Been shooting for years now and this 500 is the first hand cannon i have every own and will be the first one i shoot. alittle about my self, i have shoot everything i could get my hans on when i was in the marines from 2001-2005. ie m16, SAW, 240, M203, 50 both in machine gun and rifle and my favorites was the A-T4 rocket. this revolver will be my first time shooing this big of a round from my hand. i just got the gun about one week now. its the 4" in version and i love the look of it. i will be doing alot of targeting shooting and as a carry when i go to GA. i also want to hunt with it or try. my question is any advice on my first hand canon would be nices. ie sighting in, do i have the sight flash or the red ramp on top?

For a first handgun, you sure picked a doozy! Not sure how practical it is as a carry gun, but it may work for you. I'd recommend you use light loads for most shooting, otherwise you may find the recoil a bit unpleasant. Many .44 magnum shooters find that they suffer damage to their hands after a few years of shooting the big stuff. I'd recommend perhaps a .45acp or .40 S&W for a carry pistol, or if you want to stay with revolvers, many on the market in .357 magnum and up, but on a smaller frame.

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Retired Police, Life NRA

Make sure you keep your fingers out of the plane of the front of the cylinder when firing or you'll seriously damage them. And double up on hearing protection as well.

psle1000- Welcome I also "carry" my 4" 500 occasionally, and since this is your first foray into hand cannons I have a few suggestions. First you need a belt I have been using Aker belts ( black or brown )2 1/4", and they have a polymer insert that helps to keep the belt rigid and suppurt the weight. I Buy them from Galls about 45$ I am sure there are many custom makers out there ( Adams Holsters ) which make excellent rigs, but they are going to take 12 + wks. The holster is a high ride hip from Black Hills Leather. Mine is horsehide and spreads out the weight well is very secure. Speak to the owner, Rudy Lozano, his work is tremendous, he will get it right. As Pioneer461 stated it is a good idea to start with some lighter loads and work your way up. It will help to prevent the flinch and let you know that it is a big gun but can be controlled and used effectively. When I do "carry" it I use 350 gr XTP. Enjoy, Be Safe.

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I BACK OUR BLUE

Welcome to the forum!

Good for you! We hope you enjoy the mobile artillery you have selected.

Be sure to post some pics too.

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But then, what do I know?

Congratulations on your first wheelgun.Talk about taking on the big boy right off the bat.With your previous experience I am sure you'll be fine.

I think gradually moving up is a good idea also.I can understand carrying it on the trail but in an urban situation over penetration would have me more than a little concerned.Just some food for thought.

this is my first hand cannon, i already have a H&K usp 45, glock 17 and a sr-22. so this new toy will be fun.

when i go to GA im taking that thing everywere i go. i have family there and they say its like TX, everyone carrys. so a rule of thumb "go big or go home" lol

so what's the hold on this gun? how do i sight it in?

The top of the front sight should be level with the top of the rear sight notch.

Definitely try some of the reduced .500 loadings before moving to the full stuff, like this one..."only" 325 gr at 1380 fps. It will be plenty of a double handful with the 4" barrel.

Sport Ammo 500 S&W Mag 325 Grain Light Loading Semi Jacketed Soft Point Box of 20

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

A .500 for your first revolver.

I like the way you think!

You will Love It! But use both hands, no one handed shots.....

Just so you know, it recoils up, not back.
So hold on!
This is the Grandson shooting mine when he was 16.

Good to know. now i dont have to worry about it hitting me in the faces. lolos

My 2 cents, for what its worth,you have a very nice gun, but you may want to think about warming up with a .357 Mag or a .44 mag before you let go with the new hand cannon. over the years I have seen more than one shooter pick up some bad habits trying to start shooting revolvers with a full bore magnum handgun.

Here's my 6'3" son shooting my 8 3/8" 500. The flying chunks are the remnants of a small cabbage that paid the ultimate price.



I also have a 4" gun. I recall that there was a guy on here a couple of years back who was going to CCW one. I don't know how that went. I carry mine when I hike in the backcountry here in griz territory, mostly when I go huckleberry picking in August. I've never encountered a bear when doing so and truly hope that I never do, but have found lots of sign. I think for other carry I'd be inclined to go with something a little less massive....

Ok good to know. my 2nd question is do u cut the target in 1/2 or do u let it set on top of the red ramp? how many yard do i start off at, that will = 100 yards?

A hand cannon for your first wheelgun? That is certainly the deep end technique. You will find you quickly loose friends when you show up with it on the line. When you start shooting, you will clear the line. Guys will suddenly remember that important appointment they are late for. The gun is so loud. In addition to developing bad habits due to the weight and recoil, and the possibility to injure yourself due to recoil, it is just plain expensive. If you don’t reload you will spend a ton of money to shoot it, or quickly go out and buy a nice reloading setup. I reload for mine on a Dillon 550B. Works great and I can dial back the loads to something reasonable. I have also swapped out the comp on my 4” for a solid replacement comp. It cuts down the noise and prevents blow back of lead particles and unburned powder. It does this at the expense of increased roll.

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Tom

You can sight it in with a 6 o'clock hold on a bullseye target, because it tends to give you a more defined area at which to aim. If you start at 25 yards and adjust so the 6 o'clock aim strikes the center of the black, you'll probably find yourself close to point of aim at 50 yards and perhaps beyond. This is just an educated guess.

Sometimes the red front sight insert will correspond to the top of the sight picture and sometimes not, so best to use the top of the front blade for aiming.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

I have a 629-1 Classic hunter and it's pretty manageable. I've always wanted to shoot a 500, just to see how bad the recoil is.

Good choice, mine has the 8 3/8 barrel. I thought my 29 & 629 was bad, but.........

Still looking for that 500 bone collector.

I have added a scope to mine.
Will see how it does this coming hunting season.
Not as bad as some say, my M29 hurts more then the 500 & I do carry in a belt holster while hunting.


I'm only 5'9", 165 lbs & will be 71 in a few weeks....

STCM,

You have the same model SW 500 that I have. I never wanted one (500 mag) until I saw that one. That was produced in 1994; SW made a run of only 500 of that configuration of the SW 500. Recoil is pretty snappy, but I agree with you regarding recoil. I owned (and foolishly sold) a Model 629 with a 4" barrel. I was a Deputy Sheriff in Texas and carried it on duty. The 629 recoil hurt more than the 500 in the configuration our revolvers are in. However, I suspect that folks that shoot the 4" barreled 500 might be in for a rude awakening.

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Ralph J.

Welcome to the forum. You did pick a beast for your 1st revolver) It's a lot of fun to shoot. I did find that with the 500 gr loads my right hand would kind of go numb after about 20 rounds. And the next day it would be quite badly bruised in the palm area where the back strap laid. But it sure was a hoot to shoot. It drew a lot of attention at the range too. I sold it after the novelty wore off. I got a dollar more than I paid for it I figured I could own a couple of nice guns for the price of the 500 or a quality collectable.
Have fun with your new toy..and congrats on your 1st revolver.
Mike

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John 1:17
NRA Life Benefactor

I have a 629-6 4" .44 magnum that kicks like an obstinate mule with full house 240 gr. factory ammo! I cannot fathom the jump from there to the .500 with even heavier bullet. Even with my puny .44 mag I tend to shoot more .44 specials. I just recently got dies for this caliber so I expect to be able to shoot it more, but I am too much a poor boy to get a hand-canon of the .500 and shoot factory ammo. We have a indoor shooting range that "rents" handguns and I notice the .500 listed, but you have to use their ammo. I will post back when I try it out. Have fun with your introduction to revolvers! (gulp)

Yea, a 4" M29 is a little hard on the hands.
Even with special order grips fit to my hand.
I had a nickeld one back in '78 & had it magaported, still too much with hot loads.
Sold it for about $200 more then I got it for to some fool...

Mine came from S&W already Magnaported with a wide, serrated trigger and a checkered hammer spur. It was a combat piece from its inception. I could shoot it pretty well. We had to qualify twice a year, day and night. Each qualification was 60 rounds. I had to qualify with what I carried, so I qualified with full-power loads. I shot at least 30 rounds a month, which isn't much, but it was a lot more than the majority of my fellow deputies shot. 90% of them shot only when they had to qualify. I developed a nifty little callous on my trigger finger. The first couple of times I had to shoot the full course of 60 rounds, it tore the skin on my trigger finger. I learned to carry a roll of athletic tape to wrap my finger in if I tore through the callous. That 4" 629 was brutal.

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Ralph J.

Bad idea for a carry gun because if you shot it without hearing protection, kiss your ears goodbye.

Lol my hearing has gone to **** when i was in iraq, shot 12 AT-4 rockets without hearing protection in four weeks straight didnt do me any good. lol. i dont think this 500 can be any worst.

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome. ill let u all know how it goes when i hit the range. this weekend im going to scout/hunt for pigs hope i bag one. ill be carrying my 500 as a side arm and using my m14 rifle. wish me luck

I miss owning my 500, but not shooting it. I shot it twice before I sold it.

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Mike C

What kind of red dot did u have? i was thinking of getting one.

The 500 is the greatest crowd pleaser of all time. Go to the range and you hear bang, bang, pow, bang......then KA BOOOOOM!!!! <-The 500 guy fired one off. Everyone stops and looks.....*** was that? You smile and fire off a couple more. No seriously the 500 is an awesome gun. I've got the 6.5 inch barrel and love it. It's my fishing gun, my trail gun, my everything gun for any BIG bears. I also carry a 44 mag when not in Grizzly Country. The full load hard cast lead in 340 grain Buffalo Bore or HSM works just fine. Recoil you ask? Sure there's recoil, full load 44 mags to some people are tough, and full load 500's are really tough. But if you practice you'll know what to expect and how you best deal with it, once you do it's not an issue. Like others have said the 500 is fun to shoot. When I take my friends out to shoot I let use the .45 then .44 and then a couple of 500 rounds. The gun they talk about after is always the 500. But, you don't need to shoot expensive ammo at targets. Get some cheap, well ,I mean inexpensive stuff to practice with. Unless you reload and you might....go for some HSM ammo in the 3000 grain, very easy to shoot. Good luck and most of all HAVE FUN!!!

CCW? really?

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God Bless Our Troops.

Congrats on your new 500! Glad to see you weren't scared off by all the hype.

I must have a defective 500, or perhaps the compensator works very well? Recoil is good, but nothing that would stop anyone from shooting several cylinders of 350grain bullets chrono'd at 1600fps. I've seen people say they shot their 500 one time and sold it because it was too much to handle. Huh? This too was my first revolver, and for comparison, I shot a friends 44 magnum that same day. The 44 magnum had around the same amount of kick, probably due to the 1.5 lb weight savings the 44 magnum has over the 8 3/8" 500..

While the 500 is a beast, it's myth is much larger than reality, at least with 350 grain slugs. I'm sure the 440 grain or larger slugs would be a handful. But you don't have to shoot any of the heavier rounds unless you really want to.

For target shooting at a covered outdoor range, it is both a blast and a curse. Some will complain about the noise or being hit by something everytime you shoot, so you quickly learn to switch to a quiet gun after every cylinder full, so that other nearby shooters can shoot comfortably. The whiners do get annoying.

Here is a photo of my 51 year old wife shooting the 500. Wow, she did not drop dead or break any body parts, and she wants to shoot it again.... I always do require anyone that wants to shoot it to watch several YouTube videos first, just so they can see the worst that happened to some, mainly so they hold on tight. Never anyone complaining that it was too much gun.

The beauty of the .500 is you have the ability to load your own from mild to wild (as an above poster stated). Heavy hardcast slugs at decent speed will extract the steam from any animal on earth - bust through bone and vaporize tissue. The .500 is everything the .44 is taken to an order of magnitude greater. With any OTHER caliber if you're headed into dangerous animal territory you MUST think in terms of maximum loads, but with the .500, "mid-range" exceeds them all!
While you may be new to big-bore revolvers you are clearly not new to weapons of mass destruction...the .500 is a PERFECT first revolver choice!

After shooting .500 Mags for 9 yrs, I'm somewhat bemused that I hadn't noticed differences in muzzle blast before.

I shot my 8 3/8" original style yesterday. Used some "plinking" loads with Trail Boss, some mid range loads with H4227 and then some medium heavy loads with Lil Gun, the latter two with 385 gr hard cast slugs.

The plinking loads were, of course, mild and I wear double ear protection. The H4227s louder and deeper, the Lil Gun loads sounded more like a big bore rifle.

Always fun to see the large quantities of dirt fly at the backstop. Unfortunately, haven't had access to a stream I enjoyed about 40 yrs ago. It was so narrow and the sides so deep and steep that shooting into it was safe from ricochet. The mud that flew and the water geysers the .44 Mag I had at the time produced were very entertaining. Would love to replicate that with the .500s. Don

Shot 10 rounds today. that the most the guy at the in door range will let me shot. got a nices feel for here and boy was it fun. cant wait to shot it agen. my shoots werewere center but it was alittle low. so i need more time at the range. i love this gun!!!

+1000. Very cool gun for bear protection. Not at all for SD. For hunting, I'd want at least 5" or more. Still a cool hand cannon though!

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686, 629, 15-22 MOE FDE

Youtube video you might enjoy. Hickok45 shooting the SW500.

500 S&W Magnum - YouTube

Regards, Merv

+1. You're obviously an experienced shooter, but starting off with a hand cannon can give you a flinch that's hard to break.
There's plenty of stories of .44 magnums being bought for next to nothing with a box of ammo less 6 rounds