S&w 500

[jad0110]

Just curious, is this a trail/hunting gun or just for major kicks at the range ?

I know you are looking at the S&W 500, but the S&W 460 Magnum deserves a look too. One thing in the 460's favor is the ability to shoot 454 Casull AND 45 Colt in addition to 460. To me, that tremendous versatility seems pretty attractive. I hear shooting 45 Colt out of a .460 revolver feels like shooting 38 special target wadcutters out of a S&W K or L Frame!

Be advised though that ammo is pretty freakin expensive for all of the above mentioned cartridges .

 

[EddieCoyle]

I stopped shooting the shorter rounds - .454 Casull, .45 Colt, and .45 S&W (Schofield) - out of my .460 because you have to clean it before you shoot the big (.460) rounds.

You can't go to the range and switch back and forth because you'll have to hammer the .460 cases out of the cylinder with a dowel if you first shoot .45 Colt etc.

Instead, if I want lighter loads, I'll load 255gr lead "cowboy" bullets over a charge of Trail Boss in a .460 case. You get a very light load, and the cases pop right out. You can go from light to full power without extraction problems.

 

[Redhawk1]

03cobra456 writes.
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?

OK you are looking for loaded ammo in the 700 gr. There is only one place that does that.
http://www.ballisticsupply.net/Defau...x?tabid=252105

I reload my own 700 gr. bullets, I have a lot of load data, that is what I was referring to about load data.
But, Ballistic Supply has a statement on there web site about using the 700 gr. in 4 inch and shorter barrels, here is there statement.

NOTE: Due to RECOIL and destabilization, the 700 gr. bullet is not recommended for barrel lengths 4“ or shorter. Call or e-mail for specifics.

But I use them in my 4 inch 500 mag and out to 25 yards that are very accurate.

 

[Redhawk1]

Just curious, is this a trail/hunting gun or just for major kicks at the range ?

I know you are looking at the S&W 500, but the S&W 460 Magnum deserves a look too. One thing in the 460's favor is the ability to shoot 454 Casull AND 45 Colt in addition to 460. To me, that tremendous versatility seems pretty attractive. I hear shooting 45 Colt out of a .460 revolver feels like shooting 38 special target wadcutters out of a S&W K or L Frame!

Be advised though that ammo is pretty freakin expensive for all of the above mentioned cartridges .

I also have a S&W 460 Mag, and I don't shoot 454 Casull's or 45 Colts out of it, that is what my other guns are for. I like to just shoot 460 Mags in my S&W 460 Mag

To off set high ammo prices, the 460 and 500 Mags need to be reloaded. And you get the best performance from reloading in my opinion.

 

[wyocarp]

03cobra, I love the .500. I have six of them in different barrels and lengths. But unless you reload, you might not enjoy them as much. I think the 4" barrel length is the worst in the recoil department. I'd rather shoot a 2". But my favorite is the 6.5". They will all shoot the same ammo but it won't feel the same out of all of them. Like someone mentioned above, I too have seen a lot of used .500's that only had a few rounds through them because people didn't what they were buying, with regards to the price of ammo and the amount of recoil. That being said, someone also mentioned the .460 which in my opinion has a much sharper recoil than the .500. Yes, shooting .45's out of them is fun but what a waste, I have better guns for shooting .45 LC. The .454 isn't as bad in the recoil department out of the .460 but you still won't shoot many of them if they are moderately hot loads.