Big Bertha

[colcolt]

Any of you fellers into the shooting sports? I bought a Sharps Buffalo Rifle in 45-90 caliber a few weeks back, loaded up some cartridges for it with the 530 gr bullet behind 77 gr of black powder and me and the neighbor next door went to the range last Saturday to shoot. After the second shot from the bench I knew I was in trouble. It felt like someone hit my shoulder with a five pound hammer but, I was determined not to drive 20 miles to the range and only shoot twice so I endured the pain and fired ten more rounds. I paid the price. It made my shoulder, chest and bicep purple and raised a knot on my shoulder. Most of it's turned purplish/yellow now a week later but it's still sore and it may be another week or two before I can tr it again. This time I'm slipping on a thick rubber recoil pad. If that don't work I'll have to hang it on the wall and admire it from afar.
A beautiful rifle but if it's going to beat me to death I can't shoot it as I'm just not into pain.





This was the other day....

Left to right, the 357 Magnum, 45 ACP and Big Bertha, the 45-90 Sharps that bruised me.

 

[numbersix]

That rifle is gorgeous - can't blame you for shooting it multiple times - but boy, that's some black and blue.
BTW: glad to see you here colcolt - I was wondering where you went!

 

[erichbaumer]

530gr is one dense, massive bullet... Beautiful rifle, but I personally just couldn't see the fun in taking that kind of punishment... My little 6lb .308 gives plenty enough of a beating for me! Unless of course there were an opportunity to hunt something that called for that kind of power, which would be awesome. YYMV, of course, and again, it's a gorgeous piece.

 

[colcolt]

I'm still kicking but apparently, so is my latest rifle!! I've been called a wuss for letting it beat me like that but I'm not 40 anymore and being on blood thinners the bruises travel south due to gravity. This is the way it looked 24 hours after shooting it. You can see the difference between that pic and the one most recently I showed.

I've never had a rife do this to me but I've never had one with a crescent shaped steel butt plate either. Not much between it and a boney shoulder. A 530 gr bullet is a heavy one. You can't buy this ammo anywhere, you have to make it. I cast bullets for half a dozen calibers and this is the one that fits the Sharps.

 

[ejames]

That thing is a cannon!

 

[colcolt]

Yep, without the fuse. But thousands have shot them since the late 1800's and they're still around today. Must be better men than me. I looked like a truck hit me.

 

[gwtwdbss]

Beautiful rifle. That sucker certainly packs a punch!

 

[philobeddoe]

That rifle is a real beauty, those crescent butt plates will get you every time. I'd suggest wearing a recoil pad, such as one from PAST, they work really well, I can tell you from experience.

 

[colcolt]

I wore a Past magnum pad and it did absolutely no good at all. I've ordered and just received the LimbSaver pad. I think it will work pretty good if as advertised. If not, I've bought a Lead Sled Plus that surely will stop the bruising.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

You literally look like you got kicked by a horse... a freaking warhorse at that! Well, after taking a beating like that and continuing to shoot, I'd say you're a tougher man than you give yourself credit for. That's a beautiful rifle, and I hope you come up with an option so you can continue to use it. Be a shame to put it away.

 

[colcolt]

Maybe I'm into pain and am just denying it. No, I sure didn't expect it to do that. I've shot some pretty hefty recoiling recoils before but nothing like this one. I can't imagine shooting the 45-110 Sharps, the one Quigley shot in the movie, or the 50-90 Sharps. Both are worse than this one!

 

[peckinpahhombre]

Well, first, I am thankful for the content of this thread. Based on the thread title, I was worried I had stumbled upon some sort of fetish site.
Second, man oh man, that injury looks terrible. Hope everything gets better.

 

[colcolt]

I wonder what you'd run into if you googled "Big Bertha"...no, I ain't trying it.

 

[crazypipe]

To much pain .

 

[pipebow88]

That is one beauty of a rifle! Some nasty bruising to go with it as well, but I would've done the same. I can see from your avatar you also have great taste in canines. Corgi's are some of the most amazing family members. They have such personality it doesn't seem right to call them a dog. I have one, and my uncle has one from the same litter. I'm not sure I'll ever have another inside breed.

B

 

[foggymountain]

How about a heavy tripod? I remember a stripper called Big Bertha.

 

[colcolt]

pipebow-Bubba is my heart's delight. We eat, play and sleep together...me in the bed and he in his crate two feet or so away. He's my buddy and sticks closer than any wife I ever had! I drove to KY to get him a little over six years ago and never have had any remorse over doing so.
A tripod wouldn't help except to hold my spotting scope. What's needed in my opinion is more meat on my shoulder like I had several years ago. Having lost 45 pounds you can feel bone there in the shoulder area where I couldn't before but, it was a health thing and I had to do it. I went too far and now can't gain it back. I'm the weight now I was in my sophomore year in high school...145 pounds! I weighed 190 in that avatar.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

I googled Big Bertha and this is the first thing that popped up. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bertha_(howitzer)

 

[brian64]

That is one hell of a bruise. Understandable though with a cannon like that against your shoulder...reminded me of Hatchet Jack’s 50 cal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7nqxIdROsI

 

[colcolt]

Howitzer is right, that about sums it up. Jerimiah Johnson was a good movie. That Hawken of Hatchet Jacks wouldn't as powerful as this one, however, though it may have come close. Depends on bullet weight.If you've ever fired a short barreled 10 gauge you'll have an idea what this one felt like.