Load advice for .500 S&W-best cast bullet designs and loads?

[LEADLUBBER]

Hello all,


I have recently acquired a .500 S&W in the model 500 8 3/8 barrel with compensator.


I want to cast for it, but, I don't want to go through 3 or 4 molds before I find a good one that works well for my use.

I know this may gain many differing opinions, but, I welcome all of them for that reason.....

I wonder what molds are the most well known for accurate loads for this caliber, along with the known powder number and charge to match the bullet weight.

I am not looking to push the velocity or pressure limits here, more of the line of target shooting at 100 yards to improve my skills. I would like a 400-550 grain bullet with a velocity range of 1000 to 1800 fps.




Thanks in advance!

[HammerMTB]

I bought a Lee 440 when I got my BFR .500
It is OK, but I find by the time I get that boolit up to 1450 or so, it starts to buck enough that I am not going to want to shoot it 50-100 rounds.
So I have been playing with some other ideas. One is a Lee 320 REAL muzzlestuffer boolit. Lighter boolit, much less recoil. Now I have to decide to cut the heel off the mold so it becomes a pb boolit. Kinda ruins it for the muzzlestuffer, but that's OK.
I have also gotten some sabots for muzzleloaders and put a few 300 and 350 grain .45 slugs thru the .500. That idea either needs more development, or cast aside. Keeping the petals of the sabot together while the boolit passes the throat is the big problem.
The 440 would be as big as you'd need for NA game. Something smaller would punch holes in paper just fine.

[John Ross]

I wonder what molds are the most well known for accurate loads for this caliber, along with the known powder number and charge to match the bullet weight.

I am not looking to push the velocity or pressure limits here, more of the line of target shooting at 100 yards to improve my skills. I would like a 400-550 grain bullet with a velocity range of 1000 to 1800 fps.

I don't know how much casting or reloading experience you have, but loading for the .500 is a rather comprehensive subject, and your last sentence indicates that you haven't done a lot of research on the .500 and aren't yet sure what you really want from this gun. I say this because 1800 FPS is definitely pushing or exceeding the pressure limits with bullets of 400 grains or more cast from almost all "standard" molds out there.

It seems you want a simple answer to get you started in the right direction. Here goes:

Use 4759 powder. You can get powerful loads with 4759 but you can't overload the .500 with it. You can't load it "too light" either. It doesn't hurt to compress it. Don't use ANY OTHER POWDER until you have gained some experience loading the .500 and have a clearer idea of what you really want to accomplish.

Get your mold from www.mountainmolds.com Use their online design page (link at top left of home page) to create a mold based on the recommendations I give at http://john-ross.net/sw500.php

The above advice will give you safe, accurate loads with the .500, right from the get-go, and they can be light, medium, or powerful, as you see fit.

If ordering a custom mold is too expensive or too much trouble, buy any mold that casts .501" diameter bullets and load the slugs with 4759. When you get some bullets in hand, give me the specs on them and I'll give you loading data.

I haven't shot bullets cast from every factory mold out there, but I will say this: The X-Frames are built as well or better than any DA revolver ever made, and almost every cast bullet I have ever fired from the .500 was accurate if sized .500" to fit the chamber throats. The only exceptions were super heavyweights (really long bullets) loaded to low-to-medium velocities when fired in the 1:18" twist barrels of the standard factory guns.

Good luck and have fun with that monster!

[carlsonwayne]

That Lee 440 is a great one. If you want plinker loads, use Trail Boss with it. The book I have recommends 7-10 grains. I use 10 grains. I posted on a different thread that I think I use 8 grains, but I checked, and I do use 10. I also gas check them just because. If you load cast bullets too hot, you can get lead shaving, and spend an evening picking lead out of your face. I have the same gun, with the interchangeable comp, and using the one for cast bullets, and 38 grains of 296, I got face leading really bad. I recommend a LOT of research before loading for it, and don't take just one persons advice as the gospel. Oh, I didn't have gas checks on the ones that donated lead to my face, but I still think I would have gotten it at that load. Do some research, pay attention to what people say, and remember that even though S&W make incredible guns, that too much pressure can destroy even the best guns. It would suck to blow up a $1200 gun because you didn't learn enough before loading. Good luck finding what you prefer. I have some all ready to load. I could send you five to try out if you want. They are about 99% wheel weight, and 1% tin. If you want five, let me know.

[Beagler]

I shoot the Lee 440 in my H/R Handi Rifle and there great!

[carlsonwayne]

Also pay attention to your brass. Some require the large RIFLE primer, and some require the large PISTOL primer. All mine take the rifle primer, and I haven't actually seen any of the brass that takes the pistol primer, but I have read about them in several articles, and I think my book warns about the differences as well. The ones taking the rifle primer will have LR on them. I don't know if the pistol primer ones say anything. I'm sure someone out there knows about those one.

[Goober]

I use NOE molds below. works great. Only difference is I have it in brass (not aluminum)

502-383-RF 2 cavity 1GC 1PB
[AT4]

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[500aquasteve]

Use 4759 powder. You can get powerful loads with 4759 but you can't overload the .500 with it. You can't load it "too light" either. It doesn't hurt to compress it. Don't use ANY OTHER POWDER until you have gained some experience loading the .500 and have a clearer idea of what you really want to accomplish.

Get your mold from www.mountainmolds.com Use their online design page (link at top left of home page) to create a mold based on the recommendations I give at http://john-ross.net/sw500.php

The above advice will give you safe, accurate loads with the .500, right from the get-go, and they can be light, medium, or powerful, as you see fit.

If ordering a custom mold is too expensive or too much trouble, buy any mold that casts .501" diameter bullets and load the slugs with 4759. When you get some bullets in hand, give me the specs on them and I'll give you loading data.

I haven't shot bullets cast from every factory mold out there, but I will say this: The X-Frames are built as well or better than any DA revolver ever made, and almost every cast bullet I have ever fired from the .500 was accurate if sized .500" to fit the chamber throats. The only exceptions were super heavyweights (really long bullets) loaded to low-to-medium velocities when fired in the 1:18" twist barrels of the standard factory guns.

Good luck and have fun with that monster!

Ah ha, just what I was looking for. I now have a place to start.

Thanks!

My next question spun off this decade old thread relates to barrel length. Does the length of barrel change the dynamics of how a powder can perform?

Another question: if the resulting calculated muzzle velocity is the same for a 400 gr and a 700 gr boolit, would the wear on the revolver be the same for each, or more for the 700?

[Wild Bill 7]

My shooting buddy bought a Mountain Mold aluminum that casts 700 boolits. Powder coated and size to 501. Don’t remember the load but it sure is a handful. LOL. He also has the same 500 as you described. A cylinder full is about a such as I want for at least 10 minutes before doing it again.

[500aquasteve]

Is the 4759 no longer available?

[The_Eccentric]

Is the 4759 no longer available?

Sadly, it is not.

[stubshaft]

I always liked Lil gun and 296 for my 500's behind a Lee 440.

[500aquasteve]

Looks like I just bought the last two pounds of IMR 4759 for sale in the world, or at least in my area!

Good for about 350 individual loads of fun

[Petander]

I have that Lee and an LBT 420 for medium weight bullets. LBT fit and accuracy is super. I've had them since early 2000's when 500 S&W came.

But nowadays I find myself shooting more either Mihec 600 grain or this nice NOE 325. It is NLG so it needs a good coating and a collet crimp. I Hi Tek coat my critical bullets like these.

This is 1600 fps from the short 4" S&W 500 (which actually is 3".)






FWIW I use Vihtavuori N110 only. Hi Tek and size .501 shoots completely clean for me.

[Petander]

Here is Mihec 600 grain, 620 with my alloy.

1160 fps. Great fun!