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S&W Revolvers: 1980 to the Present All NON-PINNED Barrels, the L-Frames, and the New Era Revolvers


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Old 05-22-2011, 02:06 PM
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Default 500 shot shells

Does anyone know or heard of anyone coming out with shotsells for the 500?
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Old 05-22-2011, 03:22 PM
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No, I've tried to interest CCI in making them. Their attitude is that the sales won't be enough to amortize the cost of buying new production equipment.

I was at the 2011 SHOT Show and asked the CCI reps again. Got the same answer. So...I guess if you want them, you'll have to make them yourselves.

Sad, if CCI made them with their shot capsules, I'd guess that they could get nearly an ounce of shot in them. They'd be devastating on small game at short ranges. Don
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Old 05-22-2011, 04:09 PM
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Check with your pharmacist to see if he can order capsules large enough to fit, then taper crimp under a small charge of powder suggested by one of the major powder companies. Just my opinion..
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Old 05-22-2011, 09:43 PM
bogman bogman is offline
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You could use .50 gas checks for cast bullets. you put one over the powder & one inverted (flipped over) on top of the shot charge & crimp it. weigh out the total weight of the gas checks & the shot charge, so you have an idea about the bullet weight.
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Old 05-23-2011, 08:38 AM
Bendutro Bendutro is offline
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I think the reason is that almost all 500's come with compensators and a shotshell in one of those is begging for trouble.
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Old 05-23-2011, 10:06 AM
Ivan the Butcher Ivan the Butcher is offline
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A couple of years ago I made shot shells for .45 Long Colt out of .460 S&W,trimed and necked with a 44-40 die. Since a longer case isn't out there you'll can make due Sized or new .500 Brass. You'll need an over the powder card, these can be stamped out of cardboard milk carton, or (as I prefer) buy Black Powder Cartridge cork cards. I would avoid gas checkes, as they have no give, but could turn sideways in your shell or barrel (and would be too big in the lower areas of the case). You will also need a card for over the shot- the same card should work. In the Colt rounds I used a cowboy round charge of 231, a card, 1/2 oz of #8 shot,another card,and sealed with gutter seam sealer (from Lowe's). Let the seam sealer cure or it take a while to clean the cylinder and barrel. The amount and type of powder are up to you. but you only want 800-1000 FPS, so that you have some pattern and don't lead the barrel. There are about 440 grains in an oz. so 330gr. would be about 3/4 oz, and this would be a monster snake load. In shotgun shells there is a filler called a wad, you can replace this with corn meal or cream of wheat and a card in between the filler and the shot. Use a standard Primer. Use you brains!! and you will have reloadable shot shells for close range pests. My .45 shotshells have a dense pattern of about 12 inches at 10 feet. As to porting: I have no idea, so wear safty glasses.
Stick to the small shot sizes #6, 7 1/2, 8 or 9. These will be rat and snake loads, not defense or small game hunting.
Have fun: Ivan
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Old 05-23-2011, 10:29 AM
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Thanx for the info, much appreciated.
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Old 05-23-2011, 01:08 PM
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I have made some for my .44's with a cardboard cutout in the top followed by a good crimp. They work pretty well.
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Old 05-23-2011, 02:54 PM
Senor Chisme Senor Chisme is offline
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Ivan - I seem to remember that you can use .444 Marlin brass to make cylinder length shotshells. However, I can't remember if they were for .45 colt or .44Spl/.44Mag. You might try an internet search of "Snake Loads" along with "Mike Venturino."
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Old 05-23-2011, 04:16 PM
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I am inclined to agree with Bendutro. I believe that using shot in a 500 equipped with a compensator could be problematic, and would not be inclined to go there.
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Old 05-23-2011, 05:44 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MTKTM View Post
I am inclined to agree with Bendutro. I believe that using shot in a 500 equipped with a compensator could be problematic, and would not be inclined to go there.
I never saw any evidence of issues when shooting my homemade shotshells out of my original style Model 500. What has somewhat discouraged me from doing more of them is that I found them inconsistent, some pretty powerful, some much more anemic. Don
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Old 05-23-2011, 08:22 PM
BobR1 BobR1 is offline
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I am in the same boat with my 480 Ruger.
The April 2005 Handloader is supposed to have a dandy article on handgun shot shell loading. Not just shot capsules. I have not located a copy so far to see what it recomends.

You may want to experiment with powder charges a little. I got a good pattern out of my 38 with 2.5 grains of Clays. This is a pretty light loading, but seems to work great.

My reading on shot capsule reloading says light loads work best.

Bob
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Old 05-24-2011, 12:46 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DonD View Post
I never saw any evidence of issues when shooting my homemade shotshells out of my original style Model 500. What has somewhat discouraged me from doing more of them is that I found them inconsistent, some pretty powerful, some much more anemic. Don
You're probably right, no major problems but just erratic and not terribly satisfactory results. I do wonder, however, if one were to fire a bunch of shot shells whether they could lead up a compensator?

What I keep coming back to is that I consider the 500 to be a fairly specialized gun. I'm not in the least bit interested in Specials or light target/plinking loads for it. If I want to plink cans, I'll use a 38 or a .22. If I want to blast something with a hugely powerful round, I'll get out one of my 500s. There it is.
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cartridge, colt, compensator, crimp, primer, ruger

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