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As to numbers etc, I have no information but know a bit about the round itself.

The .50/95, originally a Winchester round for the model 1876 lever action rifle, was a slightly bottlenecked round which used a very short light weight bullet, ie: 300gr. at around 1,500 to 1,600fps. The rifling twists were very slow as in retro for that period - ie: round ball twists, of around 56" to 60". Thus the ctg. could not shoot a heavier longer bullet due to overall length restrictions, let alone bullet tumbling from the slow rifling twist.

Indeed, accuracy of the short bullets was considered very poor at the time (by said buffalo hunters) - something worse than 9" at 200yards and that was the .45/90 Winchester round, a more modern round than the .50/95.

Due to the light weight bullet, penetration on heavy game (buffalo or grizzly) was poor and straight line penetration horrid as the bullet turned after hitting the game, not following a straight line due to the instability of the bullet after impact. They probably worked splendidly on deer or black bears at short ranges, both easy to kill and lightly boned.

The Winchester rounds were the laugh of the American plains buffalo hunters, who distained the Winchester's poor killing power, from the .44's, .45's through the longer .50 cal. ctgs., all lever guns shooting light-for-calibre bullets. They had the FPE, but lacked enough "bullet" mass or sectional density to do the job on heavy game, thus they would work on deer or black bear or Indians, but were not very good on anything larger.

The later and larger cased 50/110 shared the .50/95's light bullet/slow twist rate and thus poor performance on heavy game due to the slow twists used. Modern made barrels chambered for either of these rounds do well with 24" or even faster twists and become the big game rounds they never were back then.

What twist is in a Colt LIghtening, I don't know? You'll have to measure one, I guess. Collectors of those pieces would probably never think of measuring one, let alone shooting it.

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Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V

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