The UPS man brought the box last week bearing the happy sticker "ORM-D". Two sampler packs of Ballistic Supply ammunition, 350gr reduced loads, 385 Core locked HP, 500gr XTP, 600 and 700 gr hardcast.
The gun is the John Ross edition with 5" barrel. This was the first time I've fired any 500, so I have no other comparative experience to draw on other than my .44 mag. Chances are, if you've looked at 500's you know what the JR is and I won't waste time explaining why it's the dog's bollocks.
The ammunition is high quality stuff with uniform crimp, seating depths and top-shelf Starline brass. Very impressed with the value offered there.
Targets were 2.5 gallon jugs of water. First shots were the .44 mag as it's my standby. Blew the seams out of the jugs and made a satisfying 'thwock' The first 5 rounds out of the 500 were 350 gr reduced target loads. They had less blast and recoil than the .44 loads and cut neat 0.50 holes in the jugs. Hmm. Hardly the uncontrollable hand-cannon that some said it would be, more like a .44 special. (This load penetrates slightly more than 3.5 inches of dry fir wood and ripped through one 2.5 gallon poly water jug, but bounced off the second.
Next up, the 385 CLHP with a full charge of powder. More recoil than the .44 but easily controllable if you're used to a .44. These split the jugs like the .44 and easily blasted through several lined up in a row. I'm eager to try these pointy devils at longer ranges where I'm sure the mass and shape would make for a flat and accurate load approaching 1800+fps if I'm reading the load data correctly.
The XTP 500 grain flat points hit hard. Still very controllable and by no means are they too much to handle for me (6'2" 190 lbs) but the web between the thumb and forefinger will let you know what you're wielding. These splayed the jugs out and scattered the 2.5 gallons all over the place.
I knew the 600s would shine in penetration testing so I lined up 6 jugs in series (about 4-5 feet of water and polyethylene plastic) These ripped through every one and kept going. You'd better have a good backstop for these SOB's! Concrete testing will be next, I didn't even waste a 700gr on water jugs after watching the 600gr.
I'm thrilled with the load and the gun. IMHO the 500 has versatility that few other loads can touch and the gun is very will suited to just about any use you'll come up with. I'm keeping my .44 mag because I love it, but when I want to hit something harder, faster, or just want to take a crack at something way out where .44s start to drop off the POI, I know what I'll reach for.
The gun is the John Ross edition with 5" barrel. This was the first time I've fired any 500, so I have no other comparative experience to draw on other than my .44 mag. Chances are, if you've looked at 500's you know what the JR is and I won't waste time explaining why it's the dog's bollocks.
The ammunition is high quality stuff with uniform crimp, seating depths and top-shelf Starline brass. Very impressed with the value offered there.
Targets were 2.5 gallon jugs of water. First shots were the .44 mag as it's my standby. Blew the seams out of the jugs and made a satisfying 'thwock' The first 5 rounds out of the 500 were 350 gr reduced target loads. They had less blast and recoil than the .44 loads and cut neat 0.50 holes in the jugs. Hmm. Hardly the uncontrollable hand-cannon that some said it would be, more like a .44 special. (This load penetrates slightly more than 3.5 inches of dry fir wood and ripped through one 2.5 gallon poly water jug, but bounced off the second.
Next up, the 385 CLHP with a full charge of powder. More recoil than the .44 but easily controllable if you're used to a .44. These split the jugs like the .44 and easily blasted through several lined up in a row. I'm eager to try these pointy devils at longer ranges where I'm sure the mass and shape would make for a flat and accurate load approaching 1800+fps if I'm reading the load data correctly.
The XTP 500 grain flat points hit hard. Still very controllable and by no means are they too much to handle for me (6'2" 190 lbs) but the web between the thumb and forefinger will let you know what you're wielding. These splayed the jugs out and scattered the 2.5 gallons all over the place.
I knew the 600s would shine in penetration testing so I lined up 6 jugs in series (about 4-5 feet of water and polyethylene plastic) These ripped through every one and kept going. You'd better have a good backstop for these SOB's! Concrete testing will be next, I didn't even waste a 700gr on water jugs after watching the 600gr.
I'm thrilled with the load and the gun. IMHO the 500 has versatility that few other loads can touch and the gun is very will suited to just about any use you'll come up with. I'm keeping my .44 mag because I love it, but when I want to hit something harder, faster, or just want to take a crack at something way out where .44s start to drop off the POI, I know what I'll reach for.
