Shot a .500 S&W

Y

yekimak

New member
Well one round in a 4" gun. A guy at the range was testing some handloads and asked if I wanted to try it out. I was only brave enough to chamber one round, a 430gr LWC with apparently an equal amount of powder behind it.

He said it was running about 1500fps or so, there was no muzzle flash with the w296(? I know it was winchester powder, but the actual numbers elude me right now), but the hornady factory loads he shot ($48 for a box of 20 rds, hence the reloads) made a nice fireball.

Needless to say it was a helluvalotta gun, but I have no new forehead creases. My wrist knew it had done something different, but there were no tragic injuries except to my pride, when I declined to fire any more rounds.

Last week I shot a .454 casull taurus, and well it was a pussycat compared to this gun. The cartridges for the .500 are so big that they look cartoonish. Yea, recoil was stiff, and I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to recoil, but it was not so bad that I could not get over it if something big, hairy, and mad was coming my way. But I think the reason i would dread sighting it in....would not be the recoil, but the $12 it would cost to fill each cylinder.
 
A guy at a local range did the same for me. Really the compensator cuts down on muzzle flip a LOT compared to what it could be. A whole lotta gun with no real purpose.
 
I would love to shoot a cylinder full and I would be willing to pay for the shells for the experience. I don't expect to ever buy such a beast. But, if I were in Alaska like you (yekimak) and spent time out fishing or hunting in the more remote areas, I might consider such a gun. Ruger just came out with their "Alaskan" model which is a 4" Super Redhawk in 454, 45LC, and 480 Ruger. I have a 480, and I can honestly say that I have no desire to shoot a 4" 480. Ouch!
 
I would love to shoot a cylinder full and I would be willing to pay for the shells for the experience. I don't expect to ever buy such a beast. But, if I were in Alaska like you (yekimak) and spent time out fishing or hunting in the more remote areas, I might consider such a gun. Ruger just came out with their "Alaskan" model which is a 4" Super Redhawk in 454, 45LC, and 480 Ruger. I have a 480, and I can honestly say that I have no desire to shoot a 4" 480. Ouch!
Click to expand...

Actually it is a 2.5" barrel. I do not have one yet but I am having my .44 mag "Alaskanized" at my local gunshop. He did one for a guy who did not want to wait for an Alaskan, then showed it to, me and I dropped my .44 SRH off and since then he has had three others dropped off all to be buzzed down. All of them 'cept for mine are the .454. The first one that he had done was fired at the range today and the owner said it was easy to shoot and alot of fun. I can't wait till I get mine back.

As far as the .500, I can't see a reason. I know hunters that use a .44 mag for brownies, and I have seen alot of big game hunted with the .44, so I cannot justify the huge extra expense of of the .500, both gun and ammo.
 
I don't know; jury's still out...

I must say that I am intrigued by the "boom" factor. However, I don't want to shoot something that routinely hints at injury if I shoot it too much.

However, I will say that if I lived in AK (not likely, unfortunately), or any one of the "bear" states, like MT, WY, ID or, even a slightly wilder part of WA, I would love to pack one when hiking, backpacking or camping.

Now, the gun that DOES interest me is the new .460 SW. Now, THAT's a versatile chambering, from what I have read--use .45 LC for general plinking, .454 for midrange, and the full powered stuff when you want--and from what I have read, the recoil from the full powered ctg. is about the same as a stiff .44 Mag. And, with the full house loads, you can throw a 200 grain bullet well above 2000 fps! Definitely worth a look.
 
Thanks for the correction on the "Alaskan" Ruger SRH model. I read about them and saw a photo of one on Ruger's web site. Forgot it was s snubby (memory lapse). I would imagine that it is quite a flame thrower. Sighting it in would be a bit of a pain, but once that is accomplished it would be a great gun for close quarters protection. There is something about the Alaskan model that has captured my interest, but I don't even like to shoot full power loads in a 357 mag snubby.

The 460 S&W also interests me. Not sure what I will use it for, but being able to shoot 454 and 45LC in one gun has appeal. It may in fact be one of the ultimate hand cannon calibers due to its versatility.
 
I liked my 8 3/8" X-frame so much, I had to buy a 4" too. Then, just for the hell of it, I put a 2x Leupold on it. I get five shot, full cylinder, sub 2" groups at 50 yards with a 450 grain cast GC bullet (NEI 500-380-GC. They lie when they say it weighs 380 grains!), 20.0 grains of HS-6, and a CCI-350 primer. My 8 3/8" version will print similar groups (sub 2 1/2") at 100 yards with a 4x Leupold.

Someone here dubbed this "The Scope Tester". :D
MrShorty2.jpg
 
Thats a HUGE load you shot. I'd find that uncomfortable as well. Most of my hand loads are around 300-400gr bullets and moderate powder loads. I just keep some ultra hot loads for panzer defense :cool:
 
They are nice guns, I just can't justify buying one for myself. But if there was a winchester 94 in the caliber, that would be a different story..
 
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