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Thread: Smith & Wesson 500 cast bullet .501-600

  1. #1
    Boolit Bub Wickyd's Avatar
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    Smith & Wesson 500 cast bullet .501-600

    acquired some of these BOOLITS to try and I have a mold on the way.








    444 Marlin( also for hand cannon)600 grn,44mag, 565 grn Pentapoint


    600 grn, 44 mag, 565 HP, 45 acp

    will let you know how they shoot.
    Darrell
    Last edited by Wickyd; 02-28-2013 at 04:31 PM. Reason: pictures

  2. #2
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    44man's Avatar
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    Going too big is not the answer. It will do nothing for you at all except waste lead. We found too big had LESS penetration and did not track straight in penetration tests. You will exceed the capability of the velocity and twist rate to stabilize.
    I would not be surprised to see side ways holes in targets.

  3. #3
    Boolit Bub
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    44man, what boolit would you say is best for poking 2 nice holes in a deer without excessive meat damage?

  4. #4
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    44man's Avatar
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    That would require a lengthy answer. I have posted hundreds of things about boolits and velocities and deer results.
    I can say you sure do not need 600 gr for anything on earth.
    Need I swing back to a .44 with a 250 to 320 gr boolit that does anything? Yes, the humble .44 is still my best choice, next is the .45 Colt. Then the .475 with a hard 420 gr boolit.
    Those extra heavy boolits do nothing. They present more problems then can be solved.

  5. #5
    Boolit Mold
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    I have been shooting a 440gr over 10gr of Trail Boss, pretty mild but, really rings the steel plates at 75 yrds. A 300gr ftp over some alliant2400 has put quite a few woodchucks down for the count too. Haven't had the opportunity to use the 440s on a deer yet.

  6. #6
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    I would say the 440 gr is ideal for the .500's. It is near max in the JRH and Linebaugh because the brass thickens quick at the boolit base but the S&W case has more room for longer. I think I would stop at 500 gr for the S&W when fooling with larger boolits. Get too large and there is no way to spin them up and increase velocity.
    We tried a 400 gr in the .44 for grins and they were tipping at 50 yards.
    Seems to me we tested some 700 gr in the Smith and penetration was much less then the 440 gr with boolits turning and coming out the top and sides of the soaked papers.
    I like heavy boolits but there is indeed a limit for each caliber.

  7. #7
    Boolit Buddy Carolina Cast Bullets's Avatar
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    Gentlemen,
    Let us not cast aspersions on another Man's choice of weapons. We have no idea of the fierce denizens inhabiting his back yard. He may be in need of the proverbial "hand cannon". Either that or he just likes to shoot big guns.

    Jerry
    Carolina Cast Bullets

    Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional ! ! !

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Carolina Cast Bullets View Post
    Gentlemen,
    Let us not cast aspersions on another Man's choice of weapons. We have no idea of the fierce denizens inhabiting his back yard. He may be in need of the proverbial "hand cannon". Either that or he just likes to shoot big guns.

    Jerry
    Carolina Cast Bullets


  9. #9
    Boolit Bub
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    Ok, I just liked the big gun. I was looking at a dan wesson 445 when I realized I could have a 500 performance center hunter for the same price people are bidding up the wessons to. The gun just looks awesome too. But back to topic and not hijack the ops thread, I would like to know how the 600gr does in the 8.5 barrel pictured. If it is stabalized in that barrel surely it would work in my 10.5. Not that I would want it for anything practical but just for the hell of it. Wickyd let us know how it goes. I'll start another thread about deer hunting.

  10. #10
    Boolit Bub Wickyd's Avatar
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    I do just like to experiment with different bullets and the large boolits just intrigued me.Got rid of my lead chunker(5.56) and got the S&W 500 and a S&W 625-8.
    I do shoot a model 29,44 mag and just found a cast load it really likes so it rivals my 8 inch Colt Python in accuracy .
    I did shoot the 500 with some 440 cast boolits last week with 28 grns of 296 and they were terrible.i have some 460s coming from Matt's bullet and to make some more controversy also some 700 grn
    Darrell

    PS
    What is the twist rate on the 500 not on the Smith &Wesson website that I could find

    Jerry is going to shoot the 700s for me
    Last edited by Wickyd; 03-02-2013 at 10:36 AM.

  11. #11
    Boolit Bub
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    If you want a nice easy shooting round try those 440's with 10 grains of trail boss or a light load of unique. Easy to shoot and one ragged hole out of my 500.

  12. #12
    Boolit Bub Wickyd's Avatar
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    I will have to give it a try
    So far only the factory Hornady has been fairly accurate
    Darrell
    Quote Originally Posted by MJohnston View Post
    If you want a nice easy shooting round try those 440's with 10 grains of trail boss or a light load of unique. Easy to shoot and one ragged hole out of my 500.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wickyd View Post
    I do just like to experiment with different bullets and the large boolits just intrigued me.Got rid of my lead chunker(5.56) and got the S&W 500 and a S&W 625-8.
    I do shoot a model 29,44 mag and just found a cast load it really likes so it rivals my 8 inch Colt Python in accuracy .
    I did shoot the 500 with some 440 cast boolits last week with 28 grns of 296 and they were terrible.i have some 460s coming from Matt's bullet and to make some more controversy also some 700 grn
    Darrell

    PS
    What is the twist rate on the 500 not on the Smith &Wesson website that I could find
    No, No, 28 gr in a .500 S&W with a 440 will cause trouble.
    My JRH with that boolit uses 29.5 gr of 296. You are so far below safe in the large case I am surprised you did not get damage. You fool with danger! Do you not understand the starting load with 296 and H110 is 34 gr in the S&W with a 440 gr?
    WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

  14. #14
    Boolit Bub Wickyd's Avatar
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    44 man
    you are right
    I would have swore on top of a stack of reloading manuals that this load was above minimum.
    Since I got the S&W 500 I have been thru every reloading website I could find & my manuals looking at reloading data . Knowing perfectly well the dangers of under or overloading Win 296 .I have been using it in 357 mag since the 70s.
    When I saw your note I came down to my information to prove you wrong, to find I was totally wrong and still have not figured out where I came up with that load.
    I had only fired 5 of the 20 I loaded they are showing no signs of extreme pressure fairly flatened primers and they were not hard to eject. Now trying to figure out how to pull the bullets, my kinetic puller is to small and I do not have a collet puller.
    Thanks for catching me on this
    I thought I was confirming everything before I loaded
    Looks like I need to check 3 times before I load
    Darrell



    Quote Originally Posted by 44man View Post
    No, No, 28 gr in a .500 S&W with a 440 will cause trouble.
    My JRH with that boolit uses 29.5 gr of 296. You are so far below safe in the large case I am surprised you did not get damage. You fool with danger! Do you not understand the starting load with 296 and H110 is 34 gr in the S&W with a 440 gr?
    WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
    I found what I did wrong
    Knowing that 296 and H110 is the same powder now.
    I found my printed page from the Handload.com website where I circled the starting load on VV N110 was
    27.5 was a good starting load for the 8 3/8 barrel so I went with 28 grn
    That is where my big mistake occurred just looking at 110 not the N or H

    copied from handloads.com
    for the 440 grn hardcast
    Hard Cast 30.5 gr VV N110 1,410 fps 1.995" CCI 350 Corbon
    Suggested starting load: 27.5 gr
    Starting load. Velocity from an 8 3/8" revolver
    Last edited by Wickyd; 03-04-2013 at 03:15 PM.

  15. #15
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    Makes me feel better you found it.
    Normally with too little powder you will get a failure to ignite, stick a boolit and shoot another behind it.
    The real danger is not catching the stuck boolit. Then if the boolit and powder blows out into the barrel and the powder happens to light off, you have another problem.
    H110 and 296 will tolerate a little over charge but not below a starting charge.
    It is airspace. Too much will move the powder away from flame and the coating is hard to break through and ignite the powder. The coating is what makes it such a great powder but it must be overcome at ignition. Many, many powders are exactly the same but coatings, size and shape of grains changes how they burn, where peak pressure occurs and how the curve after peak is maintained.

  16. #16
    Boolit Grand Master


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    Quote Originally Posted by Carolina Cast Bullets View Post
    Gentlemen,
    Let us not cast aspersions on another Man's choice of weapons. We have no idea of the fierce denizens inhabiting his back yard. He may be in need of the proverbial "hand cannon". Either that or he just likes to shoot big guns.

    Jerry
    Carolina Cast Bullets

    Shooting big boolits over Trailboss doesn't qualify as either!
    Old enough to know better, young enough to do it anyway!

    Men who don't understand women fall into two categories: bachelors and husbands!

  17. #17
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    I have pretty big guns because I enjoy them. My largest is the .500 JRH in the BFR. It is way more then I need but the accuracy is stupid, crazy.
    I shoot them with the most accurate loads all year and they are pretty hot, near max. I have become very comfortable with them and would never think of down loading. I have no trouble blowing up a water bottle at 100 yards off hand because I am used to the guns.
    If you love the .500 S&W, why look for a small load? They are super accurate with the right load, shoot it and if recoil is too much, go to the .44 mag. It is the same old thing, either handle the gun or don't buy it to start with. I don't find the S&W objectionable.
    I just do not need it. Expense is way too high, cost of the gun and components for something I can't use.
    Now a person has the gun---OK. Shoot it as designed even if you are only good for a few shots. Then back down to another revolver and it will be a pleasure.
    I am a stick in the mud for sure. It is true that you will get used to BIG and grin when you shoot.

  18. #18
    Boolit Master

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    The 500 that you have will stabilize anything you put in it. I have tried everything I cast for the 500 in my 4 guns and the 4" 500 is the only one that will not stabilize the 600 and 700gr. I have molds from 375gr to 700( about 30 different molds for the 500. The big HP loaded at 850-950fps will mushroom to an inch, and if kept in that range are good for 150 yards with some practice. Try to keep the harness around 10-11 and they will stay together unless you hit heavy bone. the solids will not expands unless you hit heavy bone. if you can do it set up 4, 5 gallon pails of water and shoot a 600 or 700gr solid at it, then see if you can find it, they will go right through all of them and be lost in the berm. the HPs will go through 3 and come to rest in the 4th. of course you will get soaked if your closer than 15 yards.

  19. #19
    Boolit Bub Wickyd's Avatar
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    I need a video of that
    Shot some of the 600 and 565 hp yesterday.Did not get to see how it would group kept letting different people shoot it.
    What load data are you using for the 600 and 700 gr boolits.
    Just started getting into casting.
    Found some lead at a good price to start with.
    Starting to call around and talk to different shops for scrap lead and wheel weights

  20. #20
    Boolit Bub
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    Don't forget to try the local recyclers. I had much better luck getting lead from the local indoor range and scrap dealers than anywhere else.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check