Titan ReloadingRotoMetals2Reloading EverythingWideners
Lee PrecisionInline FabricationRepackboxMidSouth Shooters Supply
Load Data
Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 21 to 33 of 33

Thread: So I Bought This S&W 500 Mag, Used RCBS Dies, and 150 Spent Shells...

  1. #21
    Boolit Master wilecoyote's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2021
    Location
    venice, italy
    Posts
    635
    Quote Originally Posted by Liberty1776 View Post
    Good considerations. I will be shooting outdoors at our local range.
    Hadn't thought of gloves. More padding the better!
    I use & like half-fingered Uncle Mike shooting gloves. I've never tried P.A.S.T. gloves, hard to find here.
    maybe P.A.S.T. are even more protective
    Food is overrated. A nice rifle is way more important.
    Rob

  2. #22
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
    Posts
    132
    Brian Pearce did a write up on the S&W 500 for the June-July 2021, issue # 332, for Handloader Magazine.

    Kind of short on cast boolit loads.

  3. #23
    Boolit Bub 500aquasteve's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2020
    Location
    SC
    Posts
    39
    The Hornady cases are nice, but end up being shorter. I prefer starline due to how well the bullets seat for me. Large rifle Magnum primers are best for H110 types of powder

  4. #24
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    MUSKOGEE
    Posts
    1,516
    mine!

  5. #25
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Rochester, NH
    Posts
    1,210
    You will enjoy the gun...just don't load it past the "fun"factor....

    Have had a 4" since just after they were introduced...it is not unpleasant to shoot with lighter weight bullets, as in 400 grains and less...

    Loads:

    18.0 of Unique with a Berry's plated...1050 fps

    20 grains of Unique with any 350 grain jacketed...Speer, Hornady, Sierra... 1240 fps....

    Neither load is punishing in any way...

    Bob

  6. #26
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    181
    Factory 350s in that heavy, ported revolver don't feel any worse to me than 300s @ 1200 fps do out of a 6˝" 629. With the powders you have and the 440 grainers, I'd start with 15 gr of Longshot and a magnum primer (pistol or rifle) and work up. You've got lots of fun ahead of you!

  7. #27
    Boolit Buddy Liberty1776's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    The Free State of Arizona
    Posts
    384
    Quote Originally Posted by black mamba View Post
    Factory 350s in that heavy, ported revolver don't feel any worse to me than 300s @ 1200 fps do out of a 6˝" 629. With the powders you have and the 440 grainers, I'd start with 15 gr of Longshot and a magnum primer (pistol or rifle) and work up. You've got lots of fun ahead of you!
    I've got some Longshot, and don't use it much. I'll try this load. Thanks.

  8. #28
    Boolit Master

    boatswainsmate's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Central Indiana
    Posts
    530
    PM sent

  9. #29
    Boolit Grand Master

    gwpercle's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Baton Rouge, Louisiana
    Posts
    9,254
    And we thought the 44 magnum was something ...
    If Elmer Keith could have lived to enjoy this one ... he would have loved it !
    Certified Cajun
    Proud Member of The Basket of Deplorables
    " Let's Go Brandon !"

  10. #30
    Moderator Emeritus


    JonB_in_Glencoe's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Land of 10,000 Lakes
    Posts
    15,833
    Unique:
    when I was loading the 500, I worked up a load starting at 12gr (working up to 17.5gr) for a Ballisticast 385gr RF with PB. I started seeing the beginning of primer flattening with 17.0gr and I stopped there, didn't even shoot the 17.5gr loads. The 17.0gr load was a nice load that was accurate enough and wasn't punishing.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    “If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun.”
    ― The Dalai Lama, Seattle Times, May 2001

  11. #31
    Boolit Bub
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Alton, NH
    Posts
    61
    Quote Originally Posted by wddodge View Post
    440 gr gas checked cast from wheel weights/water dropped. 13.0 gr Unique Winchester large rifle standard primers

    Denny
    I have found this load to be fun to shoot, quite accurate out to 75 yards on a shooting stick with aging eyes and a red dot. I would try a stronger load but this does what I want just fine. I've since stopped water dropping them as seeing what it did to a hog last season, they're hard enough with no issue. Such a fun gun.
    This Doesn't Suck!

  12. #32
    Boolit Bub
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    NC
    Posts
    31
    carelesslove, here !

    I have thoroughly enjoyed this thread on the 500. I have a 4" and an older 8 3/8" and figured out - early on - that I needed to load them down, so I could learn how to shoot both these X-Frames, without developing a case of the "terminal flinches".

    I like plain-based cast bullets and decided on the RCBS 400gr. mold and sized my bullets to 0.501". My goal was to find one load for both the 4" and the 8 3/8", that would produce 1000 fps, shoot an inch at 25 yards (sandbag rest), and not lead the compensators, or the barrels.

    Within reason, I have found that medium range, barely subsonic, loads in "magnum calibers" are a good place to start. Looking at my loading habits (the stuff I tend to keep "in stock"), I was hoping that loading the 500 was going to be scalable.

    In .357, I "stock" a few hundred 160 gr. SAECO SWC / 6.0 gr. UNIQUE, because it develops ~1000 fps, without blast, leading, and provides superb accuracy in multiple .357s. In .41 Magnum, the same can be said for 230 gr. SAECO SWC / 7.4 gr. UNIQUE, in both 4" & 8 3/8" barrels. In .44 Magnum, I load 250 gr. SAECO SWC / 9.0 gr. UNIQUE, in 4" thru 8 3/8" barrels, for ~1000 fps. All of these meet my criteria for accuracy and power, without excessive blast & recoil.

    Scaling things, like estimated pressure, case volume, and bullet weight, I figured that 14.0 gr. UNIQUE would be a good starting point. It hit the mark right out of the gate! In the 4" 500, it shot great at 1000 fps. The 8 3/8" 500 took that load up to 1150 fps, but with acceptable blast & recoil. Accuracy was excellent and there was no leading - even in the compensator. I use this as my "stocking" load and practice with it exclusively. I have heavier loads for both barrel lengths, but always start out shooting this one,

    I even went this route with the 460, when it came out. Again, scaling things to duplicate the same "sweet spot" I found in other calibers, the 460 really likes a 255 gr. SWC / 11.5 gr. UNIQUE and - predictably - produces 1000 fps and excellent accuracy. However, the additional weight of the 460 and the excellent compensator design makes it overly tempting to "pump it up". I frequently find myself firing a 300 gr. WFNGC, at ~1600 fps because it is so much fun. I know that if I pushed the 400 gr. 500 slug to 1750, it would be way too much for me!

    Thanks for everyone's experience and insight. I was beginning to think that I was the only one loading the 500 down!

    Tom "carelesslove" Love

  13. #33
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Communism running rampant!
    Posts
    4,732
    If I owned a 500, I would look for published loads for HS6.

    I would begin lighter with faster powders and after I was ready to venture beyond Unique, HS6 would be my next endeavor if it checked out as being appropriate.

    Three44s
    Quote Originally Posted by Bret4207

    “There is more to this than dumping lead in a hole.”

Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
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