Not always but I'm sure it does happen. When I first got mine when they came out I was excited to say the least. I had read articles and seen the pictures of the gun in an upright position after firing and I was ready to get knocked on my butt. Reloading components were few and far between so I bought a couple boxes of Hornady 1st run bullets (I still have a full one) and a box of Corbon 440grainers. I took my new found friend and my video camera to the range as soon as they opened up. Lucky for me there was no one there so I set things up and loaded her up. I decided since this was The Most Powerful Revolver in the World I'd shoot it one handed and record it for posterity. With the camera rolling I fired one Corbon round then another. Frankly I was disappointed and shut the video camera off. The gun didn't recoil like I imagined and didn't knock the snot out of me. I thought it recoiled just a little harder than a snub nose 44mag. When I look back at the video you can see the look of "eh" on my face as I shut it off.

Looking back now if I remember correctly my old T/C Contender got my attention more. It had one of JD Jones original 45-70 barrels without a comp and wooden grips. Loaded to the max it hurt the webbing and palm of my hand and I nearly dropped it the first shot. I know there's no comparison between the two platforms but it gave me more than I expected.

This isn't to say the 500 doesn't recoil or have power, but I don't think we've reached the limits just yet.