I am looking at the S&W 500mag 2 3/4" pistols as a possible all purpose back-up handgun. Yes, I already know rifles are best hence my 416 & 500 Jeffery. I just want to know if this little power house has enough to save my bacon with a big bear? Any first hand advice would be great.

Thanks

Brad

Brad,

I'm sure the hand cannon would work well, but on the other hand so will anything from about a .44 on up. If I understand you correctly you're talking about a last ditch, final resort, stick the barrel in the bears mouth and slap the trigger- gun.

A couple of years ago a friend used a .44 in a final effort kind of scenario and son-of-a-gun, the bear fell over dead.

If you can hang on to a 500 under recoil, sure why not? If the blast is an issue, use a .44. The do work.

... I agree with Scott , , But I do like the larger bullet of the 500 ...

I do think the way to go with the snubby is with a much less than max load ...

For me the snub nose 480 Ruger Alaskan is prefered because it is lighter ..
A 400 gr bullet @ 1000 fps is pretty good when it is those diameters ..
I am currently packing my 45Colt Ruger Blackhawk 4 5/8" loaded with 300 gr Buffalo Bore

I,m falling the Big Bear U.S.F.S. timber sale on Chichagof Is. and every day there is fresh bear s--t in the unit or on the road I don,t have too many qualms I have a holster on my Alice pack that I use as a fallers pack. Today while limbing a tree I saw a bear walk by about 125 feet away .....

Walking out @ quiting time this afternoon I walked down a bear trail , and I don,t remember ever seeing one where the tracks were so far apart width wise .. .. I,ve seen a 9' bear in the area last Saturday , The one I saw today had to be around 4 or more feet tall at the shoulder ....

Thanks for the advice. What I'm trying to do is consolidate what I own. At present 98% of the time I carry in my car on roads trips or in my back pack cross country skiing a S&W 651 4" 22WMR. I feel that for Oregon this will cover everything up to a bear. My next jump would be my Sig 226 or a rifle/slug shotgun. I sold my S&W29 a few years back needed the money. I have owned but didn't like a S&W360 12oz 357mag. What I want to do is take something more substantial if the 22WMR doesnot work. The 500 ES balances out real nice in my hand. The 4" version just doesn't point real well. My thoughts are to reload both LV loads for small critters and full house loads for Bear if needed. I know that this is a VERY BIG GUN but since I'm not an race gun shooter who cares. Its better than a large rock or a rilfe left at Home/in the truck. When you talk about 9ft + bears this 500 seems down right small. I could make due with a 44mag the new Bounty Hunter 3" looks good, but the .50cal bullet looks mighty nice when you really need it. I'm trying not to overthink this but, to buy a multipurpose gun that can handle the gamit (except for being light weight). Yes, I like the 329 and might eventually get one in the future its just the 500 ES are priced right now and I don't want to miss the boat.

Thanks Brad

A 2 3/4" barrel is might small for such a big handgun but like what was already said before, if your planning on using it as a last resort type deal then I doubt you would feel any recoil from firing it. If the recoil is not an issue for you then by all means, go with the 500.............this is one of those cases where bigger is certainly better.

When one has to use it big is good. When one has to carry it all day for days and days big isn't always good.

I've been searching for the best for many years right now a TI 41 is a joy to carry a lot . A red hawk with a 315 gr hard cast at 1250 hits harder.

The best one to have is the one you have with you when you need it.

The 500 works excellent. Bear stopped at 10 yds dead charge last year. 4" Barrel with muzzle break. Gun is a little heavy but a shoulder holster worked great. I trust in this caliber without a doubt a hard hitter

You should carry a gun you can shoot well and fast. The .500 S&W has more recoil tyhan most folks can handle well. Folks do a lot of flinching in anticipation of the round going off. Stick to a .44 mag with Gattett hammerhead loads . Just my $.02

4" 500 with muzzle break is much less recoil than you would think. The noise factor is somethng to behold though. It really is a not to bad kinda recoil and will save you in a pinch. I know from experience drove a 9'er straight to the canvas. Just my opinion

Here is what I consider the best combo a shortened to 4.25" Ruger Super Redhawk chambered in 454 Casull.

I load it with 405gr Beartooth WLNGC's @ 1330fps I practice with a 1200fps load though.

I feel that this gun/cartridge combo gives ample power to weight ration.

I carry it in either a Bob Mernickle cross draw or a cross draw shoulder holster.

I also installed Crimson Trace laser grips...

I have a Taurus 4" bbl 45 Long Colt in Titanium, which can handle +P loads and weighs a mere 20 oz. and if that is not enough...I also have a 5" bbl 500 Linebaugh Reeder custom 5 shot revolver. I know that would be enough. I never warmed up to the 500 S$W revolvers...just too much weight and recoil in a revolver. Taurus also makes a titanium 44mag that costs a lot less than the S&W version.

I used to have a 500S&W in a handi-rifle. I'll pass on the pistol. wasnt bad through the rifle but I think it would be to much in a pistol.

'll stick with this

I think the key to the equation is can you shoot it accurately and fast one handed?

If you can't then you should be shooting a smaller gun.

........In my experience , fast one handed shooting isn,t that necessary an option , might be nice if the bear is ontop of you ... Most of the time the situation develops much slower and you have time for accurate shooting .... The trick is to have it with you when you need it ....Sevral friends have S&W mountain guns like Joel,s and they are fun to pack ... One friend that has both the 4" 500 S&W and a 2 1/2" 44 mag said the 500 wasn,t any worse than the 44 recoil wise ... This past week there was a 10' or there abouts bear near the timber sale we were logging ... For those who haven,t been on the ground within 50 yrds or less and in plain view of a 10 foot bear , , Find a pasture that has a big bull in it and go stand near it ... Thats kindof the size a 1500 lb omnivour is ... One that disappears into the brush about where you were planning on walking in ... I was wishing I had a 500 with me ,so I guess I better get one .....

I was wondering how the 2" model would do with bird shot for grouse , isn,t .50 around 28 ga. ?????

The 500mag is good enough for bear.
I see a lot of folks on the web suggesting that the recoil of the 500 is 'too much' and follow up suggesting the use of hot loads in a 44 magnum.

I've shot a lot of hot 44 magnum loads, and I own and shoot a 500mag
The S&W compensated revolvers are easier to handle, ft/lb of terminal energy for ft/lb of terminal energy in comparison to hot 44mag loads in uncompensated revolvers.

There's a cult status resistance to compensated or muzzle braked handguns, a similar cult status resistance to the S&W 500mag.
Ignore the multitude of youtube videos of first-time handgun owners with their x-frame guns and video cameras showing ridiculous grimaces and flinch.

The system around the cartridge as presented by S&W is a handful (as anything that's good for bear defense will be) but it's a manageable handful due to the design.
The slap and flip of a model 29 with full-tilt hot loads is much more of a 'flinch trainer' than a 4" compensated 500mag X-frame revolver.


Just a perspective from someone who's been there with both hot 44mag revolvers AND the S&W 500mag in an X-frame gun.


--Tinker