S&W 500-shooting experience

[38snapcaps]

Today I was at the range and a friendly old gent asked me what kind of guns I like (I was shooting a CZ .22 rifle). I told him I am primarily a handgun shooter, .39 spcl and 9mm. So he walks over to his range bag and pulls out this monster revolver! I immediately see "S&W 500" on the compensated five inch barrel. I've seen pictures of it, but never a real one.

"Would you like to try it?", he says with a grin.

While I examine a cartridge (made me think of the giant crayons my girls had when they were little) he loads up a couple of rounds and hands it to me.

Now I knew, having fired a .44 mag in the past, that this was not going to be a tender touching experience. I carefully cocked it, assumed a good two handed grip, sighted on an eight inch circle target I had put up at 25 yds, and pulled the trigger!

BOOM!!!

You know how it feels if you bump your nose fairly hard? That stunned feeling your face has? The shock wave did just that to my face. I had ear plugs in and the blast still made them ring. The recoil to my hand wasn't as bad as I expected, just a little heavier than a .44 magnum. And, there was a big black hole, slightly off center, inside the circle.

I really didn't want to shoot it again but, you know how the ol' male ego can get you into trouble, so I cocked it again. I had put on my ear muffs over the plugs this time so my ears didn't suffer again. I thought I did okay with the blast, but it was obvious deep down inside I was scared to death of this beast, I must have flinched majorly, there was NO hole in the target! I had completely missed an 8X10 piece of paper!

Interesting experience but I have no desire to ever shoot a thing like that again. And to think I once thought a 1911 .45 was a heavy shooter.

Hey, .38 snub, you little kitten, come on over here and let's play.

 

[grayelky]

Okay, now I am jealous.

 

[hankdatank1362]

Heh heh heh...

I would love a .500 - even though I've never shot one. Actually, I want two, just so I can wear them in that gator-skin double shoulder holster that someone posted a picture of here a while back.

 

[MrTwigg]

C'mon now !

Can't be that bad ! What loads did the old fart sneak in there ? The S&W .500 is one huge handgun but shooting some of the lighter loads is actually kinda fun.

The most painfull thing about my .500 is coughing up $3-5.00 per round. There are several folks here who say if ya reload the cost per round drops dramatically.

Hang on, squeeze the trigger and have fun !

 

[Ralph Bryant]

38snapcaps............

That second shot probably just went through the center of the first hole you put in the target.........

 

[Tom C.]

I have one of the PC 500 Hunters with the 6 1/2" barrel. It is a lot of fun, but I don't spend too much time shooting full power loads. The noise and recoil make it un fun. Light loads are another story. Light loads on the order of full power loads for the .500 Linebaugh are a lot of fun to play with and still have plenty of power.

 

[strat81]

38Snapcaps, you don't live in NE, do you? At the range on Sunday, I was shooting my plastic 9mm. It's my first (and only) gun and I've been going to the range weekly to get proficient with it. I've made friends with the range master and while I'm shooting, I notice he walks up next to me and places a HUGE gun and a HUGE ziploc bag full of HUGE cartridges next to me. I finish my magazine, and he says "Shoot this. Be Dirty Harry, but use two hands." And he walks off. It was a Ruger something (Super Redhawk, maybe?) with a barrel that was maybe 8" long. 44 Magnum.

Ya know how if you put a .45ACP round next to a 9x19 round, it looks like the 45 could eat the 9? Yeah, those 44 Mags could eat the 45.

I pull the hammer back, aim (for about 5 minutes: wobble wobble shake shake), and *squeeze* the trigger. BOOM! The guys shooting an AR-15 a few lanes down stop and look over. I put the gun down and shake the pain out of my hand and wrist. I pick it up again and repeat the cycle.

I shot 12 rounds, total. My hand still aches, 3 days later. TOTALLY COOL.

Methinks, I'll have to work my way up before getting a 44 Mag. Maybe some 38+P and then 357. I don't plan on ever hunting tyrannosaurs, mastodons, or rhinoceroses, so I think 44 Mag will be the end of the line for me.

 

[1KPerDay]

I shot 12 rounds, total. My hand still aches, 3 days later. TOTALLY COOL.

He must have loaded them really hot... .44 mag factory loads aren't bad at all, particularly in a big 8" revolver.

I shot a .50 AE once (BOOOOM!) but haven't shot a .500 mag yet.

Dunno if I want to.

 

[Tom C.]

I know it is fun and macho to shoot heavy caliber guns with full power ammo, but by the time you are my age, with an accumulation of injuries, you can't help but look back on those days and think about the possibility you may have over did it on occasion.

 

[Joe Gunns]

Tom C.: +1!

 

[springmom]

Yeah, it actually just went into the previous hole!

I love my .44mag, but I know my limits, and IT is my limit. I admire your courage....

Springmom

 

[klover]

Something is wrong with me

I'm getting or gonna get arthritis, and all can think about is buying my next big bore. Maybe it's because I work with my hands? I'm only 175 #.

I had a 500, and cann't wait until I have enough free cash to buy one. This time make it a snub. 44's are super cool as well.

Wear earplugs and ear muffs. Hold to expect the arms will raise with the recoil, and let it scare you. Do not know when it will fire by doing a very slow steady trigger pull. Maybe it's because I don't brace my arms for a recoil? I simply use my arms after the bullet is long gone.

Hit me up in January with whatever is in these calibers and S&W please.

 

[redranger1]

Im always amazed at how many people that complain about full house 44 mags hurt. I hate to brag but ive never been in any sort of pain from one and im lookin forward to the chance of shootin a .500 S&W some day! Sounds like a great experience!

 

[Tom C.]

Having the one .500 now, and being able to load for it, my next handgun may be a 4" .500. My wife wants to visit Alaska, and I kind of think that since the local fauna think they are the top of the food chain, it might be comforting to carry.

 

[atomchaser]

I haven't shot the 500 but I have a 460 and it's not that bad if you don't fight it. I use a somewhat loose grip and wear a shooting glove that has a wrist wrap (S&W sells them). The biggest problem is that it sounds like artillery going off and it attracks a crowd at the range. My S&W 357PD is much more painful to shoot. After 6 rounds I'm ready to put that puppy down. I bought it as a trail gun, so low weight was the main consideration and it excels in that category.

 

[Cousin Mike]

I took a bite off the .500

...earlier this year. Got to shoot just a few rounds.

WOW!

It don't get much more fun than a .500 - if I didn't live in an apartment and had the land/money to shoot it fairly often, I'd definitely have one.

Hell, I might get one anyway. FWIW, I've never shot a .44, so I can't compare but the .500 wasn't that bad for me. Maybe I just shot mild factory stuff, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. Kinda like .45ACP on crystal meth.

Too cool.

 

[GunNut]

Indoors or outdoors?

Inside I don't think I would want to try, outside i'd have no problem lighting off a few rounds of someone elses .500S&W ammo.

steve

 

[Heggis]

No it's not me... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUHeYCM5WuQ

 

[dasmi]

I have fired the 8 inch S&W 500 exactly once. It wasn't that bad, really, probably because of the huge weight of the gun.

 

[AnthonyRSS]

I've shot them quite a bit. The mass of the gun takes a lot of the punch out of the recoil, though it is still stout. Accurate gun, if'n you can shoot it.

Anthony

 

[FLShooter]

S&W .500 It's a blast!

Every couple of years I go to Kenai, AK to visit with friends and photograph the drift net fishing fleet as part of a long-term photojournalistic project I begn in 1993. After dinner one evening, our host asked if his guests would like to go shooting. Among the handguns he pulled out for us to try was one of these monsters with, I believe, a 10" ported barrel and sling. Wow!

Each of us took a turn firing three rounds (at $3.00 a round, thank you very much). Even putting my left arm through the sling and supporting the barrel with that hand, when I fired the pistol it really was the most major recoil experience I've ever had. However, it wasn't horrible...just earth shaking! After a total of six rounds each, all of us had these huge grins on our faces which took quite a while to wear off.

After shooting this pistol, we fired a box of .44 magnums through a Ruger Redhawk...it seemed quite tame by comparison Later on, I noticed that although my hand felt no pain, my right elbow joint was sore. Suffice it to say that those rounds made an impression in more than one way.

BTW, we were aiming in the general direction of North Korea Too bad we missed , even though we were pretty sure the rounds landed close to our mark

 

[Dusty Rusty]

Love the S&W 500!

Worked in a gun shop with a 500 in the rental case. Took me a while to get up the nerve but, one night after closing, went out on the range with it. Had ex-military, retired Leo, and sheriff's deputy with me. Deputy stood behind me to catch me if I went backwards. Loaded it up---sighted in and BOOM!!!! I was hooked. Went out, got more ammo and pulled off all of them one right after the other. No problem even though I am over 50, 5'4" and female to boot. Had a pic of me with it in the rental case. Staff told everyone to try it--if I could do it--anyone could. Some rather cocky people didn't think I could--showed them up in a hurry. Now, I will shoot anything--the bigger the better.

 

[Troutman]

If one can get to the woods with a 500. Using either Winchester 400 gr. and/or CorBon 325 DPX loads, shooting at concrete blocks or bricks. It will impress. The 2-3/4 and 4 inch are concealable.

 

[Snaps]

I absolutly love my .500, it's one of my favorite things to play with. Just too expensive to shoot alot.

 

[Ben Shepherd]

Other than the 454 casull, in calibers beyond 44 mag, I just notice a bigger concusion wave slamming into my body through the air. Not really any worse recoil on my hands, wrists or arms.

I think it has something to do with peak pressure. The 454 loaded right to the wall is way up there in operating pressure even though the other biggies have a larger diameter/heavier projectile.