[Nightcrawler]

Caught a short blurb about it, showing Smith's new huge revolver, on Fox News just a minute ago.

They were showing the revolver on the screen, and here's what I heard:

"....enough to stop a charging bear. But gun-control advocates worry it could end up pointed at police."

Leave it to Fox. That's true, you know, antis DO think these guns will be used against cops. Becaue, you know, gang bangers LOVE 80oz revolvers firing $1.50 a round ammuntion.

I was interested to find that it was actually on Fox News, and they weren't demonizing it. Cool.

I saw a .50S&W case in a local shop. A .454 Casull case FIT INSIDE of it.

Still...is it any more powerful than .500 Linebaugh, or is it to .500 Linebaugh what .480 Ruger is to .475 Linebaugh?

[mtnbkr]

Using Cor-bon's hunting ammo as the standard for the .50S&W, it appears to be equal to or greater than the Linebaughs. The Corbon load I saw was 400gr at 1500fps. IIRC, the 500Linebaugh is 400gr at 1200-1400fps. I could be wrong, this is off the top of my head and I'm too lazy to look it up. Either way, it's no slouch.

Chris

[Jason Demond]

I wonder what the chamber pressure of the 500 S&W Mag is. I emailed Cor-bon, but they won't say.

[Kilgor]

Leave it to Fox.... I was interested to find that it was actually on Fox News, and they weren't demonizing it.

Huh? Fox News is easily the most conservative :) news channel on.

I saw the spot on the new Smith and Wesson. It was ok, but gun control advocates are always going to be concerned that there is a gun produced that might shoot a bullet. Fox's schtick (spelling?) is "Fair and Balanced." They choose to present both sides.

Kilgor

[JohnK]

Still...is it any more powerful than .500 Linebaugh, or is it to .500 Linebaugh what .480 Ruger is to .475 Linebaugh?

I belive it's about the same as a 500 Linebaugh Long - built on the Ruger Maximum frames, but more powerfull than the standard 500 Linebaugh.

Plenty powerfull for sure.

[Hkmp5sd]

Yea, old Bill O'Reilly even hit on the school that banned the word "gun" from their spelling lists.

It must be a really bad movie season at the theaters. They are re-releasing Bowling for Columbine , "one of the most important movies of 2002."

[Standing Wolf]

Why haven't the leftist extremists issued press releases advocating banning this gun? It's been on the market a full day now, hasn't it? </sarcasm>

[trapshooter]

It's an X frame. I wonder why they skipped everything between N and X. Or maybe it's just 'eXperimental'.

[Nightcrawler]

Well, I want to know what happend to frames A-I. If hte J-frame is that small, the A-frame must be like a single-shot .22 short derringer, or something. :D

[gbran]

www.corbon.com/500s&w.htm already has 3 ammo offerings listed on their website. I guess corbon teamed up with s&w to produce this round. They list their largest offering as a 440 gr cast bullet with 1,625 fps and 2,580 ft/lbs.

[Schuey2002]

They just showed this gun on FOX just a few seconds ago..

I was wondering the same thing, thanks for posting this..:D

[Monkeyleg]

Can it shoot down aircraft and penetrate armored vehicles, or is this just the "mini" version that shoots down radio-controlled airplane models?

[Flying V]

The 500 was just mentioned on CNN Headline News. The piece was surprisingly free of hoplophobe comment. Rudi Bakhtiar sounded quite enthusiastic, actually. Maybe she's a closet shooter.

[WonderNine]

But gun-control advocates worry it could end up pointed at police.

LoL!

sigh.....

Q: On a side note how come the first thing authoritarian gun control idiots worry about is the police getting shot with one rather than anyone else?

A: Because they want a police state.

[Frohickey]

50S&W is 1.600" case length
500 Linebaugh Maximum is 1.610" case length

I wonder if the only difference is the case length. Would be good for 500 Linebaugh Maximum owners to be able to shoot 50S&W ammo through them.

Then again, those 500 Linebaugh Maximum guns are not cheap. I would guess upwards of $3000!!! :what:

[Airwolf]

I have very seldom wanted a gun for the "HOLY CRAP!!!!" factor, but if there was one that triggered that response... this is it!

:what: :evil:

Barrel Length: 10 1/2 in.
Overall Length: 18 in.
Weight 82 oz.

http://flymeaway.net/images/170231.jpg

The chances this will get on the "approved" list for the PRK?

One out of three chances: FAT, SLIM and NO. :banghead:

[Frenchy]

Well, I want to know what happend to frames A-I.

Actually, S&W produced many "I" frames.

[Airwolf]

Why haven't the leftist extremists issued press releases advocating banning this gun? It's been on the market a full day now, hasn't it?

Sorry Standing Wolf... they already have... :mad:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2003/02/13/financial1710EST0307.DTL

Smith & Wesson introduces heavy-duty .50-caliber revolver

TRUDY TYNAN, Associated Press Writer
Thursday, February 13, 2003

(02-13) 14:28 PST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) --

Dirty Harry is now outgunned: Smith & Wesson has introduced its biggest handgun ever, a .50-caliber Magnum.

The five-shot revolver with an 81/2-inch barrel weighs about 41/2 pounds -- roughly a pound more than the big black .44 Magnum boasted by Clint Eastwood in the Dirty Harry movies.

It fires a new .50-caliber cartridge that the company said produces nearly three times the muzzle energy of the .44 -- or enough stopping power to bring down a charging bear. In fact, company spokesman Ken Jorgensen maintained it is primarily intended for big game hunters.

Smith & Wesson would not give production or sales estimates.

Steve Comus, publications director of the Safari Club International said he expects Smith & Wesson would sell several thousand of them to sportsmen interested in handgun hunting -- and create a buzz for the company.
"It's not a plinking (target shooting) gun, and it's not for beginners," said Comus, who tested a prototype.

Comus described the recoil as "substantial" even when compared with that of other big caliber guns. Still, he called it a "very manageable weapon" with the stopping power of a powerful rifle.

The gun would not run afoul of state and federal laws, the company said.

Advocates of gun control said it would crank up firepower on the streets and create new dangers for police.

"It boggles the mind," said Tom Ortiz, an author and executive director of the Violence Policy Center. He predicted the new Magnum would create "a new order of threat to law enforcement."

Jorgensen said Smith & Wesson has long promoted handguns as hunting weapons. The .357 Magnum was introduced in the 1930s by Douglas B. Wesson, a grandson of one of the company's founders, to promote the sport of hunting big game with a handgun, he said.

The company followed that up with the .44 Magnum in the 1950s.

"Those were the building blocks," Jorgensen said. "Now, we've stepped it up to a new level."

The .50-caliber gun, which sells for $989, is one of nine new models Smith & Wesson introduced this week at a trade show in Orlando, Fla. President Roy C. Cuny said it was the largest number of new introductions in recent years.

The introduction of the big gun marks a sharp departure for the 150-year-old company, which for the past five years has concentrated on the development of lightweight revolvers using alloys of rare metals.

Among the other new guns being introduced by Smith & Wesson is the industry's lightest-ever .44 Magnum, which has a 4-inch barrel, scandium frame, titanium cylinder and weighs in at 1 pound, 101/2 ounces.

"We see this as an opportunity for backpackers," Cuny said. "A light firearm of this caliber, in fact provides protection against bears and other big things."

Despite a spike following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, handgun sales have long been on the decline in the United States, and Smith & Wesson has struggled along with other gunmakers.
But Smith & Wesson, long the industry leader, also lost business in recent years after striking a deal with the Clinton administration in 2000 to install safety locks on all its guns and change its marketing practices.

Other gunmakers decided not to follow Smith & Wesson's lead, and gun advocates accused the company of selling out.

In 2001, the ailing gunmaker was sold by its British owner to an Arizona startup company that all but abandoned the agreement with the government and adopted an aggressive marketing stance.

[riverdog]

How about S&W's newest offering, the 329PD in .44Mag, a Scandium/Ti -- 26.5 oz. Great for carry, fun to watch when someone else shoots it.

Now S&W needs to come up with a Scandium version of the new .50S&W so you don't droop when you carry -- 80 oz. is just too much weight ;) Does it come with a bipod?

I'll stick with rifles for these apps.

[Sean Smith]

If I decide I need to deliver on the order of 2,600 foot-pounds of muzzle energy, it ain't going to be with a handgun... it is going to be with a .308 rifle. :D

[bpisler]

I found this in the scottsdale tribune "That gunhas the same power as a rifle,and any gun like that in the wrong hands can be a concern" mesa police Lt. dan burkizer said.
I think any gun in the wrong hands should be cause for concern,the article lists the 500 magnum has having 2,600ft lbs of energy,doesn't that sound a little high?

[Kahr carrier]

I dont think gangbangers could afford a $1000 gun to rob a liquor store.:p

[Flying V]

440 grain bullet @ 1,625 fps = 2,581 ft/lbs