if you dont mind hot loads from a 44mag single action, you'll have no problem with the big braked 500S&W. i found the 4" model with hot factory rounds to be fairly pleasant to shoot ( a bit noisy though). to me it makes a very big push, unlike a single action .454 which is very violent. before injuring my wrists, i very seriously considered picking one up, even though i have no real need for one.
Well, after reading the responses I chickened out on the 500 and bought a S&W 25-5 instead.
Not been my problem with the .500 using boolits too hard, I need to make a softer nose. I have lost no meat, the big 440 gr just doesn't know a deer was in the way.Originally Posted by ole 5 hole group
Naw - a big bore is never wrong when hunting. I think your problem is being a little too concerned with meat - just put that 500 jrh slug into the front shoulders and that puppy won't take too many steps. Just settle for a couple less hamburgers.
I need to be careful because done wrong and I would not need a grinder or skinning knife!
A buddy of mine let me try his. It was fun but I would never buy one. More weight than I want to carry, more recoil than I need.
Warning: I know Judo. If you force me to prove it I'll shoot you.
I was thinking hard on the 500 and if there was any game to be had in Iowa and reloading components I may have purchased one. No bullet molds, sizing dies, or cases left me wanting.
The 460 I saw yesterday had me thinking a bit because I did see 460 cases for sale.
I think the 460 would be good for long range shooting of steel plates.
The 500 is fun to load and shoot cast bullets if you have strong wrist.
Back when I was thirty it probably won't have bothered me as much.
The 350 gr bullets are easier on the arms than the 400.The worst loads I have shot in the 500 were some 300 gr bullets loaded up to about 2000 fps.It works the comp and all the recoil comes straight back on the arms.
Practical ? Maybe not. Fun ? You bet !
The quest to master the beast is an ongoing process for me. Learned how to cast monster boolets, the fun of trail boss powder, found the limit of my recoil tolerance !
Started with the compensated 4", then talked myself into the John Ross 5" no comp. I haven't noticed any difference in recoil, but the comp is much louder !!!!!
Anything up to about 85% of max is great fun - after that - WOW !
As has been said, if you are comfortable with a full house 44 mag - go for it. I wouldn't shoot a full on Corbon load first though.
Cogno, Ergo, Boom
If you're gonna be stupid, don't pull up short. Saddle up and ride it all the way in.
Great choice
Have had 2 a 10 or 12" custom shop along with its running mate in 460. Both shot good but might as well carry a rifle.
Got the 6 1/2" 500 & its way better to carry & shoots ok. Not a lot different than the .454 unless you max it out or use really big bullets.
Absolutely Love my 6.5 barreled .500 S$W. This thing has made me spend more money then any other weapon I've ever owned.It got me into casting, which brought me here. Now have 4 pots, a PID, three rubber made containers with I don't know how many molds, two sizers, plus all the lee sizers, pots an pans an things to make my own lube. I could go on an on. For the fun of it I made a shoulder holster for the thing to use with my CCW. I'm getting pretty fair at hitting the steel gong at 400 yards. with factory sights from a bench an a rest. I can't think of a gun that I have had as much fun with. I do have .44's an several heavy framed .45 Colts that will stop any thing out there. And I really enjoy them also, but this .500 is something else altogether. My girl friend even enjoys shooting this thing even with the hot rds. In my book it almost has the same WoW factor as a M79. I could go on, but even I don't want to hear it. Enjoy the thing just because of what it is.
Ghost101
like my BFR in 500 , then again i am a recoil junkie ....
Personally, I'd like to shoot one to say I did. Other than that it has no practical application for me that my 41Mag cannot handle. If my 41 Mag cant handle it, I need a rifle anyways.
Another reason is that of physical abuse on the body. Many shooters end up dealing with carpal tunnel issues. I had a 454 Casull and ended up letting it go, not because I couldnt handle the recoil, but I needed to preserve my body, especially my hands, to provide a living. I saw my father deal with wrist pain after decades of shooting large bore revolvers and I wanted to avoid any punishment more than my Ruger only 45Colt loads provide. I prefered my Redhawk and Blackhawks compared to the 454C SRH I had and down the road it went for a nice RRA Ar-15.
A lot to said about wrist problems and it is true. Shooting the big ones should be limited.
Off the bench is hard on a guy but off hand is not near as bad.
Ok I went ahead and found the link, go to the bottom and read the development of the 500 article he wrote it will answer all your questions and then some http://www.john-ross.net/store.php As with others here, this is my favorite to shoot which is costing me A LOT as I am not quite up to casting yet. My wife who did not grow up with guns and is from Cali (I don't hold it against her) when she saw it for the first time thought it was a toy it was so big. As Clay M said the 460 was designed to shoot long range and does it well, but the 500 can do everything the 460 does only better. The place that the 460 pulls ahead is in its ability to shoot cheaper factory loads. 45lc while not as cheap as 9mm is a whole lot cheaper than the big 500, But if you cast it and load it you can get the cost down to the same price as factory 45acp.
My friend has the big S&W and I think he said factory loads were $3 a shot. My cast hand loads were about 12 to 13 cents. My .500 JRH is a dime or 11 cents.
Another friend loads the .50 BMG for $2 a shot. He buys expensive bullets.
Yes, you can shoot the big guns cheaper then factory .45 ACP.
Yes, I would like to have a .500 S&W, the point I tried to make is that it is not needed for any animal unless T Rex comes back.
" the point I tried to make is that it is not needed for any animal unless T Rex comes back."
Heck, if that's the case why have a 44 and not just a "lowly 357?" or a .22mag. Certainly, it's not needed but it sure does make things a lot easier...sorta like the difference between walking somewhere or driving in a car, or flying.
Domari Nolo
In 1966 I was hunting deer & bear in Or with my brother in law. I saw a bear & shot him with my .303, he turned & charged & my .303 jammed. I pulled my .357 Ruger, shot all 5, 4 hits in the chest & he was still coming when my BIL put a 30-30 in him from the side & dropped him...to dam close to me!
From that moment on I carried the Biggest, baddest handgun around. Got the 44mag, then the .454 & when the .460 & .500 came out got them both & kept the .500.
It's not the T Rex you have to worry about but the middlin 250lb black bear that thinks he's a 800lb griz!
There is no such thing as over gunned or overkill when you butts on the line.
Tom
That is true Tom. You seen how sad a .357 can be and it is sad on deer too.
Some think I am nuts to use a 310, 320 and 330 gr boolit from the .44 and say a lighter boolit is best. Maybe but I will not turn back myself. The .44 can do a lot but right now my .475 BFR does it better and would be my choice for big animals. The .500 JRH is also a smaller gun then the S&W and will do anything. Yet it is too much for deer, not that it is destructive but because deer are too small for the big boolit to work unless shot end to end. It also needs an alloy change for smaller animals or it pokes a hole but for big bear, I would use the harder boolit. Same reason you would use a solid on a buff.
In the end it is bullet/boolit choice.
The old wives tail of a bigger diameter boolit is just that. Sure, the .500 is larger then an expanded .30 but the .30 put more energy in the right place.
Energy in the right place is what kills fast not how flat the nose or how large the diameter is.
Yep, this was before I knew my az from a hole in the ground & "everyone" said, Oh, a .357 will stop anything, ya right!
Funny thing is, other than that 1 time, I've never had to pull a backup handgun while hunting (animals), but as they say, "I'm prepared".
Attachment 100797Same old stuff repeated over and pver. You sure can kill a deer with a .22 if you shoot them between the eyes. I have shot many deer to find a healed in .22 bullet on the rib cage. I got one a few seasons ago with a .22 bullet in the neck, it was fully expanded but just made it through the skin and the wound was getting green. I seen the end of the bullet when I skinned.
This deer could die from gangrene because of a stupid jerk that shot at it.
My deer revolvers start with a 4. But it is still the right bullet and velocity.
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