Does the 500 S&W mag=50-90 sharps?

I have long been a fan of the old buffalo calibers and was wondering about a modernized version. When the 500 mag came out I never thought it could do what the big blackpowder guns could do. Then I did find some data on the internet that might sugest the 500 mag in a H&R handi rifle is the same as my 50-90 sharps in a 32 in barrel.

For the same weight bullet 530 grains I saw data that produced the same velociety in both. 1425 fps. The only diffrence in the bullets is the 500 shoots a .501 dia. and the 50-90 shoots a .512 dia. bullet

So the question is, does this make them ballisticaly the same? Will they have the same accuracey?

500 S&W is a pistol cartridge

it can be used in some rifles

500 S&W is a pistol cartridge


Wild west guns made a leveraction in 500 mag
H&R makes a single shot in 500 mag
There is a slide action out there too I might have seen it on THR but cant recall.

500 S&W is a pistol cartridge

So are the 9mm and 44 magnum but there are plenty of rifles chamberd for them.

Balistically they sound very similar, as for accuracy? Probably comparable - as always that will depend upon the rifle more than the cartridge.

.500S&W can be loaded WAY hotter than .50-90 Sharps; this is a matter of standardized chamber pressure. The .50-90 Sharps has more case capacity, so it is much better suited for black powder usage than .500S&W.


edited to add: the .500S&W is very similar to the .50-90 Sharps in external ballistics, when fired from a handgun. If you have a 32" barreled rifle in .500S&W, with some experimentation with varying powders, you could probably get some truly insane loads.

I had thought to try a sharps action and make a 500 mag rifle, but some folks on a sharps forum I frequent say it cant be done due to the extractor and rim size. Its still a thought though. It is a definate custom build, maybe a bolt gun idea if the sharps cant work.

I was thinking more of a 28-30 inch barrel.

On a note I figured the 500 mag with a 500 gr bullet would hold 54 grains of bp making it only marginaly better than a 50-70 sharps. But with smokeless and the what seems to be limitless pressure capability of the 500 mag, I think I can well exceed the 50-90 and maybe even the 50-140.

For the same weight bullet 530 grains I saw data that produced the same velociety in both. 1425 fps. The only difference in the bullets is the 500 shoots a .501 dia. and the 50-90 shoots a .512 dia. bullet.

You can also get the same velocity with a 530 grain bullet in .45/70. The smaller bore diameter is irrelevant if you are using soft lead bullets because it will expand. The buffalo will not know the difference.