To all,



Had a customer come into the shop with his new 8 3/8" 500 S&W and asked if I would custom load for his new beast because he really did not want to mess with the recoil during load testing.(RED FLAG RIGHT THERE!)



I was more then happy to do so, having not yet been able to wring out a 500 S&W, I was quite excited to do so. He brought a box of the 330 gr cast loads loaded by Ultra Max.



The customer had several pounds of Win 296 so he wanted a load developed for that powder and asked me what bullet to use. Being a heavy bullet fan, I recommended the 440 gr WFNGC from CPB as I have used this bullet with great success in my 15" Encore in 50 A.E. when driven to 1500 fps.



I ordered him a good supply of brass and a set of Hornady dies and we were off.



Last Friday the brass and dies showed up so I set down to the bench and researched load data for the 500. I settled on a starting load of 34.0 gr over a Fed-210 primer which the customer also requested. All of the load data I had access to listed 38.0 gr of H-110 as a max so I stopped at 37.0 gr with W-296 just to be on the safe side.



I headed to the range and set up at my 35 yard test target. Generally I test at 25 yards but for a big game hunting revolver, I like 35 because it will give a more accurate evaluation of the load as well as allows me to test the quality of the open sights a little better.



I will give the load data and results first and then review the revolver. Velocity is an average of 15 rounds for each load, group average is for three five shot groups.



Load data:

-Hornady brass

-440 gr WFNGC CPB

-W-296

-Fed-210

-2.005" oal



34.0 gr

Ave: 1474 fps

E.S.: 56 fps

Group Ave: 2.150" ctc



35.0 gr

Ave: 1509 fps

E.S.: 23 fps

Group Ave: 1.847"



36.0 gr

Ave: 1539 fps

E.S.: 45 fps

Group Ave: 1.550"



37.0 gr

Ave: 1585 fps

E.S.: 26 fps

Group Ave: 2.103"



My opinion of the load is that I would pick the 36.0 gr load and do further accuracy testing as it looked the most promissing showing a pretty dramaticly smaller group average over the other loads. All groups were acceptable but I was disappointed with the over all group size for a S&W.



The customer did not want to pay for extensive load testing, basically, figure out a load that looks good on paper and the shoot as little as possible to get a good usable load.(SECOND RED FLAG!)



I also feel this revolver could easily reach the 1700 fps level with this powder and bullet combination but in my mind the slight increase in performance would not be worth the great increase in recoil.



As for accuracy with this load which I have found CPB to be as fine a big game bullet as there is and are usually some of the most accurate out of revolvers that are set up with correct dimensions. I was not impressed with its accuracy at all.



I have several and have developed loads for dozens of Ruger Blackhawks, Redhawks and S. Redhawks that would put this load/revolver combo to shame. To be fair it is only one load developement so I will leave it at that.



The gun itself is finished very nicely and fitted quite well. The cylinder is fitted as well as most double action revolvers such as those from Ruger. Definately a mass production revolver but still very usible.



There were a couple problems with the workings of the revolver. First off, when the trigger was pulled quick and hard to the right, as it would be is you were a right hand shooter trying to stop something big and furry from bitting you, the revolvers hand would sometimes miss and not fully index the cylinder.



A little stoning of the right side of the hand corrected this problem.



Also, with the 440 gr bullets, even with its fastest load, there was not enough vertical adjustment to zero the handgun. At 35 yards, the groups would impact right around 4" high. The sights provided a clear sight picture and were of good quality.



This is a common problem when using untraditionally heavy bullets in a revolver, such as a Ruger Blackhawk in 44 mag loaded with 360 gr WFNGC bullets.



BUT, the 440 gr WFNGC from CPB is loaded in one of the original CorBon loads and I feel it is a major problem that the revolver can not be adjusted to hit on aim with a factory weight bullet.



The trigger is pretty good. It brakes clean at 5 lbs but to be fair, it feels much lighter then that. Was pretty happy with the trigger quality but that is typical from the S&W trigger systems design.



There are a couple thinks I did not care for in the revolver. FIrst off, it is flat out huge. I feel much heavier then it really needed to be. When the cylinder is loaded with the 440 gr loads, there is roughly 3/8" of empty throat left at the end of the cylinder. This does nothing to improve accuracy and just adds useless weight to the revolver. Personally, I feel S&W did this to make the the revolver look meaner so to speak, though it was not needed.



Also, I am not a fan of the S&W grips and never will be. For me they are much to thin for a heavy recoiling revolver and the Hogue grips on the 500 are to flimsy in my mind to do much good. I like rubber grips but these are to soft and to sticky for such a revolver. While they cover the back strap of the grip, there is basically no protection to the hand from recoil. I lost several layers of skin on the palm of my hand during load testing.



The muzzle comp, I'm sure does work but I feel it was added more for sales reasons then for function. Personally, I would rather have a heavy recoiling revolver go up then straight back at me and the comp does very little to reduce recoil, just lines it up straight into the web of your hand. This tends to make recoil feel much heavier then it really is as your wrist is smacked with all the energy iinstead of having your elbow bend and let the revolver absorb its own energy as it rises.



The momentum of this revolver is very great once it starts moving, I feel this is why it feels like its kicks much harder then it really does, your hand has to stop all that momentum.



Again, this revolver is to damn heavy to be anything but a dedicated big game hunting revolver and even then its to big. It is flat out worthless as a pack gun for the back country, I do not know anyone who would put up with its weight when there are other revolvers out there that will serve well and are easy to carry, such as my personal favorite Ruger Blackhawk 4 5/8" 45 Colt loaded with the 360 g WFNGC to 1200 fps.



It is an interesting revolver, but I have no need for one as I have several revolvers that are much more accurate, much easier to shoot, plenty powerful for all big game hunting and cost half as much to buy and shoot.



All in all, I can not say it is not a quality revolver, but I would rank this specific handgun no higher then Rugers serious big bore handguns, in fact I would recommend the Rugers every time over this new 500. It is not because I am a big bore basher, all you that know me know that is not the case, it is just a poorly designed revolver for anything except housing the most powerful handgun round available, YET!





Just my views on this one revolver!



What do you think?



Good Shooting!!!



50

Good review!

I haven't had a chance to shoot a 500 S&W yet, so can't comment firsthand. Having looked at the gun, I agree that it is a novelty, right up there with the BFR and Desert Eagle. It may seem impressive, but is just too heavy to be carried all day.

Now, if one just has to have the most powerful gun, and has to claim they are "handgun" hunting, then have fun.

I've never seen a revolver as a substitute to a rifle, each has it's place. There are certainly times a revolver is superior, but only if the gun is of reasonable size to be carried, and of reasonable recoil to be shot accurately.

I feel about the same way. I bought the Performance Center one with an even longer barrel. This one is even less practical. Front sight on this one is too short as well. I may hunt with it on occasion but can't really see a need for such a monstersize gun. I don't regret buying it and have a four inch on order. Since when does a gun have to be practical before you buy one. Or two. Oh and by the way the extra length on the cylinder I am willing to bet is because S&W is going to chamber this revolver in some rifle calibers. No other good reason for that much cylinder length.

M16,

I have heard rumors of S&W chambering rifle rounds such as the 223 and 22-250 as well as a family of revolver rounds built on the same length as the 500 in 44 and possibly 475.

The revolver rounds I can see but in my mind, loading a bottle necked round in a revolver, especially a small bore round is a waste of time and strictly a novelty.

Especially when one could take a T/C Encore or G2 and get a 14 to 15 inch barrel that would be roughly the same length as the 10" version of the 500.

It would be lighter, cost 1/3 asa much and the S&W would not even be in the same class as far as accuracy and velocity goes.

That does not even get into the mechanical problems with case sete back and flame cutting of the top strap with these high pressure rifle loads. It appears they do not remember the fate of the 357 Maximum which while blown out of wack ruined the production of this fine round and revolver.

I applaude S&W for being creative but I would have much rather seen a 50 round built on the same class as the 50 A.E. except with a rim or perhaps even a 500 on a 1.400" case which could be chambered in a realistic sized revolver and still be comfortable to shoot.

I am still curious to see how the lockwork of the S&W will hold up to the 500. Compared to others, the inner workings of a S&W are relatively delicate and can go out of timing quite easily.

Just my thoughts!

Good Shooting!!!

50

Although I've only put a couple boxes worth of handloads (100 rds. or so) I've been happy with my 500. Unlike 50driver, I like the compensator on this gun. My friend has a Ruger in 41 mag. that I find much more unpleasant to shoot than the 500 for the mere fact that it jumps up so high with so much force.

I know that some folks have complained about soreness or other problems with their shooting hand, but I haven't had any problems as of yet. The only problem I have had is with my supporting hand. With the way I wrap my left hand around the grip, it puts my pointer finger directly under the trigger guard and after recoiling the gun kind of smashes back down the top of my finger so to speak. It's hard to explain, but it gets a little after a while. Other than that, I've been really happy with the gun. I've been shooting the 350 gr. Sierra's and haven't run into the problem that 50 mentioned. I was able to get the gun adjusted just fine, but when I stepped the loads up a couple of grains it definitely started pushing the rounds to the left.

Anyway, that's my $.02

I've shot the 500.. and the 50ae right next to it... In my opinion, my 45 LC (which is just humping 225gr) is a far more practical hungting gun, WITHOUT a scope...

the SW and the 50ae are just too durn HEAVY to shoot well without a rest....

oh, and for those wondering, HELL YEAH i knew when those two went off...

both guns grouped fairly well, ironsights and a rest (i was buying ammo by the round, as the guy was letting me shoot his) but off hand, hmmm, well... for my groups sizes, you can just say I used the WHOLE target offhand at 50

i am not a great pistolshot, which may play into this, but i can hold my own... and these BEASTS were just too heavy for even a two handed hold...


that's alright... i let him shoot my 500 jeffery rifle a couple times.. i think both thinks the other got beaten on recoil!!

jeffe

Excellent review of the Model 500, and I have to agree with you on the issue of recoil....the compensator does put all of the force on your palm and wrist.

As for loads, I've been shooting 37.0 of W296 in both my BFR and X-frame (440 grain hard casts). It's proved to be accurate in both guns, though the Magnum Research groups much better than the Smith (35.5 grains of H4227 with the 440 is another good load).

Lee Martin
www.singleactions.com

Kingfisher,

Thanks for the reply, recoil is a funny thing. We tend to get into trouble when we try to compare how we preceive recoil compared to someone else.

Also, how we prefer to absorb recoil is often a varying think. Like you said, some like no muzzle jump, some prefer the handgun to not drive directly into the hand.

Personally, I feel it is easier on my to let a heavy kicker jump up so that the recoil is spread over a longer period of time as well as being absorbed first in my wrist, then my elbow and then my upper arm and slightly even my shoulder.

I do not like the sensation of having my joints sharply compressed by a compensated heavy kicker. Again, this is a personal thing and my feeling by no means say your thoughts are wrong in any way. Everyone just feels recoil in different ways.

Your comments about the 41 surprise me a little, I shoot a 4 5/8" Ruger Blackhawk in 45 Colt loaded with 360 gr WFNGC loaded to an honest 1200 fps. The handloads I tested in the 500 had at least as much muzzle jump and seemed to kick substantially harder then my heavy colt loads which are head and shoulders above any 41 load I have developed even with the 265 gr cast bullets.

Thanks for the reply!

Good Shooting!!!

50

Jeffeosso,

I would agree with you that an open sighted 45 Colt is a far better hunting choice then either the 500 or 50 A.E.

And for a pack gun, there is not even a comparision between them, the 45 wins by default.

My only 50 A.E. is in a 15" Encore handgun. This is a big, scoped handgun designed of deliberate big game hunting. I do not shoot it offhand and set up in tree stands or ground blinds when using it.

With its 1.25-4x Burris it will easily reach 150 yards and land with authority when loaded with the 440 gr WFNGC at 1500 fps.

Still it is what it is, a single shot big game revolver. It is still about two pounds lighter then the 500 S&W yet will flat smoke it in accuracy producing 1" five shot groups at 50 yards.

I thought about rechambering the 50 A.E. Encore to the 500 S&W when it came out but I have to ask why? Realistically, a 440 gr bullet at 1500 fps will basically do anything the same bullet at 1700 fps will do, without the extreme recoil problem.

As far as shooting the 500 off hand, well I can do it, but with full tilt loads, after only a few shots, I can not control the mass and recoil of this handgun to accurately shoot it off hand.

Of a bench the recoil is stouter but I can manage fine accuracy up to 25-30 rounds or so. After that my hand fatique is a problem and I get pretty shaky.

As you said, I can shoot my 45 Colt nearly all day with decent results from offhand shooting!

Good Shooting!!!

50

Lee Martin,

How do the two different designs compare as far as recoil is concerned with your handloads? I would much prefer the single action design over the S&W except the revolver is far bigger then it ever needs to be.

Being a dealer, I have been watching the wholesale distributors marketing the big 500 in both the S&W and the BFR. My attention is always drawn to the BFR listing of the 6.5" 480/475 Line. version of the BFR.

This in my mind would be about the best combo out there, still if I am going to spend that kind of money, I would just assoon build myself a very large hammer on one of my XP-100 action so I could get 1/2 moa accuracy and power that would even make the 500 look a little weak.

Good Shooting!!!

50

Fiftydriver......the BFR has a lot of muzzle jump, but I find it to be less punishing than the X-frame (the Smith comes right back at you with most of the recoil being absorbed by your wrist). As for accuracy, my BFR can do 1.5" - 2.5" at 50 yards off the bench.....my Model 500 does 1.5" - 2.5" at 25 yards (this has held for multiple 440 grain loads; I've yet to do extensive testing with other bullets however).

Lee Martin
www.singleactions.com

Fiftydriver.....one other thing. I agree that the .500 BFR is way bigger than it needs to be (they should've brought it out on a maximum length frame). Nonetheless, they do lend themselves to .50 Alaskan conversions. I've done a couple and can get over 3,000 fpe out of a 10" barrel. I also devised the ".500 Martin" which is nothing more than a .50 Alaskan necked to handle .500" bullets. The nice thing about the latter is that it doesn't require a new barrel installation (that is, if you start with a .500 Mag BFR).



Lee Martin

www.singleactions.com

I've looked at several of them and I think my Jersey Buddy Andy summed up the Smith 500 best; "It looks like it SHOULD read "ACME revolver Company" in a Roadrunner cartoon".

WAY TOO big. And the idea of the 500 of a "packing" gun? Crazy.



I DO like the looks of the cartridge though for a lever gun or say a Ruger #3.



Have to applaud Smith though for the balls to produce such an oddity.



50 Driver........ Are YOU "Taco Jeff's" gunsmith?? Saw the Ft Shaw address. I'm over in Cascade.



FN in MT

Lee Martin,

That 50 Alaskan or 50 Martin look like very interesting conversions. As a young gunsmith, I have studied cartridge conversions on revolvers but have yet to do one. What is your chambering method you use to do this accurately?

What bullet weight are you using to get 3000 fpe out of the 10" barrel? And I'm afraid to ask of the recoil level produced?

Thanks for the information!

Good Shooting!!

50

Frank,

I have done quite a bit of work for "Taco Jeff" in the last several months. He has really helped me get started with the work he has given me and from the sounds of it he has been quite happy with his new rifles.

He had me recut his Sako 280 Rem to the 280 Ack. Imp. and is getting very good results, in fact near 7mm Mag performance.

He also had me build him a two total custom rifles on M700 actions. The first was a full tilt 1000 yard gun chambered for the 6.5-06 Ack Imp with a 27", #9 Lilja pillar bedded into a Holland Signature Heavy Varmitn laminated stock. He had me mount a Nightforce 12-42 in the saddles and man does this thing shoot.

When he came up to pick the rifle up we when to my range to shot it and with virgin brass using the 129 gr Hornady SP, we both were shooting 1/4" groups.

He has yet to really try the rifle out where it was made to run, out at 1000 yards with the big 140 gr A-Max bullets.

the second custom rifle is still in the shop. It is also built on a M700 but with a #4 Lilja barrel. It is chambered for the 257 STW, the hottest 25 caliber I have yet to see. This rifle wears a pillar bedded Holland Sig Sporter laminated stock with a Leupold 4.5-14 in the Burris Sig rings.

I have yet to shoot this one yet as we are waiting for the brake to come in before he wants to shoot it. It should be here this week and this weekend I will get it fitted and have him come up and shoot her for the first time.

He keeps saying he wants me to build him a custom XP-100 like my 338 WSM but we will see. He also want a 50 BMG built on a McMillan action, he will probably wait on that until he sees mine and then will have to have one.

50

Fiftydriver......we use a modified form of line boring. Basically, it involves a frame mounted shank that indicates the front of the cylinder when in battery. From there, the throats are bored in a Bridgeport mill using a Hartford Super Spacer (there's more on the technique in my ".375 Atomic" article. The ".30 Streaker" document also has a couple of photos).

With the .500 Martin I've been able to push 505 WFNs to around 1,660 fps (55 grains of IMR 4198). The recoil off-hand is bad, but manageable......off the bench, it's absolutely brutal. I have a custom mould for a 690 slug that I'm going to play with next. We'll see what it does and if my wrist holds-up. Seriously though, I've built the .50 Alaskan/.500 Martin BFRs to see what I could get out of a single-action.....though they'd be deadly on game, for practical purposes, I'd stick with a 5-shot Bisley.

Lee Martin
www.singleactions.com

Lee Martin,

Thanks for the reply, will check out your articles and learn a little more on the subject.

Good Shooting!!!

50

From what I have heard (stupid government won't let us hunt with handguns and we can't even own any over .45 ) I think I would go with a 50AE in a Desert eagle if we were allowd. I have shot a Magnum Research Desert Eagle in .44mag and .357mag and I think it would make a very good hunter in .50AE. Unfortunaltly I won't find out first hand til my big trip to the US...

M82A1

I shoot the 270gr bullets loaded to 2037 FPS at a steel target, at the range I belong to, at 200 yds. I have shot the 400gr bullets and had all the recoil come streight back into my palm but that was on a bench. I also got a nice three shot group into 1.5" at 50 yds. so I would say it's accurate it's all in the power your using. I use LIL'GUN.
I love a heavy revolver that shoots big bullets the weight
knocks down the recoil. At least helps.

Jro45,

I agree that LilGun would be a good powder for this round, especially if one wanted to load some moderate performance loads or when loading light for caliber bullets.

What are your uses for that 270 gr pill at +2000 fps. Hopefully not much more then varmint hunting or paper punching.

Good Shooting!!!

50

M82A1

From your call sign I assume your a man of my own heart concerning the 50 BMG.

I am also a great fan of the 50 A.E. In fact I feel a rimmed version of the A.E. chambered in a 5 shot Blackhawk for a pack gun or a 5 shot Super Redhawk for a primary hunting revolver would be almost perfoect in my mind.

This round would drive the 440 gr class bullets to at least 1200 fps from a 4 5/8" barrel and perhaps 1350 in a 7 1/2" pipe. It would be easy to shoot and hit very hard.

My current affair with the 50 A.E. is with a 15" Encore in that round. Its favorite load is the 440 gr WFNGC from CPB driven to 1500 fps with H-110. Will group in the 1" range at 50 yards.

The Desert Eagles are great autos, but they are very large and heavy. I feel the AMT in 50 A.E. would also be a very attractive auto but they are very hard to find at realistic prices.

Good Shooting!!!

50

I plan on using the 270 gr bullet for boar hunting and the 400gr bullets for bear hunting over bait.I've been bear hunting in Canada and N. Carolina with no luck. My Dr. friend got one in Canada. So anyway we're going Boar hunting this summer in N carolina. Hard to say were we will go next year.I've been shooting guns for over 40 years and hunting also and I like shooting my S&W 500.

I've been having great luck with Li'l gun in my 500. The only problem I've had with it is that it looks like it has pretty well trashed my powder measure. For some reason, the powder decided to bond with the plastic canister on top of my powder measure, so now it has a 1 grain deep coating of Li'l gun powder all the way around the inside of the canister. It wont wash out either. I've been trying to decide what I'm going to do, I guess I'll just have to get in there with a long screwdriver and scrape it all out. What a PITA!

Fifty Driver,
I can't really say much from my own experiances here except for paper punching so I don't know how much my opinion really counts...

If I were to go hunting with a Desert Eagle I think I would go for longer barrel, I seem to remember that 5 1/2 inches is about 120mm and that is the minimum barrel length of an auto-loader here in Aus. All laws aside I would go for the 6 or 10 inch barrel although the 10" is probably too long. I prefere a big hundgun for hunting because they absorb recoil so you can make the all important follow-up shot. Also I prefere longer barrel length so that I can get a higher velocity out of them. Has anyone actually hunted with this set up I would like to know how it works in real life situations...

M82A1

PS
I love the barret .50BMGs, one of my favourites.

I have played with many of the big autos, the Desert Eagles are great if you have big enough hands. The AMT is crap. The grip holds in vital parts and the screws back out under recoil. Since the grip is plastic you can't really do much, we drilled an tapped one to take 1911 grip screw bushings and grip screws but it was sold shortly after. The best of the lot may have been LAR's discontinued Grizzly. I used to have one in 45 Win Mag and it was great. I wish I had never sold it, now I have to shoot my buddies The Grizzly was also made in .44 Mag and 50 AE.
Jason

Jro45,

Obviously you are not using your 500 in Canada as they do not allow it.

From the boars I have harvested with handguns, I would say they are pound for pound as tough if not tougher then black bears, at least to kill.

A Blackie may want to bite you a little more but a big pissed off boar can sometimes be tricky to convince he is really dead.

I would use the 400 gr pills on both and leave the 270's for much lighter stuff like paper punching!

Good Shooting!!

50

I'm new to this site and so far am impressed with it.I have one of these 500's and am totally impressed with it.I've only been hunting with handguns for the last twenty some odd years and I've learned that as far as handguns Elmer had the right idea.Use the heaviest caliber you can handle.The 500 S&W is more than a novelity to me.Yes,the heaviest handgun I've personally owned,but to me it's copletely functional.It's not a problem to walk around the woods looking for elk or moose with a rifle that weighs 10 + pounds and not think much about excessive weight,but this 4.5 pound handgun is just to heavy to carry.Well, I don't mind carrying it as long as it gets the job done.Besides that,I just really enjoy shooting the 500.Most fun I've had with a hand cannon in a long time.
Just my 2 cents worth!
Good Shootin
Gep

Fiftydriver, I agree about the boars being hard to penatrate with a handgun and the 270gr bullets would just open up with little penatration. So i've decided to take my 7mm with a 165gr Nosler partistion bullet instead. And I know about canada's handgun law. Really its hard for anybody to own a rifle up there. You aut to see the paper work they have to go thru and then it has to be approved.

I'll find something to shoot with my 500 S&W.

Many of these bog bore side arms are really engineering curiosities...not that that's bad, as improvement in any technical field imvolves going to the extremes of the envelope, just to see if you can...has little to do with practicality in the field.

In the handgun world if you are going to tote it around and over hill and dale, 3.5 pounds is getting to the limit for most outdoorsmen. After that, you might as well sling a 6 lb rifle over your shoulder and have done with it.

For a pure, practical hunter its hard to beat the Taurus Model 44 with a 12 inch bbl on it. Comes in at 56 ounces and is moderate recoil proposition with the hottest 44 mag loads you want to stuff in it. The long bbl comes within 100 fps of a 44 mag guide gun and you give up 1.0 MOA at most to the rifle. The long sight radius and weight distribution allow any decent revolver shooter to peck away at playing cards at 25 paces. What's even better is that you can DA all six rounds into a shooting times magazine at that distance in about 4 seconds.

Its easy to rig your back pack so the grips are right behind you right ear with the muzzle down.You can sit or go prone and it is not in the way at all, and you can still draw as fast as from any holster made.

For deer sized game, you can lop off about 300 fps and go to 15 grs of Longshot with a 240 gr XTP and wind up right at 1450 fps...right at a max load in a 7 or 8 inch revolver with nearly twice the powder. This cuts 24% of the recoil from those hefty loads with 296 and H110 in a gun of equal weight.

The ammo, as you know, is everywhere and it retails for $450.

Sabot ,I agree with your assessment of the 44.Its a great round and the combo you mention will do everything you say it will.I can remember when S&W introduced the 44 mag.It was touted as a behemoth that most people of the day wouldn't be able to master.Back then most people were to afraid of the awsome recoil to even think of buying one.Now it's probably the most popular handgun hunting cartrige going.I don't foresee the 500 S&W ever ataining near the following the 44 has ,but what a fun gun to shoot.I'm a machinist by trade and really like the quality of the 500 I have.Then again ,I'm a gun nut and appreciate the quality of any well built firearm.What really got my attention about the 500 was the power available.So far it's easier to shoot than the 454 and thats definitely a plus to me.The muzzle flip isn't near as obnoxious.The heaviest bullet I've loaded so far is the 350 gr. Sierra with Lil,gun ahead of a CCI 200.The load is very accurate off the bags and to me is quite manageable.Some of the loads I've seen on the net I wouldn't even consider.Yes ,the gun weighs a ton ,and to me thats the only draw back.If a person carried it in a good shoulder rig or in their back pack like you mentioned ,that would alleviate the weight problem.To me its a functional novelty,but I think I'll keep it.
Good Shootin!
GEP

GEP -

Good shootin' back. Like I said, the 500 is a superb firearm, and is right on the cutting edge of our best firearms technology. If you get a chance to try Longshot in it, give it a try...seems to give excellent energy for reduced load densities. Great way to cut recoil but keep as much velocity as possible...

Only thing is that I had to put orange dots on the lid and face of my Longshot cannister because I TWICE loaded it thinking it was Lil' Gun!!! In both cases I caught the mistake, but there is something about 2 powders with names instead of numbers that begin with "L".

With respect to the 44 Mag, it has become the 375 H&H of the handgun world. Like any handgun round that tops out on 4227, W296 and H110, it needs a lot of barrel length...7.5 inches is minimum if these powders are selected.

Gep,

I have to respectfully disagree that the 500 S&W is easier on the hand then the 454.

I have developed several 454 hunting loads for customers ranging from the Swift 300 gr A-Frame loaded to 1700 fps up to the 395 gr WFNGC loaded to 1450 fps. Both of these were out of factory Ruger SRH revolvers.

This is a big gun in and of itself but is light compared to the 500 S&W. When you load the 500 up to moderate or higher levels, that being a 440 gr pill at +1500 fps, you are dealing with some very serious momentum, it is not really the recoil that is bothersome, its getting that massive hunk of steel to stop moving after the recoil has started it in motion, that is momentum.

I personally see not need to drive the 500 over 1500 fps with 440 gr bullets which I feel are the proper hunting weight bullet for the .500" bore. You really gain little on game performance.

Still, while it was controlable, the 500 hits the hand much harder and sharper then any 454 I have ever fired.

Now if you load to the level of some of the factory loads like the 330 gr version from Ultra Max, the handgun will hardly move, but then again, they are basically 44 mag equivalent loads, why put up with the size and weight for that level of performance?

Good Shooting!!!

50

Sabot,

I agree that the 44 is a great round but would have to say that the 12" Taurus is about as practical as the 500 S&W is in the field. Its added length is as much a pain in the rear as the 500's weight is in my mind.

While the 44 is great, in my mind and from what I have seen taking big game, the 45 Colt, when loaded in a Ruger handgun is head and shoulders above it's much younger fellow magnum.

Yes, I refer to the 45 Colt as a Magnum round out of a Ruger handgun. Out of my 4 5/8" Blackhawk, the colt will drive a 360 gr WFNGC to an honest 1200 fps, the 44 Mag will not do that unless you hit 50,000 psi, while the 45 does it with 35,000 psi.

Also, a 7 1/2" Ruger Redhawk will drive that same bullet to 1400 fps which is playing with the performance of the 454.

Again, these are very strong revolvers and that limits the availability of the such guns but I will assure you, those hot loads in your Tauras will result in the need for a timing adjustment relatively quickly, as a gunsmith I now this for a fact.

Good Shooting!!!

50

Sabot
Thanks for the tip on Longshot.I have a lot of experiance with powders like H-110,WW296 & 680.I've just gotten into Lil,gun and it seems pretty good so far.The only problem so far is that Lil,gun seems to build pressure faster with relatively small increments as you approach max loads than H-110 or 296.The idea of using less to get the same will make my wallet ,not to mention my wife much happier.
Thanks again.
GEP

Fiftydriver
You could be right.I had an FA 454 with a 10" barrel that was the best built revolver I've ever owned.What happened is I took a shot at a coyote out of the car(legal in South Dakota)from a kind of difficult position.I was shooting a 340gr. hard cast RNFP ahead of 31 grs.of H-110.I used the heavy cast to prvent to much damage to the pelt.The combination worked really well for me until that day.Being in a strange position(leaning out of the left side of the car,shooting across the hood)when I touched it off I immediately felt severe pain in my right wrist.Being a little shy of doctors and embarassed to boot,I worked with a broken wrist for the next two weeks.On top of all that,I missed the coyote.I've shot the SRH in 480 Ruger and 44 RM and found them very pleasant to shoot,but have no experiance with the 454 in the SRH.Anyway,so far I haven't pulled such a bone headed stunt like that with the 500 or anything else for that matter.
Good Shootin.
GEP

I bought the Smith & Wesson 500 and a BFR in 500MAG. I tested both guns. I shot over 600 rounds in each gun. I sent the BFR to Mag-na-port and had the barrel cut down to 5 1/4 inches, 4 port mad-na-porting and had the muzzle crown inverted. I also had them reinstall my front sight. I then installed some Hogue wooden grips and tested the gun again. The accuracy was still very good. Before I sent the gun off the Mag-na-port I liked the BFR better than the S&W500. The BFR was better balanced for me. Both guns have heavy recoil, even thought the S&W500 had a compensator on it, there was not any less felt recoil. Now after extensive shooting of both guns and the BFR with all the work done, I chose to keep the BFR in 500MAG. I sold the S&W500, it was just to bulky and heavy compared to the BFR. As far as the round itself. I love the 500MAG.

I wouldn't sell or trade my S&W 500 for no other gun on the market. It's not bulky cause I have big hands and the weight helps with the recoil. I love shooting my S&W 500.
I also own a Redhawk 44.

Redhawk1 I'm located west of dover. I just hate to hear someone put down one of my favorite guns. I don't care if you don't like it but I do.
Magnolia isn't to far from dover about 20 miles