I bought a 5" 460V this weekend, and I pick it up from the shop this Saturday. It was a used, but very good condition example, so I couldn't resist. I like the multicaliber aspect of it, which is why it was an easy choice over a 500. I like shooting 45LC, but really want the option to go more powerful, and will probably load my own ammo down the road for it.

The most powerful caliber to date that I've shot is 44 mag, so 454 and 460 mag are a new adventure for me. What am I getting myself into here? Any tips on handling this beast of a Revolver?

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Did it come with a carriage and lanyard cord?

Congratulations on your find. I hope you enjoy it. For me, I am way too recoil sensitive for that, not to mention the weight and the ammo cost. IMHO it would be an absolute must to hand load this. 2-3 dollars every time you pull the trigger is a bit salty.

Personally i stop at 44 mag in a handgun, and 30-06 in a rifle. The old saying is to shoot the largest caliber you shoot with comfort.

But, that is just me

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Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

I'm a glutton for punishment sometimes...

The reality however is that I will probably shoot mostly 45LC out of it, for which the 460V is way overkill. I will eventually load my own 454 and 460 for it, downloaded for comfort.

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I will always remember my 65 yard ground squirrel kill with 45 LC ammo(3rd shot)
i dont like recoil either but the multicaliber aspect is the winning attribute IMHO as well
Larry in Reno

This thread has been done many times. Do a search and there is lot of information in this forum.

Congratulations on your purchase.

The caliber and weight of the firearm determine recoil. There are many 44 MAG revolvers that are very unpleasant compared to a 460 S&W.

be safe
Ruggy

I shoot .44Mag regularly from my 3" barreled babies! With gloves, full house mags are no problem. Without gloves... after 3 cylinders I'm looking for my gloves for sure or switching to hot .44Specials. My buddy was taking his family to Denali National Park for vacation. He bought a .460 8 to 10" barrel with the comp and had a custom chest rig made for it that probably cost half the original gun purchase! It was a seriously nice rig. I shot it/sighted it in before his trip. After shooting the 200 grain ballistic tipped Hornady's rated at 2,200fps I said oh hell no... I'm done with this artillery piece. And I'm NOT recoil sensitive at all. If it were me going to Denali I would have been suffice to carry a 305grain Keith's from Underwood that are rated at 1350fps out of a 6" barreled Smith. They run just a hair over 1200fps out of my 3" Mountain Back Packer. To answer your question I think your .460 will be nice running .454 Casull out of her and comparable to your .44mag experience. A 325grain LBT-LFN pill rated at 1525fps will kill anything in the America's up to and including juiced up Sasquatches...

Oh, Pics or it didn't happen OP!

Because big-bore revolvers are large-framed revolvers, they’re built stronger, and heavier, than medium-, and/or small-framed revolvers, and as such, firing less-powerful ammunition in a large gun results in much less felt recoil, muzzle flip, muzzle flash, and noise, due to the larger gun’s weight in relation to the power of the ammunition used. Considering the heft of the 460V revolver, one should be able to fire .45 Colt ammunition in semi-rapid, double-action succession with fairly good accuracy, due to the low recoil of the heavier gun. Further, the 460V provides the benefit of chambering different loads in the same cylinder, such as .460 S&W, .454 Casul, .45 Colt, and I’ve been told .45 Schofield, but I can’t confirm that.

Update: I picked the 460V from the shop yesterday, and went right over to the range to try it out. With 45LC, it's a pleasurable and accurate gun to shoot, and I like it alot. With 460 Mag, there's only one word to describe it: Terrifying.

Suprisingly however, the recoil impulse wasn't quite as bad as I expected, and really, I've had more painful experiences shooting some 44 mag revolvers than I did with the 460. Granted, my rate of fire wasn't quite the same as it would be with a 44.

I shot indoors, at a nearby range that can supposedly handle up to 50 BMG, though you'd be hard pressed to get the owner to allow a rifle of that caliber in there. I wore two sets of hearing protection just in case, which was definitely for the best. I used the shorter muzzle brake, and it definitely helped tame the recoil a bit, though I'm wondering if the longer brake would have been better. The direction of gasses upward did however serve to knock little bits ceiling tile and dust down from overhead onto the shooting bench, something that I've never experienced before. My shooting wasnt great, better than I had anticipated but I was hitting about 6" below my point of aim. (the sights were dead on for 45LC).

All in all, I think I like this thing. Maybe enough to look at a 500....

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Welcome to the fun world of big bore revolvers.

Yes, using commercial ammo, the 460 is clearly more versatile than the 500 Mag.

In the case of the 460, the Colt ammo works as a fun "plinking" load and yes, you can make pretty rapid DA shooting fun with it. For the 500 you must reload to have the same option.

In any event, I do encourage you to reload so you can shoot the full range of the 460s capability relatively inexpensively. Enjoy. Don

Start reloading!!!
RCBS or similar quality SS press.
The money you save will finance another... .... but not being restricted to factory ammo is the main plus to us.

Which 460 ammo did you run?
I shot 50 Remington R45C Colts and spent too much time cleaning the chambers.

Are the grips on the 460 the same as the newer Nframe/629 round butts?

I've put about 500 rounds or 460mag ammo through my 460V and it's a pleasure to shoot. Much less perceived recoil than a 29. (probably the rubber grips). I like it alot better than my 500.

Be advised that the noise and muzzle flash with full on 460 ammo is spectacular.

With 45 LC's you'll wonder if you just shot a squib.

It is extremely accurate
E.G. 40' "Mozambique" w/460 Hornaday critical defense ammo

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SWCA #3356, SWHF#611

A couple points to ponder...

The two switchable brakes that came with your revolver are for two different purposes, at least that it what I think I remember. If you aren't shooting any case lead bullets, stick with the brake that has all the cuts on the side.

Now the indoor range that you shot the 460 at is basically the most obnoxious venue possible outside of, perhaps, shooting in your car. I'm not saying that you shouldn't shoot a 460 on an indoor range, but I am saying that without a doubt, it is FAR more enjoyable outdoors. The noise, pressure blast and concussion from the ceiling, the floor and also from typical walls/booths in each shooting lane simply amplify all of the forces.

A .460 S&W Magnum runs a peak pressure of 65,000 psi, so you are releasing a blast that is approaching double of the .44 Magnum and like four times the pressure of the sedate .45 Colt.

Yep. Clears the range quite quickly .
That said, it's a lot of fun indoors.

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SWCA #3356, SWHF#611

I know that 460 is best enjoyed outside, however the only range I had access to yesterday was that particular indoor range. It is a unique range that allows use of large bore handguns, centerfire rifles, and shotguns. It not uncommon to see stuff like this in there. I did however wait to later in the afternoon until near closing time, so I was the only one there. Out of courtesy, I went down the line away from the entrance area, but the owner did still remark on how loud it was out at the desk when I was leaving. Odds are I'll probably refrain from shooting 460 in there again.

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I do reload, mostly 357 magnum and 38 Special, at the moment, but the goal is to add 460 and 45LC as well. I went looking for die sets and supplies online last night, and well as perusing the Hodgdon reloading data center for loading options, mainly for powder and primer needs, since it doesn't appear that I have any powder that crosses with 357/38, or at least not with 460. There might be a partial can of IMR 4227 kicking around that I was loading 357 with a while back. I think I saw a few loadings with that powder.

Edit: I do use a RCBS single stage press that my granddad bought several decades ago. I really don't load anything in a volume large enough to justify a multistage press. I stick to revolver cartridges, as most of the pistol calibers I shoot are so economically priced to not justify the time spent at the bench.


EDIT 2: I shot Hornady 200gr FTX rounds yesterday

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To be clear, I'm not saying you shouldn't shoot .460 Magnum on an indoor range. In response to where you deemed it "terrifying", I'm simply saying that the full effect of .460 Magnum is less caustic to the senses when released outdoors on a beautiful day, and that many of the associated negatives of shooting .460 Magnum are amplified when it's run indoors.

I don't see what the fuss is in shooting a 460 magnum at an indoor range, I do it almost every week. Usually draws a crowd if I get put in the observation bay.

And it clears my sinuses!

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SWCA #3356, SWHF#611

Glad that you are loading your own, though the 460 has multicaliber capacity, none of those calibers are cheap. A responsible shooter at an indoor with a S&W Model 460 or Model 500 is no problem if the range is designed for it. We are supposed to have ear protection. Lord knows, we have all seen inexperienced shooters blasting away at every angle with their 50 caliber desert eagles.

To the OP and all.
All cartridges that require roll crimps get trimmed after sizing.....
from 458 WinMag to the 38/357...... with several in between .....are not done on our 550.....but single stage RCBS.
If we get a 338 Lapua then a CoAx will be purchased.

Besides reading everything Ruggy/ruggyh, who has been truly generous
with his time/knowledge check CalGuns etc etc.
Interesting reading the history of the X frames and those who pioneered them.

Swapped a pound of BE for #9 with a local yesterday and more powder and bullets will be here mañana.... #9, 2400, 4227, and a big bucket of Trail Boss.

Have fun
Stay safe

So I have a concern, and I wanted the opinions of the group:

When I inspected the fired 460 brass, I noticed that the primers were forced backward and flattened against the breach face when fired. This does not seem normal to me, though then again, I'm new to the world of super magnum calibers. Has anyone seen this before? Is it something to be concerned about?

I've attached a photo showing spent brass, versus an unfired cartridge. The unfired cartidge's primer is ever so slightly recessed, and sports a radiused edge. The fired brass has the primer flattened flush with the cartridge base. There is no indication of primer piercing, just flattening.

I should also mention, I don't have my 45LC brass handy to compare. I share my reloading setup with another family member, so my spent 45LC brass is off site right now...



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100% normal. As in... couldn't be MORE normal.

"Reading primers" is an irrationally inexact science. Not even fair to call it science. Far too much is made about what can be seen with a look at a fired case's primer.

If you want a piece of .460 Magnum brass and it's spent primer to look different, you'd need to load it at half pressure.

Thanks, I just wanted to be sure, and as I said, I've never seen a primer flatten like that before.

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Simply because you have not shoot rounds operating at these pressures. Primers reading is of no real value for the super magnum class of handgun cartridges, pressures above 50 KPSI.

Your best indication of over pressure load is sticking cartridges.
Sticky extraction is your best indicator you are at the top of charge with 460. If your rounds are hard to extract / sticking you at or above 62 KPSI.

be safe
Ruggy

I shot my 5.5" Redhawk Today with 240 JHP Bullets over 21.5gns of 2400, and I swear that the Recoil was more severe than Firing my 460V with Hornady Factory Loads. The Sound Level of the 460 is Terrific Protect your Hearing.

Attached Images

460 H110.jpg (199.6 KB, 33 views)

I see many of the big dogs for sale used with VERY low round counts. JMO but a reason for owning other than it being big/bad would seem to make sense.

I'd recommend it. I'm pretty recoil insensitive and find the 460 to be more pleasant to shoot than, for example, a 629 (mostly due to the grips IMO).

I got mine as a camping gun because we do deep woods/national forest camping.

Probably the only gun more likely to be sold with low round counts is a 329.

Rent before you buy.

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SWCA #3356, SWHF#611

I agree. My 69 is more uncomfortable to shoot with maximum loaded 44 magnums than my 460 was, but the 69 is a fraction of the weight of the big 460.

The indoor range that I'm a member of allows centerfire rifles also, even though it's just 25yds. max.

Years ago I used to feel guilty shooting my BIG revolvers there but since the "craze" hit a couple years ago there's lots of ARxx's being shot there now.

Many of those short barreled rifles are horribly loud & annoying. I put up with them & don't complain. Since the range wants to cater to them I don't worry about mine anymore.

I go at off-peak hours, always asks for the far end of the range, & try to wait for the adjacent lanes to leave before blasting away. Usually plenty of other lanes available if someone wants to move.

.

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Waiting for the break of day

Update:

I decided yesterday that the 460V wasn't enough gun for me, and it has been traded for a 460XVR...

All kidding aside, I had been after the 8 3/8" 460XVR for quite some time now, though they rarely show up for sale in my local market. I had chosen the 460V becuase it was more prevalent, and the next most sensible choice, with the only other options being the ludicrously huge and expensive Performance Center models.

Long story short, 2 weeks after grabbing the 460V, the folks at my LGS hand me a massive plastic S&W case, inside of which was an XVR that they had just taken in on trade from someone else. A reasonable trade deal was struck, and home it went with me.

There's alot I like more about the XVR over the V model. Personally, I find the gun balances a little better with the longer barrel, and it definitely handles the recoil of the 460 magnum a lot better as well (took it directly to the range last night). The impact of the recoil on my hands is much lighter, almost negliable, and thus more enjoyable to shoot with the Hornady ammo I have. That's not to say the 460V was painful or not fun to shoot, but I can say there's a limit to how many rounds of 460 I'd shoot with it in a session, whereas the with XVR, I could go indefinitely.

I also found the XVR to be an excellent shooter with 45LC as well, I had worried that the change in balance in the gun would affect how enjoyable it was it the lighter loads, but it's a tack driver to say the least, and I love it!

With regards to the gun itself, I got it used of course, however it appeared to have been shot very little and very well cared for. With it came the plastic case, all paperwork, extra front sight (I really like the DX style front sights, I wish they were available on more revolvers), both muzzle brakes, and the keys and tools. To say that I'm happy with the switch is an understatment.

Quick question for the group: both the 460V and 460XVR came with an L-shaped length of steel rod. What is the purpose of this? I assumed it was for checking for bore obstructions and I cannot find any other use for it.

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I sold my XVR over a year ago do to 77year old joints. I am surprised no one is talking about how effective the round is on game, in my case pigs. We are talking instant "bang flops".

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State of Jefferson
Jim

The L shaped rod is, I believe, used to remove/install the compensator.

I got a 460XVR 3.5" barrel for Fathers' day and tried it out today with Colt .45, which was all they sold at the range. I was sort of wondering about firing it at an indoor range with .460 Mag so this thread was useful. I guess if it's no louder than a short barreled AR, I'm fine; there are plenty of those on the line.

Just do yourself a favor and wear ear plugs with ear muffs if you shoot 460mag inside. It's a bit painful if you don't.

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Two years ago I purchased a 460 XVR and found it too nose heavy so I ended up trading it for the V model. I found it (for me) is much easier to shoot due to it's better balance. I reload for mine and found a load using Hornady 240 XTP Mag bullets that run around 1600 FPS - very pleasant to shoot.

Thanks and will do; however now I'm concerned again about my neighbors behind plexiglass in stations on either side. It's a very busy and crowded range. Hate to make myself unwelcome. Already not wearing a mask

I finally got to the range with the SVR to shoot something besides Colt .45. There is a big jump from the Colt Long to the 454 Casull. Less of a jump from the the Casull to the Magnum, although another level of pyrotechnics from the cylinder gap. Lights up the room.
I packed my ears with some silly-putty material i bought at the range counter, and then used noise cancel headphones but my ears are still ringing slightly. The guy next to me shooting bullseye centerfire certainly noticed although it was more astonishment than irritation.
After watching youtubes etc I was prepared for ferocious recoil but realistically it was totally manageable. My accuracy was atrocious, and I'd like to blame the short barrel but my Colt .45 patterns were pretty good...
I concluded there is a very narrow use-case for this thing: It's a weapon of last resort when being attacked unexpectedly by something very big and very close. I say unexpectedly because if you are hunting something large enough to warrant this tool, you'll have a rifle. I say close because its not easy to aim and you have only five tries...