500 S & W???

[HEAD0001]

I was going to order a 45-70 barrel for my Encore pistol. I just ran on to a 500 S & W barrel for my Encore. I have no experience with the 500. The barrel is a 10 inch barrel, and it is ported. Any good molds or styles available? Any good loads? Any opinions on the 500 S & W? Thanks, Tom.

[BigSlick]

The 500SW is an outstanding gun to cast for since bullets aren't cheap by any stretch of the imagination.

Lee makes a 440 WFN GC mould that I've been getting my feet wet with. So far, accuracy is pretty good, even for these old eyes.

I like IMR/H4227 (plastic jug only please) better than H110 or LilGun. Accuracy is excellent, recoil is less abrupt that LilGun and you don't get the light show like H110/W296.

I've shot a lot of TiteGroup for mild (for the 500) loads with excellent accuracy.

Other moulds are available, from all the usual suspects. You just missed a GB on a 400gr GC.

I like bullets in the 400-460gr range much more than lighter bullets (personal taste). I've run a few bruisers 600 and 700 gr + that I sourced from Ranger Rick, when trying to decide if I needed a mould for Rosie O sized game. I like the bullets, lots of fun to shoot, but I still have 30 or so of each left, which will most likely prove to be a lifetime supply.

330gr or so bullets can be a lot of fun too, and are useful for some hunting needs. I've shot a ton of Meisters commercial cast, but haven't found a mould for that size yet, and may not.

Once you start casting and loading the 500, lots of your other gear will get lonely. Might as well sell it. The 500 is that much fun.

From mild to earth shaking wild it can be just about anything you wish.

Without a doubt, the gun with the most versatility and all out full bore fun factor of anything I've ever owned.

The 32 H&R Mag comes awful close, but I haven't figured a way to get a 700gr bullet to fit the case... yet :mrgreen:

Oh yeah, post some pics so the rest of us can drool a while :Fire:
________
F3 (http://www.bmw-tech.org/wiki/BMW_F3)

[dmftoy1]

I've got a 500 gr. Lee mold sitting on the shelf waiting for my next casting session. (need to order a sizing die too :( ) I haven't done much with it with cast boolits yet but I do love shooting it with my other reloads. I figure the casting and some trail boss powder ought to put me into some nice plinking loads. (4" S&W)

Have a good one,
Dave

[klw]

I've shot a lot of TiteGroup for mild (for the 500) loads with excellent accuracy. :Fire:


The only gun I ever blew up was a 6.5 inch S&W Performance Center 500 revolver using Titegroup. Quite an experience. The gun recoiled right into my face and the hammer cut threw the thick frames on my safety glasses. Wasn't hurt but it was an act of God literally that kept that hammer from going into my eye.

This was debated at the S&W site for some time. It has always been thought that there were two possible reasons for an accident like this. That small charges in a big case detonate sometimes or operator error. No way to know which.

BUT I was using a powder height checking die and I was weighing each charge. I think that the small charge detonated. Small charge here is a relative term. I was using the minimum recommended load. I called the makers of Titegroup and tried to talk to them about this. That was a mistake! They made it VERY VERY clear to me that the never ever made mistakes in their recommended loads. Only reloaders did. Actually the way they phrased that was far harsher.

And several people at the Smith site made it very clear that they did not believe that it was anything other than operator error. One fellow went so far as to indicate that it was unfortunate that I wasn't killed because anyone this stupid deserved to die. Wasn't quite ready for that response.

But a lot of people were supportive. Many indicated that they had stopped using Titegroup in their 45 Colts in Cowboy Action Shooting because they had experienced the same problem. Isn't quite as spectular in a 45 Colt as a 500 Magnum I'm told.

And those folks who had had this problem with Titegroup in the 45 Colt revolvers indicated something else that I didn't expect. They didn't bring it up because they were afraid of being flamed for their stupidity. That was a point that I had come to understand.

I had bought 8 pounds of titegroup for my 500. I haven't used it since.

So I asked Lyman to come up with a reduce load for the 500 using a linotype cast bullet and Unique. I'm using Ballisti-Cast #1454 which weighs 356 grains powered by 15.5 grains of Unique. Very accurate and, by 500 standards, rather mild recoil. I would strongly recommend this.

Ken

[No_1]

It is amazing what people will say when they are hiding behind a keyboard isn't it?

Robert


. One fellow went so far as to indicate that it was unfortunate that I wasn't killed because anyone this stupid deserved to die. Wasn't quite ready for that response.

Ken

[klw]

It is amazing what people will say when they are hiding behind a keyboard isn't it?

Robert

For some, I think, the internet is a way to release true hatred. But for every jerk there are a lot more very nice people. So on balance, the nice guys (and girls) FAR outnumber the jerks.

[felix]

It's unfortunate, Kenneth, that some folks in the "know" here on this board would prolly have said the same thing: it cannot happen, so it must be bore restriction or multiple charges, both operator error. ... felix

[3sixbits]

Klw: I'm sure many here remember the great debate of the 60's and 70's on the subject of reduced loads in rifle using slower burning powder in large capacity cases. The champion in that battle was P.O. ACKLEY. The opponent was the powder companies. That fight drug on for years. Some wanted to blame it on surplus powder (gee, I wonder why, maybe the powder companies?) Think about what your phone call did, Massive rectal contraction on the powder company part. They would in no way admit to anything over the phone. Your only recourse would be costly and a long drawn out affair. I for one wish to thank you for this reminder of what can happen and does happen when using reduced loads in large capacity cases. As far as a published loads go, we have been led to believe that this is the only information that we can trust and should not use anything but published loads. I think your experience is a prime example of what the ***** gun writers have done to the firearms community. After years of the first go around , with the reduced loads some of the bullet companies started to publish warnings about reduced loads in rifle ctgs. Even though no powder company had the guts to admit to the problem. I can not help but feel that old saying ringing in my ears. "There, but by the grace of GOD, go I". In closing, it looks like the great range master upstairs spared you, that you could warn us.

[BigSlick]

what the ***** gun writers have done to the firearms community

... couldn't agree more.

Even recently, with the whole Zumbo fiasco, it remains.

In the interest of not tossing the OP's thread in to oblivion, I will refrain from getting up on my soap box about that one.

But it's a big, wide, long and deep soap box and I traverse it with ease. That is one of the very, very few subjects that just gets me rattled.

To return to the original topic here, you might also give some of the plated bullets a look when you find them on sale. Accuracy isn't outstanding, but they are good enough to perform well as a plinking bullet, or getting on paper with a scope before you get into fine tuning a load with some good bullets.

Berrys Mfg makes a 350gr bullet that will load well with Hornady 350 XTP data that runs about .70 each in qtys of 500 or more.

http://www.berrysmfg.com/228.php
________
Free Themes (http://themesfree.org)