Sharpshooter Smokeless Powders Transition Years

1897 Improved powders for the 44-40

The "black perforated discs" powders

Post-1900 Powders

black perforated discs

1918, Townsend Whelen mentions;

HERCULES SHARPSHOOTER POWDER - This powder was introduced to give modern smokeless powder results in a diversified group of cartridges in which W. A. and Lightning would not burn properly . In some of them it achieved excellent velocities; in others little improvement over the black powder standards was obtained . 

Sharpshooter is a dense, nitroglycerine type of powder, with two sizes of grain, measuring about .08 inch in diameter by or and .015 inch thick , respectively. It will be noticed that this is a very fine powder which burns at great speed. It contains 40 percent, of nitroglycerine, which, together with the quick burning, makes it the most virulent eroding powder manufactured. The grains are graphited and perforated, hence look like black washers. The date of introduction was about 1903. The manufacturers probably had the conditions of the .45-70 cartridge as much in mind as those of any other when they formulated Sharpshooter, but it was intended for use in all cartridges which gave little bullet or neck resistance. Quick burning was one essential , ease of complete ignition another. In consequence Sharpshooter burns well, and gives accurate results in .45-70, .38-55, .32-40, .38-40 and many other such cartridges. The burning pressure required is 26,000 to 31,000 pounds. It will not burn well at much below this pressure, and above it it becomes very erratic and dangerous. It has been much recommended for reduced loads in high power rifles, even in .22 Savage High-Power, and .250-3000 Savage. In such loading it gives accurate results, but it is so destructive that its advantages are entirely outweighed. It is the powder considered best for automatic rifles, particularly those of the blow -back type of action . During recent years several of the cartridge loading cartridges have used it extensively in the so called “ High-Velocity, Low-Pressure " cartridges for rifles of the black-powder class, and for the real high-velocity ammunition of the same size cartridges. It is not the proper powder for the latter . 

The velocities developed with the usual Sharpshooter loading are the standard for black powder. The High-Velocity loading gives 1,600 to 1,970 feet at the muzzle, varying with different cartridges and bullets. In general the powder is not suitable for developing more than standard black-powder velocities, owing to excessive reaction to slight increase in pressure , and to excessively hot burning. 

In series Sharpshooter classes with W. A. , Lightning, and HiVel, and is the quickest burning of the four. In development it is years behind any nitrocellulose powder. If it's manufacture were to cease, its place could be filled by other existing powders without any loss whatever except for the gap between the quick burning No. 80, and the slower burning No. 18. At this point there is room for another nitrocellulose powder. 

The advantages of Sharpshooter are so many that one cannot help wishing that it did not have such serious faults . It is highly concentrated and takes a low weight of charge. It is impervious to moisture from the air . It is extremely accurate. It burns well in straight shells , and develops the maximum effect from the minimum of shell space . In short, when used without regard to erosion it is a valuable powder. This erosion, however, is most serious in small bores and least serious in large bores . It shows very little erosion in the .45-70 rifle. In very small rifles, like the .25-20, it causes other troubles 

 probably from an intensely acid residue which occurs in these small bores where the powder charge does not so fully dilute the extremely acid product from the combustion of the primer. The charges measure out very uniformly in the Ideal powder measure or otherwise, but in anything like full loads for any cartridge they should be checked by weighing to assure against overloading. Caution is necessary in attempting to identify Sharpshooter by the appearance of the grains alone, as there is very little difference in appearance between ii and the smaller cut of Lightning, and a charge of the latter which would be correct would be a heavy overload for Sharpshooter. 

At least by 1937, available Load Data for the 44-40 was divided into two groups. Rifle loads and Revolver loads