This thread actually got me looking again at the specs for the X frames. The 20 foot barrels obviously are extremely heavy, but I was surprised by the weight of the 4 inch 500, listed at 56 ounces. Now, this is heavy, but really not all that heavy when you are talking about woods guns for protection against large nasty things.
My SBH in 44 (with a 7.5 inch barrel) comes in at 52 ounces, is longer and thus a bit more cumbersome to carry, and doesn't hold a candle to even a reduced 500 load. SRHs are also right in the middle 50s, and again don't have nearly the power. Even the Alaskan is mid-40s, as is the GP100!
I had planned on using my 4 inch GP100 as a woods gun for hunting here in the Northeast, which should be more than sufficient for anything I'm likely to find. But a 4 inch Xframe isnt really that much larger or unwieldy given its power. And as I handload, I could load a more geographically appropriate load, since i don't need to take out any Panzers in the area.
