Is the S&W 460 here to stay?

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fourdollarbill

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I was pondering getting a S&W 460. Is this a one hit wonder or is it here to stay? I'm not a big hunter I just like blowing water filled milk jugs to smithereens and fun stuff like that. And maybe the occasional deer or two. I hear this is a very flat shooter compared to the SW 500. Do you have 10 cents worth to add? I'm not looking to justify a certian gun for my usage I just want to know your thoughts on it. Thanks, $4.
 
I think it's here to say because it's compatible with .45 Colt and .454 Casull.

Whether you want one strictly as a toy depends on how much you would enjoy it. Definitely a handloader's round -- but a .460 would be a really interesting handloader's revolver, due to all the different rounds you could stick in it.:)
 
Good point on the compatibility issue. And yes it is pretty much a toy, I have not hunted in 25 years but some day soon (or not).
 
IMO, both the .460 and .500 are pretty specialized guns. They won't ever sell in the quantities of 9mm and .357, but they will probably maintain their sales volume.
 
I was going to say "Ruger," but the only .460 they offer is a rifle (a No.1, to be specific). Biggest hand cannon Ruger builds now is the .454 Casull - neither the .460 or 480 are made anymore. Not that I want one, but if Ruger's out of it with their man-portable SRH howitzer...
 
Absolutely, I think it'll be around for a while... even if popularity doesn't increase any.
 
I think the 460 might outlast the 500 just for the compatibility with 45 Colt and 454 Casull.

I can't even shoot the 460 at my local indoor range as it's got a 1700fps limit. 460 factory loads blow past that :)
 
I think as the interest in handgun hunting continues to increase, that the .460 will always have a place. As a handloader, I truly enjoy shooting mine, and have not shot .45colt or .454 outta it in years. No real need. It is a very viable round for deer size game out to 150 yards or so and is in a class by itself in accuracy for a handgun at that range.
 
I would kind of like to see the 500 disappear completely to make way for the 460. However the 500s do seem to outsell the 460 about 3:1 or more. Probably too many fools who are grossly intrigued by barrel diameter and not ballistics.
 
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earlthegoat2 said:
I would kind of like to see the 500 disappear completely to make way for the 460. However the 500s do seem to outsell the 460 about 3:1 or more. Probably too many fools who are grossly intrigued by barrel diameter and not ballistics.
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The .460 is faster, but the .500 is superior in ft/lbs.
 
Is the S&W 460 here to stay?
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do you mean the gun or the cartridge?

the cartridge is a winner, and guns chambered for it are too versatile to go away.

the gun itself may eventualy loose some momentum as sales decline, and i can see s&w putting it on the back burner to focus on more hot selling pruducts.

Quote:
Originally Posted by KJS
Other than S&W and Magnum Research's BFR line does anybody else produce a .460 Mag?
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Taurus was making them, but they were discontinued in '07.
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i believe nef, and puma made rifles. also thompson center made rifle and pistol barrels in 460.
 
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The .460 is faster, but the .500 is superior in ft/lbs.
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Here is just one example in factory loaded offerings.

I am not trying to start a war here because you are right in one respect.

Federal 500

Federal 460

It shows that with equal bullet weights the 460 is vastly superior. Everyone knows there is a law of diminishing returns on this. As the bullet wieght goes up all other things being equal the larger diameter will trump the smaller diameter because of increased case capacity but since the case capacity is similar of greater in the 460 and it operates at higher pressures I think the 460 trumps the 500 in all areas including versatility and out and out power on paper.

The 500 has that huge bullet sledgehammer energy going for it though.
 
Yes, I think they will both be around a long time. It’s just the big and bad factor. I have a 500 and love it. And yes the 700gr casts are fun. I just cannot see having a 460. If I want rifle level ballistics I'll shoot a rifle, I’m not steady enough to shoot the 460 at the distances that it’s good to anyway.
 
Yes the .460 Magnum has greater velocity than the .500 Magnum with the same weight bullets but the .500 Magnum will fire MUCH heavier bullets so IMO they really aren't in competition with each other.

As for the .460 remaining popular, I would say yes. Like said above, that revolver will fire not only the .460 Magnum round but the .45 Colt and .454 Casull too. Also, don't forget it's really a 4 caliber handgun since it will also fire the .45 Schofield. I truly feel any handgun that will chamber and fire 4 calibers is going to remain very popular for a long time, especially when you can fire a fairly light round (in comparison) like the .45 Colt for plinking.
 
Biggest hand cannon Ruger builds now is the .454 Casull - neither the .460 or 480 are made anymore. Not that I want one, but if Ruger's out of it with their man-portable SRH howitzer...
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I just checked Ruger's site and see that even Ruger doesn't currently make a gun chambered in their own .480 Ruger.

In any case, the .454 would still have been the most powerful hand cannon even if they were making the .480 Ruger. The .480 was supposed to be an improvement, giving 80% the power of a .454 with only 50% of the recoil according to their claims.
 
I’m not steady enough to shoot the 460 at the distances that it’s good to anyway.
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I seem to recall a S&W catalog from a number of years back when they introduced it. They showed it mounted to a tripod for hunting. Doesn't mounting a handgun like that sort of take the hand out of handgun?
 
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