I need some info from you guys. I just got into handgun hunting over the last 2 years and have discovered that I REALLY enjoy it. I currently hunt with a S&W 629 Classic in .44 mag, which is fine for most everything on up to Elk-sized animals.

However, I am looking at getting a .500 S&W later this year for hunting even bigger stuff. I want to use in on Bison and Asian Water Buffalo.

My question is this.....

I have shot a .460 S&W and found the recoil to be not all that bad. Is the .500 much worse (or any worse) than the .460? Now keep in mind that I don't intend to hunt something crazy like Elephant or Cape Buffalo, so I'm not going to be interested in shooting any "extra-hot" loads or anything like that.

Any info on this topic would be great. Thanks.

I personally don't find them objectionable. Granted, I have never shot 700 grainers in one, but there is so much bulk there, that it absorbs a lot of what would be stout recoil. Have you ruled out a single action?

quote:

Originally posted by Whitworth:
Have you ruled out a single action?

Not interested in a single-action for a .500.....but I like them in smaller calibers.

If you load your own there's not a problem. I load hard cast 440 grain bullets with light-medium loads in my 500 Smith and they are fun to shoot. You can always work your way up to find the exact point you want to stop. I haven't shot any 700 grain bullets nor factory loadings.

quote:

Originally posted by Eland Slayer:

quote:

Originally posted by Whitworth:
Have you ruled out a single action?

Not interested in a single-action for a .500.....but I like them in smaller calibers.

I would suggest looking at a BFR in .475 Linebaugh, or .500 JRH. You can load the .500 JRH to levels that are absolutely brutal if you like, but all that velocity just isn't needed. Either of those calibers fit in the short (read: normal) framed BFR, so they're not bulky. I have one in .500 JRH and my go-to load is a 440 grain hardcast flat-nosed bullet at 1,350 fps. It'll shoot under 1-inch at 50 yards. Just something to consider if a .50 caliber handgun is what you have your mind set on. Here is picture of mine.

I do not hand load.....and never have any plans to.

Grizzly makes great ammo for the JRH. Of the four loads I tested, the worst load shot 1 1/4-inch at 50-yards (5-shot group), and the best went under an inch at 50. It's a tack driver that will take any animal that walks this planet. Plus, they are priced right in my opinion. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

You really should handload if you are going to maximize any handgun you plan to hunt with. But, that's a discussion for another thread!

I have a 4" S&W 500, and it is really not bad to shoot at all with factory loads. I haven't shot a 460 to compare it with.
I have loaded and shot 700's at 900fps. It is a big thump, but not bad to shoot.
It does get a little heavy to pack on your belt over several days. I picked up the Galco holster and really like it. Don't remember the model of holster.

Lar, I tested a .460 with an 8 3/8-inch barrel a couple of years ago and it didn't really kick much either until I put some CorBon 395s at 1,525 fps through it and while they kicked a bit, they weren't that bad either.

I just don't like the muzzle brakes on handguns.I shot a 460 that whit tested and it was an accurate bugger but even with hearing protection it was obnoxious.At a seminar in Tenn a 500 ran us off the shooting line because the ports allowed the sound to be caught by the roof.I had a raging bull that was ported and sent it packing.All were good accurate guns but not worth the noise,in my opinion.

yeah, just get a 454, it'll do ya nicely, that said, back to your question, it just depends on the model you shoot. the smaller ones with a less effective brake kick significantly worse than the longer barreled models do. that said, i've not shot a single action 50 cal i liked it either kicked horribly or had a rainbow trajectory. also depends on the load, moderate factory loads are no problem, the 440 grain loads at over 1800fps sting a bit. just a bit. nice guns btw.

I'm not even the least bit interested in a 454.....

I've shot both the 460 & 500 S&W Magnum handguns in both double action revolver and braked Encore configurations. The 500 S&W Magnum is a little worse than the 460 in a revolver but I don't think it's that bad in a revolver with an 8 inch braked barrel.

In the Encore, the 500 S&W Magnum is significantly worse than the 460. It will rock you and clear your sinuses. I prepare for shooting that one with a band aide on the web space between my thumb and index finger and wear a glove.

If you're going to shoot factory loads, they're all going to be fairly heavy but, factory loads aren't as heavy generally as the guns are capable of (probably around 55,000 psi or a little less).

By the way, don't buy one with the 2 inch barrel. They were just the product of a stupid idea.

The .460 S&W I shot with 200gr. Horn. Loads was an absolute pussycat.

The .500 S&W with 400gr. pills was pretty borderline to me.

I have been shooting the 500 Mag from the day they were released .I have shot everything from 275 gr. Barnes bullets to Ranger Ricks 700 gr. T-Rex bullets at 1200 fps. What a handful. Also have a load for 900 fps with the 700 gr. bullet. A lot more fun to shoot.

What I have found with the S&W 500 Mag is, that it will work for almost everything that walks on the planet. To me the 440 gr. Bullet is the overall best bullet weight for the 500 Mag. I reload so I have played with a lot of loads in the 500 Mag. I have also taken a few deer, hogs and a couple of black bear with my 500 mag. As for recoil, it is there but not like a lot of people would think. If you don't ever plan on reloading, Cor-bon 440 gr. hard cast will do the job for you. But if you plan on shooting the 500 mag much, it won't take long for you to see the value in reloading. At $45 to $50 a box of 12 rounds, you learn to reload fast, or you just don't shoot much. Unless you have deep pockets.

I have owned a 4 inch, a 6 inch 3 of the 8 3/8 inch and a 10 inch 500 Mag. I think they all are very good and accurate guns, but I just love the 8 3/8 inch the best. I will never be without a 500 mag in my collection. Just a great round, and can be loaded for fun plinkin to T-Rex killin.

I had a BFR in the 500 Mag, but what I found was, after I would go above the 440 gr. bullets. The bullets would tumble at 20 to 25 yards.. I could not get them to stabilize. As long as I stayed under 440 I was ok. That is why I stuck with the S&W over the BFR. Hope this helped.

quote:

I just don't like the muzzle brakes on handguns.I shot a 460 that whit tested and it was an accurate bugger but even with hearing protection it was obnoxious.At a seminar in Tenn a 500 ran us off the shooting line because the ports allowed the sound to be caught by the roof.I had a raging bull that was ported and sent it packing.All were good accurate guns but not worth the noise,in my opinion.

This is my objection too. I don't hunt with ear plugs and muffs on and will not because hearing is important. Even the electronic things do not allow you to find noise direction of game.
A shot at game does not hurt my ears from a regular barrel that is long enough. I don't want to be BLASTED silly.
Spot and stalk where you have time to put all that stuff in your ears works but stand hunting is different unless you are in one of those elevated houses over a food plot with a coffee pot, a heater, a rest, a bar, etc, so you can pick shots, get ready, talk to the camera man and be a REAL hunter!
Some hunt and some just shoot.

A couple of things to look at about the 500 and 460 S&W revolvers that I don't care for (my opinion only):

Given that a 6" barrel is about right to get the velocities the round was designed for, you get a 61 oz revolver in 500 and a little heavier in 460. You end up with a revolver well over 4 pounds loaded. Heavier if you get the full under-lug barrel and MUCH heavier if you scope it. A four or five pound revolver is a PIA to carry in the brush. Period. Lots of folks do it but there is a better way. Spend a little extra and get a nice Redhawk or Super Red Hawk in 500 Linebaugh or better, 475 Linebaugh. With a six inch barrel you have a much more portable handgun, more power than you need and a lot of different loaded ammo from folks like Buffalo Bore.

Second, the comp adds to the unwieldiness of the gun and makes it even louder than without (which is plenty loud). Not to say that a 500 LB or 475 isn't also loud but the extra 20,000 or so psi just makes it worse and you only get an academic increase in power. Overall, I think the S&W X-frame is a cool exercise in gun making but if you get serious about hunting with a revolver, the Smith will likely be left at camp a lot after the novelty wears off.

quote:

Originally posted by bfrshooter:
I don't hunt with ear plugs and muffs on and will not because hearing is important. Even the electronic things do not allow you to find noise direction of game. A shot at game does not hurt my ears from a regular barrel that is long enough. I don't want to be BLASTED silly.
Spot and stalk where you have time to put all that stuff in your ears works but stand hunting is different unless you are in one of those elevated houses over a food plot with a coffee pot, a heater, a rest, a bar, etc, so you can pick shots, get ready, talk to the camera man and be a REAL hunter!

Some hunt and some just shoot.

Everyone should wear hearing protection even when hunting and this applies to rifles, shotguns and especially handguns whether braked or unbraked. If you think no damage is being done to your ears just because you gun doesn't have a brake, doesn't mean you're not deluded.

As for not being able to hear well or not being able to tell the direction noise is coming from; not really. With quality electronic hearing protectors, not only will you hear better but you will not lose your sense of direction regarding where a noise comes from. I would agree though that they do take a little getting used to.

bfrshooter went to high school with Teddy Roosevelt, I don't think at this stage he is too concerned about the cumulative effect of shooting without protection.......

That is true! I keep telling the wife to stop talking too loud because she hurts my ears. I worked 42 years at United Air Lines around jets and piston planes.
Hunting is different and I can take shots at deer with no ear pain but just one shot from my 10-1/2" .44 on the range without muffs is way too much and hurts. Made the mistake once!
Basic in the army was done with no ear protection and I have a loss of high frequency hearing from that. The stinking bazooka was the worst and even 100 yards away, it hurt.
I was tested every year at united and my hearing never changed.
If you think I am going to use a revolver with a brake for hunting, you are nuts.

quote:

Originally posted by Eland Slayer:
I do not hand load.....and never have any plans to.

Well that would limit your options...


The single action will eliminate the chance of firing an extra (non aimed or planned) round under recoil


Snake

quote:

Originally posted by tiggertate:
Overall, I think the S&W X-frame is a cool exercise in gun making but if you get serious about hunting with a revolver, the Smith will likely be left at camp a lot after the novelty wears off.

Just recently I found somewhere a post about 500 revolvers. Author mentioned that he has hard time finding BFR 500 JRH, however, gun show tables are flooded with LNIB 500 S&W revolvers.

The .500 JRH just became a regular caliber offering from BFR at the beginning of this year.

quote:

Originally posted by Eland Slayer:
I do not hand load.....and never have any plans to.

Wade,
i just don't get this position. i actually think its downright wrong headed --
a box of 20 sw 500 is going to set you back 60bucks - minimum.
reloading kit will be about 420, for everything you need to reload 100 cases -- press, 150 bucks, dies, 50, powder thrower, 65, scales-100, 100 pieces of brass, 55 bucks..

assuming 5 reloads per case.

bullets - 66cents
primer - 4 cents
powder, about 20 cents
90 cents to reload -- no, really...

that's 820 bucks for 500 shots vs about 274 shots with factory ammo for the same 820 bucks.

and thats ONE caliber

add in a single other caliber, and that splits the cost of the "sunk" gear.

you get TRIPLE the number of shots, for the same dollar, and thats only if you setup for one caliber..

oh, add 250 bucks if you want a progressive, which can load 100 rounds in about 15 minutes.

as for recoil.. i was shooting tigger's 500 linebaugh 2 weeks ago ... we shot a BUNCH of rounds, no recoil gloves.. numbed my hand a bit.

saturday i shot 45 colt and 44mag .. shot in a light SW mtn gun, 44 mag in a blackhawk ... both felt like 38s after....

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:
as for recoil.. i was shooting tigger's 500 linebaugh 2 weeks ago ... we shot a BUNCH of rounds, no recoil gloves.. numbed my hand a bit.

saturday i shot 45 colt and 44mag .. shot in a light SW mtn gun, 44 mag in a blackhawk ... both felt like 38s after....

The Linebaugh can feel like a puppy dog if loaded lightly.

quote:

bullets - 66cents
primer - 4 cents
powder, about 20 cents
90 cents to reload -- no, really...

I don't think that is quite right, powder would be around 8 to 10 cents depending on the load. If you use 30 gr you will get 233 rounds from a pound of 296 at $17.
Save factory brass, load it for the price of a bullet and it costs 12 cents plus the bullet, 37 cents for a 500 gr S&W bullet. About 50 cents a shot.
Cast your own free PB boolits and you are down to 12 cents. If you can get free WW's.
That is 12 cents a shot. That is $6 per 50 shots.
For $400 you can get a full setup and a mold, pot, ladle, etc, if you go cheap like a partner setup and Lee pot and mold. It might be even cheaper to start, I have not figured all of it out, too much work.
I would not recommend a progressive to a beginner.
The cost of everything needed can be paid for in a few range sessions against buying factory loads.
My 330 gr, GC boolit, .44 mag loads cost about 12 cents a shot. The .500 JRH loads might be a penny or so more. I also have brass with over 40 re-loads through them.
I have always been poor but like to shoot and I can shoot all day because the initial outlay will last forever.
I can't speak for anyone that can afford to throw money away. I can still shoot a whole lot more!
It is like buying a huge dually pickup to drive up town or cross country. If you can afford the truck, you better have gas money!

BFR - was being on the high side, on purpose.. cast bullets and surplus power make it even cheaper..

but he's not a reloader, at this time, therefore i doubt a caster, or willing to use surplus powder .. and 5 reloads is VERY conservative, again, erring to the side of higher cost.. a worst case secnerio, if you will

so, I'll stick by my estimates, for purpose of illustration.

Stating the worst case is best I guess. The important thing is to show savings and how much more a guy can shoot. But this totally disregards the better accuracy he could get from reloading his own.
Everything costs money, true, but if I had to buy loads, I would only shoot once a year to get ready for hunting and then for hunting. After that I would have a safe queen.
I find it hard to understand a shooter that will not load his own ammo.
Maybe a guy with an SKS and a case of ammo to make a lot of noise. Then the guy with a .50 machine gun where every case out of it yells $2, $2, $2 over and over!

Well guys.....I don't have the time, nor the desire to reload (I know I'm still young, so maybe I will acquire that desire later in life).

I am at a point in my life where I could either save money on ammo by loading my own.....or I could use that time to work and make more money to buy ammo that is already loaded by the factory.

Either way, it's all about opportunity cost.....

But I do appreciate all the feedback. Thank you.

You think time is limited now, wait till you get married......

you are right.. sorry i wasted our timing discussing it.

to answer your question, in the same frame and grip gun, same barrel length, i found the 460 to be more obnoxious to shot. in the short barrel, both SUCK.

but i waste my time reloading and comparing shooting stuff...

quote:

Originally posted by Eland Slayer:
I do not hand load.....and never have any plans to.

You really should get into reloading.

Truly simple to get started-- and saves tons of money.

I would not shoot my.500 S&W's , 475(sold), 460, 44mag or even my 45 acp nearly as much with out reloading.

As to recoil the 500 an 460 at similar bullet weights and barrel lengths are very similar--
perhaps the 500 has a tad more.

As to bullets in the 500 the 700's are really a bit of a gimmick having loaded and fired about 100 now.

The 440's and 500's are about optimal for truly big game.

I use the 275's as my deer load and the 370's as my pig load.

For long distance work I prefer the 460 (12") over the 500 (4" and 8 3/8").

Young fellas have it all wrong, REAL wrong.
Wait and wait, for another time.
Get old, wake up at dawn , spin twice and it is dark out. Hours, days and years fly by in seconds leading to the day you die.
You better do it NOW!
None of you know just how short life is, make the best of what you have.
Work to afford to shoot but what do you do when you no longer work? Better get stuff together now.

BFR,
i started reloading as a youngster parents divorced, and didn't restart until i was 23 or 24 .. and couldnt afford to shoot anything but 22s if i didn't reload.

wade has, as stated, no desire, and believes that its not worth his time. anytime i've worked with people with no desire, and no motivation, well, its like trying to teach a pig to sing.. wastes your time and annoys the pig (not calling you a pig, wade.. just a colorful anecdote)

if he's certain its not worth his time, and he works off desire, then he aint interested.. hence my note "sorry i wasted our time(sic) discussing it" ...

a fella that aint interested just aint...

I suppose that getting married does put a bit of a damper on a man's Do's & Don'ts but not nearly as bad as having 5 youngsters at the table with you and mama.

Hello Everyone, I may be the newest member around here I'd like to find out if any of you ever loaded a hard cast bullet called the Crusher from Missouri Bullet Co.? (it is a non gas checked 400 gr bullet)Is it even OK to load and shoot a hard cast lead bullet from my new 500 S&W 4" revolver?

If wade is making enough money so he can afford factory more power to him.

When I was able to work over time I could buy more ammo with the over time money then I could make reloading it in the same amount of time.

It make more sense to work then reload for some calibers.

That said I reload abit some where over 5000 rounds last year.

Even got back into casting with the price increase of factory.

The bigger the bore the more savings you have.

Now that Iam retired it pays better to reload more.

quote:

Originally posted by George1:
Hello Everyone, I may be the newest member around here I'd like to find out if any of you ever loaded a hard cast bullet called the Crusher from Missouri Bullet Co.? (it is a non gas checked 400 gr bullet)Is it even OK to load and shoot a hard cast lead bullet from my new 500 S&W 4" revolver?

I have never used that bullet, so I cannot comment on how good it is, but I have heard good things about their products.

Now, the more pertinent question for me is: Is it okay to load and shoot jacketed bullets from your .500? Seriously, no expansion is necessary when you are starting out with abullet that has a half-inch diameter. I say hardcast all the way, particularly in the .500 Smith & Wesson. But that's just me!

Oh, and welcome to the forum, George!