Shot my first 500 magnum. Whoa...

[afrederick]

So I am at the local range, plinking away with my Single Six (with ammo I bought 3 years ago at "normal" prices thankfully). When I stop to reload, this guy plunks down the biggest, baddest handgun round I've ever seen. He goes, "wanna shoot it?"

"Hell yes." I replied.

It was a 4 inch(?) S&W 500 magnum. I gripped it with both hands as best I could. I'm trying to concentrate on the front site but all I can think of are all those youtube videos of people getting smacked in the face when it goes off.

BOOM!!!

The boom, recoil, and concussion were awe inspiring. A true hand cannon.

I asked the guy, "What do you shoot this at?"
"Whatever I want." he replies.
Fair enough dude.

So, a big "thanks" to the stranger who let me shoot his 500 and made my day! Gun people are the best.

 

[sgt127]

I've got a snub nose .460 XVR. Worked my way up through .45 Colt....454 Cassul....and finally a full house .460. Couple folks wandered over to see if I blew something up.

Thankfully, those X frames are heavy and help a little with the recoil.

Glad ya enjoyed it.

 

[km101]

I was lucky enough to get invited to a S&W seminar years ago when the .500 S&W was first introduced. We got to shoot a couple of the early prototypes. One of them was a 4" that had the compensator attached with set screws. The screws loosened under recoil and the comp came off. (they never did find it) So after that we were shooting a 3.5" .500 S&W. This was a cloudy/misty day at an outdoor range and the muzzle flash was awesome! We shot handloads with handmade brass because there was no factory ammo available yet. Quite an experience. I still have a few of the handmade cases.

 

[ClemY]

I have a couple of .500s: a 4", a 5" JRS and a 6 1/2" PC Hunter. On the 4" I have removed the comp and replaced it with a solid comp; the 5" JRS doesn't have a comp; the PC Hunter comp has been sleeved to disable it. I prefer a little roll to the flash and noise of the comp.

I tend to load mine down. Even loaded down they are more potent than about anything you can name and recoil and noise are greatly reduced.

 

[JT-AR-MG42]

Say there ClemY, where did you get the solid insert for the 4"?
I thought the 500 4" only came with a pair of slotted inserts for lead or jacketed bullets.
Something new?

A guy I know wants me to buy his. Put another way, he'll never shoot it again.
Not more than 50 rds. through it and 300 rds. of factory is included.

One of the most accurate pistols I've shot, but the concussion from the insert made my eyes start to water.

And I did not care for the powder flash (and unburnt powder!) out the sides either, it made the gun somewhat disconcerting to shoot.

Thanks, JT

 

[ClemY]

The 4" is a great way to clear a range due to flash and noise. The solid comp is one of those things from the cottage industry support people. At the moment I don't recall who.

I also like to wear padded bicycle gloves when shooting it.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Never shot one, but my 5" 460 mag is a ton of fun.

Gotta love an X frame. Nice that the guy let you try it.

 

[TRX]

As much as I love my automatics, when you really, really want to put the hammer down, the revolvers are the ones with the mojo.

My .44 AMP was hot stuff back in its day, but with all the big revolver cartridges out there now, it's just barely in the Magnum group.

 

[Confederate]

Did you fire it single action or double action? And were you able to concentrate on the sights or were you thinking of the blast that would send the gun up and back into your head, causing irreversible brain damage?

Did you reciprocate by letting him shoot your Single-Six?

I had the chance to shoot a .464 once, but I passed. Why? Because my friend who offered me the chance fired only three rounds and that was it...for the day! Instead, I was over to the side, teaching his wife to shoot a .357. Even more, she was hitting those orange clay pigeons at a hundred yards.

 

[BCRider]

I'm pretty sure that at least half the fun of these things is letting other folks try it and seeing their reactions.....

 

[sw282]

l just purchased a 460 PC HUNTER off the net.. l am waiting for it to arrive.. This wll be my first X frame

 

[RealGun]

Wow! I am not a big, strong (young) guy, so I draw the line at Buffalo Bore 45 Colt. And that's at $3 a shot with most of the box remaining.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

BB .45 Colts are pretty stout loads. They're nothing to treat lightly.

I was blasting away one day at a range with my .460. I emptied a cylinder into the target and turned around. The guy who was at the next shooting bench was now standing behind me with a puzzled and slightly pained look on his face. He just wanted to see what I was shooting. I let him fire one off.

Many people will never own or know anyone who will own an X frame. It's good to let people try them out so they've had the experience.

My first handgun was a SP101 in .357. The second was my .460. Love the cannons.

 

[afrederick]

@ Clemy - that's a sweet collection of 500s you got there.

@ Confederate - It had the smoothest, lightest DA and SA pulls I have had the pleasure of experienceing. I shot it SA though because I thought I had a better chance of not jerking it in anticipation of the recoil. At about 10 yards I still pulled it an inch left though (I'm a lefty).

I offered him the single six but he politely declined.

I'm pretty sure that at least half the fun of these things is letting other folks try it and seeing their reactions.....

@ BC - I think you're right haha. I saw him offer it to a couple newbies who looked like they were at the range for their first time. They were brave and hung on as that beast raged.

 

[50 Shooter]

I bought some loaded 700 gr bullets and some 700 gr to load, I had to psych myself up to shooting the 700 gr bullets. The recoil was massive but no where near as bad as I thought it was going to be.

The crimp on them was the heaviest one I've ever seen and I think it affects the accuracy, my 325 gr loads were a lot better and I could hit the 200 yard target easily. The 700's seemed to go all over the place, guess I'll have to load my own and try them.

People that shoot it like the lighter bullets as they're not as punishing.

 

[ClemY]

You may be disappointed in the accuracy of the 700 gr. bullets in the standard factory 18 3/4" twist. John Ross specified a 10" twist for his run of 5" PC guns which he thought whould stabilize them ok.

 

[bluetopper]

My only 500 is a single shot Handi-Rifle. Cast lead gas check bullets is all I shoot in it.

A 350gr bullet at nearly 2200fps will get your attention.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I've never shot a .500 but I'd love to.

I have had the opportunity to put a cylinder full through a friends .480 Ruger and it was a blast. To those who have shot both, how does it compare to the .500 recoil wise?

 

[Constrictor]

Most guys will only shoot one round from my 500. Paul, we should hook up sometime and you can shoot mine.

 

[Fatdaddy]

I had a BFR 10" 500 for a few years. It felt like palming a line drive softball.
The SRH in 480 is a lighter gun but the recoil is noticeably lighter, still pretty violent.

 

[ClemY]

I had a BFR 10" 500 for a few years. It felt like palming a line drive softball.
The SRH in 480 is a lighter gun but the recoil is noticeably lighter, still pretty violent.

I like to wear padded bicycle gloves when shooting it. They take the sting out of the boomers.

 

[50 Shooter]

ClemY,
What do you think about no crimp at all on the 700 gr bullets and shooting them single/one shot at a time? Wonder if that would improve accuracy on them by not having that heavy crimp?

Or still shoot them single but have a very light crimp, just looking for a way to improve the accuracy on the 700 gr ammo.

 

[ClemY]

I'm afraid it probably isn't the crimp but the barrel twist. Depending on what powder you are using, you may not get proper ignition without a good, strong crimp.

 

[Rodentman]

I am fortunate to have a few of these hand cannons. This is my 8.375" 500:



And this is the 4":



Also the 460:



They are great fun but the key is to reload, not only for the $ but to load to reasonable levels. I use a lot of Trail Boss with these calibers. H110 also though. These guns are massive as is the ammo:



But it is great fun at the range. More than once the concussion from the 460 has given me a royal headache and blown the fuse in the target carrier!

 

[22-rimfire]

I shot my first 500 at the range too when someone offered to let me shoot it. I liked it! But, I had pretty much committed to the 480 Ruger at that point and was not going to get a 500 S&W at that time. May still get one, but the 480 is a big enough boomer for me. I have a SRH in 480 Ruger and a BFR in 480/475 Linebaugh. If I want "more" I have the 475 option and yes, I keep ammunition for that caliber too.

Yes, wear gloves.

My first outing with the SRH in 480 resulted in me getting the shakes at about 20 rounds. Done for the day as shooting more was just a bunch of noise. The BFR handles the recoil much much better and it is a lot more fun to shoot.