Bolt-Action 500 S&W Magnum

It would be a great format for a reloader using less expensive hard cast gas check bullets also.

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Sooo, basically a 45-70?

Rimmed cartridges in a bolt gun don't go all that well together.

i think it would sell but i don't see any of the manufactures jumping on it.
if you want one just use a remington model 7 300wsm as a base.
bolt head will work as is, wedge the front and back walls of the magazine, use a single shot style follower and rework it to single stack center feed.

I love the 500 S&W, but I think it would just be a novelty in a bolt action rifle. There are so many better options that I can't see it being a popular choice. Now in a lever action it would be pretty cool.

While I'm not thrilled about the idea of combining bolt action with handgun caliber, I might consider a lever action rifle in .500S&W.

I agree that it would be a more attractive option as a lever gun. Flanged pistol cartridge in a bolt gun just doesn't do it for me.

SO BASICALLY A 45-70?!?

Following through on that thought, when will a 500 S&W be chambered in a lever action?

Last I checked, a .45-70 is not a .50. Good Lord, thousands of pages have been written about the difference between the .270 and .30-06. Surely we are not to believe that there is not a difference between a .458 and a .500??? Nonsense. When it comes to heavyweight cast bullets, bigger is indeed better and the .500 is decidedly bigger than the .45-70.

In reality, it would be a wonderful idea if it were not already for the .50AK and .50-110 cartridges. Cartridges which are already head and shoulders above the .500S&W. They also do their job with powder capacity, not jacked up pressures. What we should be asking is when will a major manufacturer legitimize the .50AK in an 1886-based rifle.

Here is a lever:

http://www.gunblast.com/Bighorn89.htm

A cool two grand (plus options) is a bit steep and top eject isn't very scope friendly. A Marlin 1895 in .500 might end up on my shopping list.

Just for fun pop the bolt out of your mosin and slide a .500 s&w in under the ejector. See how nicely that fits. Certainly the magazine will require significant modification and a new barrel of course but If I could find a really beat mosin for a good deal I am making one.

firesky101,

You just gave me a WEIRD idea. I've been in the process of rechambering my russian contract Winchester 1895 to 9.3x62 and the largest obstacle has been finding a bolt from a .30-06 model. It must be replaced or modified because the current bolt is for 7.62x54R, the very same caliber used in Mosins. Rated for 57.000psi, which is within 5% of the max pressure of 60.000psi of the .500.

The magazine is already suitable for a rimmed cartridge and will most likely feed .500 with some modifications, which means that I just might get away with having a new barrel fitted. This is getting interesting...

What would a bolt action 500 do that one of the bolt action slug gun 12ga shotguns not do?




posted via that mobile app with the sig lines everyone complaints about

hq said:

firesky101,

You just gave me a WEIRD idea. I've been in the process of rechambering my russian contract Winchester 1895 to 9.3x62 and the largest obstacle has been finding a bolt from a .30-06 model. It must be replaced or modified because the current bolt is for 7.62x54R, the very same caliber used in Mosins. Rated for 57.000psi, which is within 5% of the max pressure of 60.000psi of the .500.

The magazine is already suitable for a rimmed cartridge and will most likely feed .500 with some modifications, which means that I just might get away with having a new barrel fitted. This is getting interesting...

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I hope you know I hate you. Please post pics and video should you do this conversion, I will forever be jealous.

hq said:

I've been in the process of rechambering my russian contract Winchester 1895 to 9.3x62.

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Don't know what the rifle was like when you got it, but do you have any idea what an original Russian contract rifle is worth here in the US?

firesky101 said:

I hope you know I hate you. Please post pics and video should you do this conversion, I will forever be jealous.

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56hawk said:

Don't know what the rifle was like when you got it, but do you have any idea what an original Russian contract rifle is worth here in the US?

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I'm quite aware of what it's worth on your side of the pond, guys. Around here they're still dime a dozen, I picked it up at a gun store for $150 in very nice / near mint condition, missing only the ammo clip guides and bayonet attachment. A perfect project gun?

It's middle of the night and I already emailed a friend of mine to drop off some .500 ammo and brass for preliminary tests, as well as a LGS if they have .50cal barrel blanks with 15-20" twist in stock. That 1895 has been gathering dust in my safe for over a year now while I've been looking for a bolt, never even realizing that this might be a perfect candidate for a .500 build. Top ejecting so I'll have to forget scoping it, but threaded clip guide mounting holes are ideal for installing a custom peep sight.

Damn. Like I didn't have enough unfinished gun projects already. This is FAR too tempting to postpone much further.

Hizzie said:

Rimmed cartridges in a bolt gun don't go all that well together.

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Mosins? Work fine for many.
Savage 30-30s? The same. It's all in interruption.

meanmrmustard said:

Mosins? Work fine for many.
Savage 30-30s? The same. It's all in interruption.

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Lee Enfield, Krag Jorgensen, Ruger 77/44

HOOfan_1 said:

Lee Enfield, Krag Jorgensen, Ruger 77/44

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Good call.

P14 and even the predicessor to the Winchester m70 (54) was offered in 30-30




posted via that mobile app with the sig lines everyone complaints about

Why not the .50 Beowolf on the AR-15 platform?

if ruger was to rework the 77/44 to fit 500s&w then market them more to indiana and their retarded rifle hunting regulations i think they would sell quite a few of them.
in fact i think if ruger offered a switchbarrel system in 44mag and 500s&w one would find its way into my safe

Let's keep going with this idea.

If Ruger could expand on it's .357 and .44 Mag 77 models and keep going with a others in .454Casull, .460S&W and .500S&W we'd have a nice line of big bore handgun cartridge long gun options to fit in with the handguns.

Or if some other outfit saw fit to take one of their short cycling actions and introduce them in the handgun calibers then overall we might just have us some nice short range tight woods options that would suit for a pretty fair range of hunting.

The problem I see that kills the idea is that so many folks seem to feel that they need stuff ripping out the barrel at up around 3000 fps even for close in or casual target plinking. So a line of bolt or lever rifles in the handgun calibers is only going to appeal to a limited market. The trick is will that limited market pay the price that goes with a lower volume production run.

A Marlin 1895 in .500 might end up on my shopping list.

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Me too but there's a reason why we haven't seen one. Same reason why the Bighorn is a new proprietary action and costs $2000. Because the Marlin 1895 is not even strong enough for the .454Casull, let alone the .500S&W. Yes, we'd all love to have a $500 levergun in .500S&W but it just ain't gonna happen.