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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 01-03-2014, 12:29 PM
Groatski Groatski is offline
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500 S&W replaced by .460 S&W? 500 S&W replaced by .460 S&W? 500 S&W replaced by .460 S&W? 500 S&W replaced by .460 S&W? 500 S&W replaced by .460 S&W?  
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Default 500 S&W replaced by .460 S&W?

This may be a subject that’s been beaten to death, but I’m rather new here.

About 9 months ago I rented a .500 S&W Magnum w/ 6” barrel at my local range and put about 40 rounds thru it. I absolutely loved it and found it easier to handle than my S&W 629 in .44 Magnum (tho it was definitely a more powerful gun), and since then I’ve been dreaming of owning one.

A few weeks ago I went back to that range intent on renting the .500 again. The guy told me that their rental .500 had ‘grenaded itself’, and due to a design flaw the .500 will eat away at its own frame after several thousand rounds. This is why, as it was explained to me, the .500 had been discontinued by S&W and replaced with the .460, which they had. Slightly disappointed I took their rental .460 w/ an 8” barrel out for a spin.

It was a MONSTER!! The shockwave alone felt like I was being punched in the nose with every shot. According to the statistics I’ve read the two guns are relatively evenly matched, but the .460 I was firing was clearly a hotter weapon. It’s possible that I was firing weaker loads in the .500, but regrettably I didn’t pay much attention to the ammo specs. Perhaps, also, the difference in barrel lengths played into it.

My question is multi-fold:

1. Is it true what the range told me about the .500 Magnum, with the inherent design flaw and S&W halting production?
2. What are the advantages of the .460 over the .500? I understand the .460 can shoot a multitude of different rounds (.454. Casull, .45 LC, etc), but I’m not interested in that.
3. What does increasing the barrel length do to a pistol’s power and recoil?

I still kinda-sorta have my heart set on the .500, but I’m perfectly willing to settle on the .460 if someone can give me a reason to.
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Old 01-03-2014, 01:01 PM
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RIDE-RED 350r RIDE-RED 350r is offline
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500 S&W replaced by .460 S&W? 500 S&W replaced by .460 S&W? 500 S&W replaced by .460 S&W? 500 S&W replaced by .460 S&W? 500 S&W replaced by .460 S&W?  
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Well, I haven't heard of S&W dropping the 500 till your post. I think possibly your range officer is ill informed???

As to the differences between the 2: the 500 can be loaded to shoot as fast as the 460 with lighter bullets sitting on max charges. But the simple fact (unless I'm mistaken, I don't claim to know about every possible projectile offered for the 500) is that there are lighter bullets available for the 460. That makes S&W's claim that its the fastest shooting handgun plausible, with the quid-pro-quot of the use of factory ammo.

Longer barrels will yield slightly higher velocities (slightly being a relative term).

As to barrel length and it's relationship with recoil... I have heard some say longer barrels recoil more, and some say the opposite. I know I can't tell much difference in how my 6.5" 629 Classic and 4" M29 shoot as far as felt recoil. With equal ammo, I doubt that most average people would notice the difference in recoil between a 6" and 8-3/8" barrel.

I own a 460 with a 5" barrel, known as the 460V. I know one thing for sure, I think it would be extremely violent to fire it without the compensator in place to help control the muzzle flip. But the downside to that is the compensator directs more blast toward the shooter (remember how you said the shockwave was punching you in the nose?)

Both the 460 and 500 are versatile in their own fashion in my opinion.

The 460 makes itself versatile by being able to fire 454 Casull and 45 Colt.

The 500 gets it's flexibility from a seemingly wider variety of projectile types and sizes (weight). But you need to be a handloader to utilize that benefit.

Both are extremely powerful, fun revolvers to shoot and will kill almost anything on this planet with legs.

FTR: I have not yet owned a 500, but have fired a compensated 4" model.

Last edited by RIDE-RED 350r; 01-03-2014 at 01:37 PM.
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Old 01-03-2014, 01:55 PM
DonD DonD is offline
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No, the .500 isn’t being discontinued and your perceptions of the .500 may well have been influenced by what rounds you shot. There are lower powered rounds out there for the .500, maybe not so much for the .460. Most of those who have shot the .500 as a demo and say that it didn’t kick much have shot wimpy loads not heavy 400-500gr slug rounds.

They are both powerful rounds but if you want to push both to the max, the .500 is clearly the winner.

Get whatever you want, the .460 is more versatile if you don’t reload. Don
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