Hi Rusty,

In regard to loads for the .500 NE in the Merkel, my buddy's gun seems to prefer loads with IMR 4831. He has to use a drop tube to get the charge in the case. I don't remember what charge he uses.

My load of 105 gr. IMR 4350, Woodleigh 570, Fed 215 reflects no brainpower on my part. It is recommended by Graeme Wright in his book, Shooting the British Double Rifle. The great assurance is that he had the load pressure tested by the Birmingham proof house. A load of 108 gr. IMR 4350 tested at 12.7 tpsi, while the standard 80 gr. cordite load tests at 16.0 tpsi. The 4350 load is down in black powder pressures, but yielding full velocity. Similarly, he tested 105 gr. of H4350 at 12.2 tpsi.

The Hodgdon website gives data for the 50-140 Sharps. Their data is pressure tested and limited to black powder pressures. The 50-140 is a 3.25" case, but otherwise no different from the .500 NE 3". They report that 108 gr. of H4350 with a Lyman 515 gr. bullet yields 2091 fps @ 27,200 CUP. Review the data at:

http://www.hodgdon.com/data/cowboy/lrrd.php#50-140

Good luck with the .500 NE

Regards,
Cptcurl