If you're out hunting for 50 90 sharps brass, you already know that you're dealing with a literal heavyweight in the shooting world. There's something visceral about holding a cartridge that's roughly the size of a small banana. It's a piece of history, often called the "Big Fifty," and it's arguably one of the most iconic buffalo cartridges ever made. But as anyone who shoots a Sharps or a custom high-wall knows, the rifle is only half the battle. Finding good brass that can actually handle the pressures and the unique demands of this caliber is where the real work begins.
The 50-90 Sharps isn't exactly a cartridge you can pick up at a big-box sporting goods store on a Tuesday afternoon. It's a specialty item, and because of that, the quality of your brass matters more than it might for a standard .30-06 or .223. When you're tossing a 500 to 700-grain lead slug downrange, the brass is doing a lot of heavy lifting. It's not just holding the powder; it's acting as the primary seal in a massive chamber that creates a lot of vibration and heat.
Why the Quality of Your Brass is a Big Deal
When I first started looking into the "Big Fifty," I realized pretty quickly that not all 50 90 sharps brass is created equal. In the old days, shooters had to reform brass from other calibers or rely on whatever limited runs a boutique manufacturer decided to put out. Today, we're a bit luckier, but the stakes are still high.
Because these cases are so large—2.5 inches of straight-walled brass—they have a lot of surface area. Any inconsistency in the wall thickness or the internal volume is going to show up on your target. If you're shooting at 500 or 1,000 yards, a tiny variation in how that brass expands or how much powder it holds can mean the difference between a "ping" on the steel and a puff of dust in the dirt.
Also, let's be honest: this stuff isn't cheap. You want brass that's going to last for dozens of reloads, not something that's going to split at the neck after three firings. That's why most serious shooters lean toward brands that understand the specific Metallurgy required for black powder or low-pressure smokeless loads.
Finding a Reliable Source
For most of us, Starline is the name that pops up most often, and for good reason. They've basically saved the vintage and big-bore shooting community by producing consistent, high-quality 50 90 sharps brass that doesn't cost more than the rifle itself. Their brass is known for being tough, having consistent primer pockets, and being remarkably uniform right out of the box.
If you happen to stumble upon old headstamped brass at a gun show, be a bit careful. Some of that older stuff was made for black powder pressures only and might be thinner than modern offerings. Modern Starline or specialized custom brass is usually beefed up a bit, which is great if you're experimenting with smokeless loads—though you should always stay within safe pressure limits for your specific rifle.
Black Powder vs. Smokeless Loads
One of the big debates in the 50-90 community is whether to stick to the traditional black powder or move into the world of smokeless. This choice actually changes how you treat your 50 90 sharps brass.
If you're a purist and you're running black powder, your brass is going to get dirty. I mean really dirty. Black powder is corrosive, and it leaves a nasty residue that can eat away at the metal if you don't clean it immediately. Most guys I know carry a jug of soapy water to the range. As soon as they pop the case out of the breech, it goes straight into the water. This stops the corrosion and makes the eventual tumbling process a whole lot easier.
Smokeless powder is much cleaner, but it brings its own set of challenges. Because the 50-90 is such a large-volume case, smokeless powders can sometimes be "finicky" about position. You're often using a relatively small amount of powder in a giant cave of a case. This doesn't necessarily hurt the brass, but it means you have to be very consistent with your crimping and neck tension to ensure the powder ignites the same way every time.
Caring for Your Brass to Make It Last
Since a bag of fifty cases can feel like a significant investment, you'll want to make them last as long as possible. The most common way 50 90 sharps brass fails is through neck splitting. Because these are straight-walled cases, they don't experience the same stretching as bottleneck cartridges, but they do get worked every time they expand to fit the chamber and then get resized back down.
Annealing is your best friend here. If you soften the neck and shoulder area (or where the shoulder would be) every five or so firings, you can keep that brass supple. Hard, brittle brass splits; soft, annealed brass survives.
Another tip is to avoid over-sizing. If your chamber is a bit on the generous side, you don't necessarily need to crank that sizing die all the way down to the shell holder. Just size it enough to hold the bullet securely. This reduces the amount of "working" the metal has to go through, which extends the life of the case significantly.
The Ritual of the Reload
There's something incredibly satisfying about reloading 50 90 sharps brass. It's not like cranking out hundreds of 9mm rounds on a progressive press. It's a slow, deliberate process. You're handling these massive chunks of brass, weighing out heavy charges, and seating these huge, greased lead bullets.
I've found that taking the time to uniform the primer pockets and deburr the flash holes makes a noticeable difference. You might think that with a caliber this big, the little things don't matter, but it's actually the opposite. Because the "Big Fifty" has so much internal volume, getting a consistent ignition is the key to accuracy. You want that primer to strike and the flame to travel through the flash hole exactly the same way, every single time.
Dealing with Recoil and Pressure
Let's not sugarcoat it: the 50-90 Sharps kicks like a mule. That recoil isn't just hard on your shoulder; it's hard on the equipment. When that heavy rifle slams back, the cartridges in your belt or on the bench are feeling it too.
From a brass perspective, you want to make sure your primer pockets stay tight. If you start noticing that primers are sliding in too easily, it's a sign that your brass is reaching the end of its life or that your loads are a bit too hot. With 50 90 sharps brass, you usually don't have to worry about the case head expanding as much as you would with high-pressure magnums, but it's still something to keep an eye on.
Wrapping Things Up
At the end of the day, shooting a 50-90 is about the experience. It's about the smell of the sulfur, the massive cloud of smoke, and the way the ground seems to shake when that heavy bullet leaves the barrel. Having a steady supply of high-quality 50 90 sharps brass is what makes that experience possible.
Whether you're hitting the range for a long-range buffalo silhouette match or you just want to feel the power of a nineteenth-century legend, don't skimp on your brass. Buy the good stuff, take care of it, and it'll reward you with years of thumping targets and turning heads at the range. It's a bit more work than your average caliber, sure, but once you hear that heavy lead "clunk" against a steel plate at 400 yards, you'll know it was worth every bit of effort.