My Wife and I were out shooting today when a friend pulled up with a S&W 500 magnum hunter with 10 1/2" barrel. He had never shot it and was anxious to try it out and so was I. I was watching him as he squeezed off the first round and I was shocked. Recoil and noise was very minimal. He fired another round and handed me the gun. He is a very stout guy so I thought he had just manhandled the gun so I was prepared for the worst. I squeezed the trigger and I felt a push back into my hand with little muzzle lift. It had less recoil than the 7 1/2 inch Ruger Redhawk .45 Colt I was shooting. And the noise from the ported barrel was no worse either. My Wife fired it as well with no problem. Keep in mind he was firing 300 grain bullets which is the lower end for this gun, but nonetheless, it was a pleasure to shoot. I'm sure the 700 grain bullets that it is capable of handling would have a lot more bark, but I would give it a try.