Anyone had deer hunting success with a S&W .500 handgun using cb's?

[21Glock]

I usually use a .30/06 BAR rifle for my primary gun for deer hunting here in Ga. The last two deer I got, a long time ago, was with a .454 Casull handgun using factory soft point ammo .

Now,I usually pack a .500 S&W with a 8 3/8" barrel in a shoulder holster in case I ever need it for a backup. I keep it loaded with 440gr. homecast LEE FNGC cb's going about 1100-1200fps.

I would like to take a deer with it before the season is done here in Ga.

Anyone have a stories to tell using cb's for deer hunting in their .500 S&W handgun? How was the performance?

Thanks!

[quilbilly]

It would seem that about any muzzleloader who has hunted with a 50 cal and maxi's can tell you exactly what it does as far as terminal performance. The difference is about 100 FPS at the muzzle.

[micky_blue]

What do you need a 500 smith for in Georgia?

[starmac]

Is this a serious question? If so, it may be a tad small for the job, but would be great for squirrels.

[Hickory]

Anyone have a stories to tell using cb's for deer hunting in their .500 S&W handgun? How was the performance?

Thanks!

I don't have a personal story of killing deer with a 500 S&W, but this is a quote from a friend of mine who has shot two deer with a 500.
"It's like killing flies with a 16 oz. ballpeen hammer."

[5Shot]

I'd use a hard cast lead bullet and a light practice load, otherwise you are going to have a lot of bloodshot meat. Better get a broadside shot and hit him right in the boiler room too. If you hit the front leg you will ruin a lot of meat...connect with a leg bone and you will shatter it and ruin even more meat than just the bullet alone.

[Smoke4320]

I'd use a hard cast lead bullet and a light practice load, otherwise you are going to have a lot of bloodshot meat. Better get a broadside shot and hit him right in the boiler room too. If you hit the front leg you will ruin a lot of meat...connect with a leg bone and you will shatter it and ruin even more meat than just the bullet alone.

much more meat will be lost if a bone is hit

[21Glock]

I would imagine a cb would just drill a .50+ hole through any deer it hit. Just wanted to see if anyone had some real world experience to relate from an actual kill with a .500 with cbs.
I had some Barnes 275 gr. HPs that I heard are real meat wasters on deer with a .500.

Like big bore handguns. Have owned several S&W 29s, Ruger .44s, several .454 Casulls, even had a .475 Linebaugh at one time.

To each his own, as they say.

[starmac]

To my way of thinking, big and slow wastes less meat than little and fast.

[Smoke4320]

I would imagine a cb would just drill a .50+ hole through any deer it hit.

That would be true if using a solid flat nose fairly hard alloy and not hitting a major bone

[Loudenboomer]

I'd suspect few successful deer hunting stories with the .500 Smith. It may just not be enough gun. Deer seem to be much tougher than the were 40 years ago. I soon suspect nothing short of 20 mm AP will penetrate these beasts.

[richhodg66]

It would seem that about any muzzleloader who has hunted with a 50 cal and maxi's can tell you exactly what it does as far as terminal performance. The difference is about 100 FPS at the muzzle.

Having killed several with the Lyman plains bullet with 100 grains of Pyrodex (never clocked it, I'm guessing 1300ish FPS or so) it kills well and doesn't destroy meat badly. I have no idea how fast a .500 S&W pushes bullets that weight, but I would suspect similar results to my muzzle loader kills.

[21Glock]

The load,(440gr. FNGC cb), I'm shooting, goes around 1100-1250+ fps in my .500 S&W That's the beauty of this gun, can be loaded from around 800fps to over 1500fps with this particular cb.

Thanks for your reply with some real world experience shooting a similar type round.

[44man]

I use a 440 gr in my .500 JRH and at 1350 fps, a hard boolit is a hole punch.
At 1200 fps it should do much better. I have not lost any meat, actually, not enough internal damage with my velocity.
I will be using a softer nose in mine soon to see if it works better.
The monster needs slowed down for deer. My problem is accuracy is not there if I slow it so will try to slow it with some expansion. First try is a nose made of 3# of pure and 1# of WW's. I should know on Mon if I am lucky.

[richhodg66]

The load,(440gr. FNGC cb), I'm shooting, goes around 1100-1250+ fps in my .500 S&W That's the beauty of this gun, can be loaded from around 800fps to over 1500fps with this particular cb.

Thanks for your reply with some real world experience shooting a similar type round.

That Lyman bullet I mentioned is nominally a 410 grain bullet if I recall, and has a big meplat, though probably not as big as the WFN types. The dynamics of terminal ballistics may be different seeing as how those are pure lead, but I have only ever had one of them stay in an animal, usually, it's an in and out kind of wound with not a huge exit hole. One time I did hit shoulder bones and it was pretty destructive in that case.

I had thought seriously of getting a .500 S&W Handi rifle barrel and seeing how those plains bullets worked being loaded in metallic cartridges, but I have a .45-70 Handi barrel and couldn't figure it would do anything a .45-70 wouldn't do just as well.

[44magLeo]

Hand guns over a heavy loaded 44 special or 45 colt are for hunting big game. Like cape buffalo, hippos, elephants and such. People that use them for deer hunting use them more for bragging rights than hunting.
Swap it for a 44 special or 45 colt. Load it right and kill deer.
Leo

[GLynn41]

Hand guns over a heavy loaded 44 special or 45 colt are for hunting big game. Like cape buffalo, hippos, elephants and such. People that use them for deer hunting use them more for bragging rights than hunting.
Swap it for a 44 special or 45 colt. Load it right and kill deer. Leo

I hunt with handgun from 500GNR -to .410 GNR to .41 GNR 9'' on deer because i choose to -- as stated it much like a .50 Muzzeloader that I also use to hunt deer-- and my 1st deer hunting rifle is a .358 win -I have used boolits fro 200 to 250 gr-- all this is just fun-- no brag just fact-- also I have used cast boolits my cast hunt with
all the above calibers -- deer are rather easy to kill and more difficult find to shoot

[21Glock]

Thanks for your input. Appreciate the info. I agree with you, I didn't start this thread to defend my use of a handgun I like to shoot and use for hunting. Just wanted some info. on personal experience from folks who used one or a similar round on deer with cbs.
That's all, nothing more, nothing less.

[44man]

I shot a huge doe and an 8 point opening day with the JRH and both dropped at the shot. No meat loss. Am I crazy for such a big gun? Naw, it works.

[21Glock]

My point exactly. Thanks and congratulations and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!