Tell me about the 500 S&W

[6bg6ga]

Saw what I thought was a hell of a deal on a new S&W 500 for $999.95 Thought about purchasing it but couldn't find any brass. I would however make a good club if one did run out of ammo. Seriously, What are your thoughts on this gun? Too much for the average Joe to handle? A fun gun?

[06ackley]

I had one. It was an accurate gun but it really is was too big for me.Its very impractical to carry around hunting.Recoil was stout and its not something you will probably go and shoot 100 rounds at the range but it wasn't too much to handle if you are used to recoil.If the largest caliber you have shot is 44 mag then I would really recommend finding someone who has one and shooting it before you buy one.It is a fun caliber with low end loads and a hand full with full tilt loads.

[buckwheatpaul]

I was a police officer and carried a S&W 29 for years on duty....we had to qualify with the ammo we carried and I shot it quite well....I still shoot the 44 mag regulary......I shot the 500 years ago....too much for the average person....very accurate...but very brutal on recoil.....if you like that sort of cartridge....go for it.....my 2 cents worth!

[krit29-2]

Really, best to try one first.. They can be brutal with some loads..and expensive to shoot.
However, if you load your own...and being here you probally do..[smilie=l:
they can be loaded down, ya don't "need" the fire-breathing, earth-shaking loads everytime..
I load mine with "light" loads most of the time 375-425 grain range. Just for "plinking/playing" around, using the heavy stuff for hunting.. and they can be rather accurate with the right loads.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i279/kritter2000/HPIM0730.jpg (http://s74.photobucket.com/user/kritter2000/media/HPIM0730.jpg.html)

[Uncle R.]

It's nearly perfect.
All you need to add is a set of wheels and a trailer coupler.
Then you can tow it around behind your truck.
<
Uncle R.

[dubber123]

It's a big, heavy gun. With top end loads, recoil is interesting. 440's at close to 1,600 weren't much fun. Very accurate in the single sample I shot, and by that I mean around 1" at 50 yds., no optics.

That said, the sample I had experience with would unlock on a regular basis, and rotate backwards so the next time you tried to fire, you just dropped the hammer on an empty case. It was returned twice, and never repaired to a level I would trust. It was sold with full disclosure for a 50% loss to a fellow who already owned it's twin, right down to the unlocking problem. It was replaced with full satisfaction with a BFR in .475 Linebaugh which has been flawless. An internet search should provide more examples of this issue quickly for you. If you like the caliber, and don't mind the single action, I can recommend the BFR's.

[ole 5 hole group]

That isn't a bad price for a new revolver but you might be able to pick-up a slightly used S&W 500 cheaper. That X-frame is a large puppy and they are a little barrel heavy except for the 4" model, which balances well.

The compensators really help on felt recoil but the blast concussion is a little rough on a person if shooting under a canopy. I had the 4" model and felt "punch-drunk" after 70 to 100 rounds of "moderate" loads - took less rounds when shooting full-bore. I sold that revolver and got the JR model with no compensator and 5" barrel. Traded concussion for a little more felt recoil on the upper-end loads but I'm happy with it.

Once you feel the need for more power beyond the 44 magnum or 45 Colt - then you just need to flip a coin a couple of times to see if a 475 Linebaugh, 500 Linebaugh, 500 Linebaugh Maximum, 500 JRH or the 500 S&W will be your next step-up. Nothing wrong with getting them all and then determine which is your favorite self-abuse toy.:razz:

[44man]

I have found no use for the gun at all. It is just not needed and even the .500 JRH has proven too much for any animal. I love the .44 and .475 BFR and though I like to shoot the JRH, there is no need for it either.
I think the .475 would be the ticket for any animal walking the earth.
Yet the price is right and you don't need to shoot it at top.

[Ed K]

I couldn't offer a single criticism of the gun itself: quality manufacture, accurate, lots of power. The only real drawback might be its' size and that observation is my own - others have no complaint. While it works for some, I would not go larger than a, N-frame in DA or a Ruger Blackhawk/Freedom Arms/Etc. in SA all of which come in at about 45-50 oz and in a similar size envelope. Have some experience with one but not owning living with. Did have a BFR in 475L which I felt was also larger than I could live with although quality and accuracy were tops. Now interestingly I do own and shoot TC's although you will never see me wearing one on my hip. I suppose a X-frame could be fit into that category: luggable ;-)

[Master_Mechanic]

I have two of them, one 6.5 inch and the other the 8 and change, i bought them both mostly just for bragging rights (being in canada its just a target/range gun.) But the 500 was the reason i got into casting and i enjoy shooting it. I personally wish smith and wesson would come out with a 4.25'' version so i could have a short one and i am also looking into getting a bfr in 500s&w. Cant go wrong in my opinion.

[Groo]

Groo here
It is big/heavy , kicks HARD, and will empty a lead pot FAST.
But if You like it go or it.
PS. I have a 4 in!!!!

[Bonz]

Its my favorite gun to shoot for sure. I bought new brass from StarlineBrass instead of using "once fired" from someone else. I load with either VV N105 or Alliant PowerPistol (my favorite). I guess-timate my muzzle speed at about 1500fps, certainly not full power loads. The factory full power loads are a lot to handle, including the air burst from the compensator blowing holes in the acoustic tiles at the gun range. I also load Hodgdon Titegroup (sissy loads) for people that want to try the gun but are afraid of it. I have smaller hands and the grips on the 4" model seem to fit any size hands excellently. Of course, I let anyone try my 500 at the range as long as I feel they can handle it without getting hurt. It gets a lot of attention at the indoor gun range when I start shooting it. Especially when I am shooting PowerPistol loads which include a huge flame coming out of the barrel with every shot.

500 S&W Magnum bullet on the left - 45acp bullet on the right
100470

[bigblockbill]

That is a reasonable price, not great but the going rate around here. If you really want some info on the 500 and what it can do look up John Ross Smith and Wesson 500. He's a member here but I haven't seen him post in a very long time. He has done A LOT of research into load data form 330grn all the way upto 700grn custom loads. Does a real good job explaining it.

[44man]

I still remember long ago when I belonged to the West Cleveland Rifle and Pistol club. All the police shot there.
I touched off my .44 mag and every single shooter stepped back out of position to look at me. I just gave them a big grin!
I love big guns but there is still a practical thing when hunting. I do exceed that at times and find it can be wrong.

[bigblockbill]

As far as recoil goes its not horrible if you are use to shooting big boomers. I went from a 357 to the 500 and do not have any problems. I always tell people I would rather shoot it than a J fram 357. The 500 is a ride, but it's manageable. My John Ross custom is my favorite right now.

[ole 5 hole group]

I love big guns but there is still a practical thing when hunting. I do exceed that at times and find it can be wrong.

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. :-o

[Clay M]

I have a love hate relationship with the 500. It is accurate and interesting to shoot. I find it hard on the wrist. I wear an elastic wrist brace and my wrist still ache like a tooth ache after about twenty five rounds.I just got a custom 350 gr gas check mold that I think will make a difference in recoil. The 400 gr bullets can be bad.I think their usefulness would make sense for those who spend a lot of time in the backwoods of Montana where a grizzly attack might happen.I bought it because it was there,and I wanted one.A good 44 mag is more useful for my purposes.
As far as powder,2400 is the best I have tried so far.You can load it down to more reasonable loads.

[snowwolfe]

Practical purpose: 500 S&W with a 4 inch barrel is perfect to carry in grizzly country if you live in Alaska
Fun: Yes!
Needed to kill anything in the lower 48: No

But no one here should tell you how not to spend your money. If you want it and can afford it, go for it:)

[mrvmax]

I love my 4" version but I must add that I am not a bit sensitive to recoil. I have a good leather holster and I carry it as a backup hunting but it is a bit heavy. My buddy has the 6.5 and 8 3/8 versions so I have fired three different models. You need to be able to reload or you will go broke shooting it. I have fired a box of 50 reloads in one sitting. My 4" is surprisingly accurate at 50 yards with open sights. Eventually I will get to take a wild hog with my 325 grain Barnes XPB hand load and I will see what it can do. BTW, I do not have a pre-requisite to find a need for everything I buy, if I like a firearm and can afford it I buy it.

[Marcduper]

Hi All,

I have always wanted one. Simply because it looks like a reloaders dream. With all the .5 stuff on the market, I am sure it would be a bunch of fun.

Marc

[lefty o]

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.

[6bg6ga]

Well, after reading the responses I chickened out on the 500 and bought a S&W 25-5 instead.

[44man]

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. :-o
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.
I need to be careful because done wrong and I would not need a grinder or skinning knife! :bigsmyl2:

[JSnover]

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.

[6bg6ga]

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.

[Clay M]

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.

[Gunslinger1911]

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.

[Ed K]

Well, after reading the responses I chickened out on the 500 and bought a S&W 25-5 instead.


Great choice :bigsmyl2:

[tygar]

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.

[Ghost101]

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

[Mohillbilly]

like my BFR in 500 , then again i am a recoil junkie ....

[osteodoc08]

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.

[44man]

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.

[bigblockbill]

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.

[44man]

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.

[Dryball]

" 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.

[tygar]

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.

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

[44man]

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.

[tygar]

That is true Tom. You seen how sad a .357 can be and it is sad on deer too. .

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".

[44man]

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.

[tygar]

100797Same old stuff repeated over and pver.

My deer revolvers start with a 4. But it is still the right bullet and velocity.

Lol that's exactly what I say about people guns, "If it doesn't start with a 4 it's to small". Like the reporter asked the man, "Why do you carry a .45", & he said, "cause they don't make a .46".

As some smart gun guru said, "you can't ever be overgunned".

[44man]

PA was the worst place ever for finding .22 bullets in deer. Seems everyone was shooting at deer with the gun. Off the road???
It has been different here, finding 6" of arrow healed in the chest cavities from light arrows. Got four that way, almost cut myself a few times reaching in the chest. Amazing how tough deer are.

[olafhardt]

I got a 500S&W Handirifle. I really enjoy it. I think its best use for me is a light carbine whose mouse flatus loads are quite and will shoot in his piggy nose and out the end of his curly tail. When I first got I loaded a Ranier 350 grain on top of a charge of Tightgroup for a reduced load and shot at a target pinned to a foot thick seasoned sycamore log. I shot a nice for me 3 shot group. When I looked at the back of the log there were three 50 caliber holes in the same pattern. The true 500's are the ONLY calibers that will reliably shoot one half groups at at various ranges.

[Ghost101]

Just comes down to "Need" or"Want". I sure didn't need the .500 S$W, but then again I sure wanted it.


Ghost101

[Master_Mechanic]

Just bought myself a BFR in 500 mag, thats the third handcannon in that caliber. Deffinatly a want gun rather than a need gun.

[hodgeswalt]

Just reading these posts make me so sad! I have a Raging Bull 454 8 3/8 and I am down to my last 10 factory bullets.

I can't find any cases ( either new or once-fired.) And everyone knows about the powder shortages. Guess if I looked real hard, primers can be purchased.


Anyone know where i can purchase brass? And once brass is located, what powders could be used? I have the 49th edition and take it with me when I visit the usual - wally world, academy, dick's, etc.

I am located in Oklahoma City (Edmond actually) and can drive a reasonable distance if one of you could point me in the correct location.

I can be contacted: walt(dot)r(dot)hodges@gmail(dot)com

Thanks,
walt

[taco650]

Well, after reading the responses I chickened out on the 500 and bought a S&W 25-5 instead.


Great choice :bigsmyl2:

+1 on your choice. The 500 is always there if you decide otherwise. I read recently that John Linebaugh's everyday carry gun is a 4" 25-5 with moderate loads.