S&w 500

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03cobra456

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ok i've made up my mind. i am going to purchase a s&w 500. i just need a little adive on a couple of things.

1. i was going to buy the 4 in barrel, but noticed they make a 6.5" barrel now for less, is this a better buy. is it that more accurate than a 4".

2.also, i want to buy a 700 gr ammo for it. am i able to shoot that out of the 4in" barrel, or the 6.5" barrel.

any info or advice on this gun in general would be greatley appreciated.

thanks in advance
steve
 
I have a 4”, 5” and 6 ½”. The 6 ½” is a field gun: great with a scope, nice to carry in a cross-body holster, 70 oz. bare, 85 oz. with a 2x Weaver scope, enough weight to soak up recoil with those heavy loads. The 4” and 5” are much better conventional carry guns, but don’t provide much help for the heavy recoil loads. All are fun to shoot. I tend to do most of my shooting with reduced power loads. They are really fun that way.
 
i was told though that a 700 gr bullet is not ideal for the 4" barrel. is this correct. if so why is that. i'm not looking to put a scope on it or anything. mostly for just firing at the range.

how much less accurate is the 4" than the 6.5". is the recoil more on the 4 ".

which one would you buy for just messing around at the range. the main reason i want the 6.5" is b/c the 700gr rounds i can use
 
No load for the 500 could be called ideal for a 4 inch barrel. The cartridge uses slow burning powder, so to get the most out of the 500, you need a decent length of barrel. The recoil is worse on a shorter barrel. Less weight means more recoil. As for accuracy, you won't notice any difference. The only way you would notice the difference is if you are shooting at long range.
 
John Ross has an interesting article on the .500 smith, and just what features he likes on it, available here:
http://www.john-ross.net/pdfs/maghist.pdf

and some information on loading for the beast here:
http://wetinkpro.com/john/site/sw500.php

Having fired several .500's, including JR's performance center version, I find myself liking his version better than anything else I've tried. Doing away with the compensator lowers the blast a great deal, making the gun much more pleasant to shoot, even though the recoil is a bit greater.

Enjoy :)
 
what do you guys mean by "load". so the 700 gr ammo is to much for the 4"?

is the 6.5" a better buy then. how much less recoil will be on the gun if any? will it be enough if you shot the 2 guns right after each other you would notice the differenc?
 
I still can't figure out why someone would buy one of those things, but it's interesting that the short-barrel versions go for more than the longer tubes. I'd think 6.5-inches would be fine.
 
I still can't figure out why someone would buy one of those things
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Why not? It sure makes more sense than overloading a .44 Mag like so many people do. It's a flatter and longer shooting round than the .44 too.

OP:
The 4" barrel is really ~2.75" when you subtract the compensator's length.

You'll like the tighter twist rate of the John Ross gun if you're gonna throw 700gr slugs.
Yes, JR's guns are available to anyone. Just call him and specify stainless or black/stainless. Might want to check his instruction schedule first too. Last time I called him, he was at the range and it made conversation difficult. :)
 
"I still can't figure out why someone would buy one of those things....."


Because it's the final answer to "9mm vs .40 vs .45 etc etc". :D Well, not for everyone, but it is the most power you can get in a combat/hunting viable handgun. The 4" .500 is very packable. I put Hogue Bantam grips on mine and they improved the feel in every way. No worse with heavy loads than the big stock grips. I've noticed some vertical stringing with the 4" gun. Muzzle rise is greater with the short barrel and consistant grip is more important. I'm working on it but it seems unlikely that it will ever group like the 8 3/8" gun.

Naturally there is no way the long gun will handle like the 4". I hadn't even seen the 6.5" gun till now. I like the more traditional look. It's probably a very good compromise.

A couple of range stories....

I had the long version at the range and a couple young guys were interested. They shot it then wanted me to shoot their steel plate (about 10") at 100 yards. I hadn't shot it at that range but held in the upper half and hit it in the lower half. Bing, it went flying. The guys response..."Well sure it's big but can you hit anything with it?" :scrutiny:Uuuuuh, I guess not? Some people have an unreasonable desire to tear these guns down IMHO.

Last time I was there an older fellow was shooting some nice Smiths but said he really couldn't shoot the big stuff anymore. Still he couldn't resist the temptation. He shot a couple of cylinders (400gr full power) in the 4" gun with no apparent problems. Anyone with the desire can shoot these things. And for that matter, his PC .357 was virtually the same price as the 500. People will spend more money on a flippin' Govt. model. So to echo Bendutro, "Why not?"
 
All I can say about the S&W 500 is if you haven't shot one, go find someplace where you can shoot one a few times so you can see if its for you. I have shot a couple different 500's a few times and it hurts me. A couple of my buddies bought them and sold them at a loss with less then two boxes of rounds shot.
 
i was told though that a 700 gr bullet is not ideal for the 4" barrel. is this correct. if so why is that. i'm not looking to put a scope on it or anything. mostly for just firing at the range.

how much less accurate is the 4" than the 6.5". is the recoil more on the 4 ".

which one would you buy for just messing around at the range. the main reason i want the 6.5" is b/c the 700gr rounds i can use
Click to expand...

No offense, but the guys "messing around" with these .500s really ruin it for the people who are unfortunate enough to be shooting nearby.

All I can say about the S&W 500 is if you haven't shot one, go find someplace where you can shoot one a few times so you can see if its for you. I have shot a couple different 500's a few times and it hurts me. A couple of my buddies bought them and sold them at a loss with less then two boxes of rounds shot.
Click to expand...

That's usually what happens, guys buy these things to show off, or have the loudest gun at the range then they loose interest, don't really like shooting them or get tired of the cost of shooting them.

These big revolvers are made for the handgun hunting crowd and to that end they're probably the best tool for the job.
If you're using one for self defense then more power to you.
Most of the guys I run into who are shooting these are either there to show off or they are compensating for something.:D
 
I don't think the recoil is as bad as the concussion...they actually hurt your ears with plugs in and muffs over them...plus you can feel it in your eyeballs like a bad sinus headache. Kinda reminds me of loading a BP pistol with a charge of a quarter stick of dynamite.
 
Most of the guys I run into who are shooting these are either there to show off or they are compensating for something
Click to expand...

Hey! I like the attention I get at the range! I am mostly mindful of other shooters though. When the guys down at the rifle range lean back and have this WTH was that look, it's just priceless.


I have my shooters, my 1911's are my favorites but my best one is my 45 Colt Blackhawk that I shoot my acp cylinder mostly. Very accurate nice little pop.

I've got a 500 but in a BFR, and a 460 Smith PC both with Loooooong barrels. I mean if you are going to shoot something that has reach and power, might as well put a barrel on it that can maximize the performance. I just wish I could get a reasonably priced 460 or 500 lever action.

The 4" novelty will wear off quickly when you realize that most of the powder is blowing out the end of the barrel. You would have been better off power wise in a 454 in a short barrel.

Look at how much powder blows out the end of a 12" barrel!

Fireball460SWMagnum8.jpg
 
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Most of the guys I run into who are shooting these are either there to show off or they are compensating for something. :D

The antis would say that we are all compensating. :what: I still don't understand how "compensation" works. It makes no sense.

Shooting the 4" gun, it sounded and looked like a small nuclear device going off. Watching the other fellow shoot it, it didn't seem nearly as bad. Certainly no worse than a high powered rifle. You shouldn't go to the range and complain about noise.

I wouldn't say that any .500 is totally painless but considering the power they produce they are relatively painless. By the end of a cylinder, I notice a little sting in the palm. So I shoot a mag or two of .22s to relax.

I doubt I'll ever hunt with a .500. I prefer a rifle. But I have a fascination with them just like small powerful rifles and small cars with big engines. It's about performance and a certain efficiency.

I wasn't really serious about using one for SD, although I have outfitted the short one for carry. However, if I were up to it the gun would suffice in that role.
 
i have 2 44 mags , one long (8in), one short (3in)and they are all the gun i wanna shoot! lol the 3in draws attention at the rang alot , i also get those wth looks as well!
 
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The 700gr bullets in the 4" gun just plain hurt. I'm no recoil nancy - I own two .500s and two .460s and have put several thousand rounds downrange with each - I really dislike shooting the 700 grainers out of my 4" gun. They're fine recoil-wise in the 8" - I'll even shoot it one-handed - but they are punishing in the 4".

Just for the record, the 700 grain load is the first one that had more felt recoil in the 4" gun than the 8" gun. Even the 500 grain bullets recoil less in the 4" than in the 8".

I haven't tried one of the 6-1/2" ones yet.
 
I have a 4”, 5” and 6 ½”. The 6 ½” is a field gun: great with a scope, nice to carry in a cross-body holster, 70 oz. bare, 85 oz. with a 2x Weaver scope, enough weight to soak up recoil with those heavy loads.
Click to expand...

CRAP! It's heavier than my M7 Remington! Well, just as heavy, anyway. Uh....think I'll keep the rifle. It's easier to tote as well as shoot. LOL! And, to think, people gripe about the size and weight of Contenders.....:rolleyes:
 
700 grain bullets

OK, I'm as megalo-crazy as anyone here so I'm not judging...but what do the 700gr bullets do well? Penetration measured in feet? I mean that's crazy big. I can understand if it's just for fun or to kill off your last recoil receptors. If they crossed my path I'd have to try them but I'm not going out looking for them. :eek:
 
03cobra456 ,
I am a 500 mag nut, I have owned from 4 inch to 10 inch 500 mags. I have been shooting the 500 Mag for over 5 years, well as long as it has been out.

I have shot 275 to 700 gr. out of my 4 inch S&W 500 Mag. Yes the 700 gr. pills are a handful, but manageable and that is with my 4 inch with no compensator. I was just out last Friday shooting the 700 gr. pills and I had a blast, I shoot the hot loaded ones with 25 gr. of H110 at 1200 fps. Very accurate in my 4 inch 500 Mag.

If you can get the 6 1/2 inch gun I would say get it. I wish I had a S&W in 6 inch myself, I do have a BFR 500 Mag in a custom 6 inch, that has taken deer , hogs and black bear. I also have a custom OTT 8 inch 500 Mag Encore set up. It is a beast of a handgun.

Contact John Ross it you want one of his guns, they are real nice guns.
 
Just so you know what we're talking about, here's a photo of a .223 on the left, a 700gr .500 Mag in the center, and a .45 ACP on the right. The thin blue line shows the base of the 700gr bullet.

700gr1.jpg

Here's the bullet shown next to a .45 ACP cartridge:

700gr.jpg

I load these over 26.5gr of H110 and they are not quite manageable out of a 4" gun but fine in the 8".
 
ok dumb question, if i shoot 700gr rounds out of a 4" barrel, can it hurt the gun, break it, or damage it in any way. thats my main concern.
 
03cobra456, no you can't, as long as you use the loads data for the 700 gr. bullets.

If you have Excel on your computer, I have a great big 8 page list of load data for the 500 Mag, from 275 gr. to 700 gr.

I have some loads for the 700 gr. bullets that are actually fun to shoot at about 750 fps.
E-mail or PM me if you would like it.

Alex
 
redhawk, i'm not sure what ur talking about. the load data? where do u buy your 700gr rounds? or how do i tell if they are the right ones?
 
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