.500 Black Powder Express
Encyclopedia
The .500 BPE or Black Powder Express was first used in a Purdey
Double Express rifle in the 1860s. It is very similar to the .50-140 Sharps
cartridge.
The cartridge
usually fires a 440 grain bullet
with a speed of 1900 ft/s (579.1 m/s) and a muzzle energy
in the current Kynoch
factory load of 3530 ft·lbf (4,786 J).
The round was originally used as a tiger hunting caliber, although it also saw use on elephants in some cases.
James Purdey and Sons
James Purdey & Sons - or simply "Purdey" - is a famous British gunmaker of London, and the name is synonymous with the very finest sporting shotguns and rifles. Purdeys hold or have held numerous warrants of appointment as gun and rifle makers to the British and other European royal...
Double Express rifle in the 1860s. It is very similar to the .50-140 Sharps
.50-140 Sharps
The .50-140 Sharps rifle cartridge is a black powder cartridge that was introduced in 1884 as a big game hunting round. It is believed to have been introduced for the Sharps-Borchardt Model 1878 rifle. The cartridge is very similar to the .500 Nitro Express....
cartridge.
The cartridge
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
usually fires a 440 grain bullet
Bullet
A bullet is a projectile propelled by a firearm, sling, or air gun. Bullets do not normally contain explosives, but damage the intended target by impact and penetration...
with a speed of 1900 ft/s (579.1 m/s) and a muzzle energy
Muzzle energy
Muzzle energy is the kinetic energy of a bullet as it is expelled from the muzzle of a firearm. It is often used as a rough indication of the destructive potential of a given firearm or load...
in the current Kynoch
Kynoch
Kynoch was a manufacturer of ammunition, later incorporated into ICI but remaining as a brand name for sporting cartridges.-History:Kynoch was established in Witton in Birmingham in 1862 by Scottish entrepreneur George Kynoch when he opened a percussion cap factory in Witton. In 1895 he built an...
factory load of 3530 ft·lbf (4,786 J).
The round was originally used as a tiger hunting caliber, although it also saw use on elephants in some cases.