a short-range cartridge. The 50 45 400 packs a little more punch. The 50 government packs a lot more wallop, which is why it was used by the early buffalo hunters. The trigger pull on these old guns is normally in the double digits, so you have to be, really patient to shoot them accurately.
Shooting any of the old 50-caliber cartridge guns is a lot of fun, and it's hard to pick a favorite.
--Larry Potterfield
