How many 500 Mag shooters still out there

[Redhawk1]

I was told back in 2003 that the 500 Mag was a fad and would die off. Well I am still shooting mine and still love it. How many more of you are still 500 Mag fans?

7 Years and still shooting one!

 

[fuzzybatman]

i am and i shoot 325gr to 700 gr bullets,i reload and love it!

 

[dkees]

Me too, still blasting away. Used a 700 gr. most recently to help run a cable through a cement block wall (of course it did significant damage to the opposite wall, too.)

 

[vic3620]

still shooting

I still shoot my 8 3/8" 500 plus I've bought the handi rifle in that caliber.
I enjoy shooting and reloading for both.
vic3620

 

[gwalchmai]

Just curious as to how much powder it takes to load up one of those.

I shot one when they came out and was very impressed with both the power (obviously) and the quality of the gun. The action was as smooth as any revolver I've ever shot.

 

[jack the toad]

Still have my 4" S&W 500 and would like a single shot rifle but not really a breakover. Something along ruger #1 or #3, hiwall, rolling block, etc.
At a recent gun show I saw a short side by side that got my attention.
Does anyone chamber a SS rifle besides the Handi Rifle? If they had a double I'd be interested.

 

[Uraldriver]

I picked mine up back in 06, and shoot it pretty regularly throught the year, but more in the fall before hunting season.
I've not shot any animals with it however. Everytime I shoot it I am impressed by the accuracy!

Deer season continues, maybe this is the year!

Dan

 

[TDC]

You mean you guys haven't bought all the negative propaganda from "nay sayer's" about the 500 yet? Too heavy, too long, too loud, too much recoil... too much overkill ..... too uncontrollable... Funny how most serious owners, shooters and hunters disagree with those perceptions.

Yep...... Me too... I have a 6.5 500 and I hunt with it. I've used 41 and 44 S&W's as my hunting choices for 30+ years and have now switched to the 500 for elk and bear.

With all the bullet weights now available for this caliber a person can load them from a docile and fun performer upward to an all out powerhouse for most any game.

I cast my own bullets and re-load too. I believe to fully appreciate this fine revolver a person should consider doing both.....

 

[Allen-frame]

Only had mine now for 6 months or so. I just mounted a Leupold
FX-11 4x28mm on it and look forward to shooting it with 325gr.
XTPs I loaded a while back.

Heck ,I dont even mind the stupid hole in the frame on this one.

Sure would like to find one of the 6 1/2 inchers sometime.

Regards , Allen X-Frame'

P.S. The guys who get rid of theirs after a few rounds don't have the ELBOW for this massive gun.

 

[buckeyeshooter1]

You mean you guys haven't bought all the negative propaganda from "nay sayer's" about the 500 yet? Too heavy, too long, too loud, too much recoil... too much overkill ..... too uncontrollable... Funny how most serious owners, shooters and hunters disagree with those perceptions.

Yep...... Me too... I have a 6.5 500 and I hunt with it. I've used 41 and 44 S&W's as my hunting choices for 30+ years and have now switched to the 500 for elk and bear.

With all the bullet weights now available for this caliber a person can load them from a docile and fun performer upward to an all out powerhouse for most any game.

I cast my own bullets and re-load too. I believe to fully appreciate this fine revolver a person should consider doing both.....

that looks like the one I recently bought.

 

[kritter]

mines still here.. and shoot it as often as I can..
and it's going out monday first day of Ohio gun season...

btw, a side by side in .500? Now that could be fun..

 

[uhittheuglytree]

I bought mine about 6 months ago and still shoot it often. I just started reloading for it this week.

 

[TDC]

I'm glad to see some of you guys a getting into reloading. The savings in ammo costs are huge. After purchasing the brass I can load hot loads for less than .30c a round. I cast my own bullets and get the lead to make them frequently for free.

A bullet mold some of you may be interested in is the .502 Miha Cramer style double cavity flat nose hollow point. The mold features sets of interchangeable pins to make three different sized hollow point cavities as well as a solid flat point. I can make four different bullets with one 2 cavity mold... here's a picture of the bullets it makes.. They can provide deep penetration with the solid up to absolutely devastating expansion with the largest hollow point..depending on the lead alloy used.

I don't know if Miha has any of the hollow point "Cramers" left but if he does you may want to consider one. Here's his website address...

Mp-molds

Another good buy I found is a very light weight hunting shoulder holster custom made by Nelson Leather for my 500. It is effective, light weight and low priced compared to others I've seen. No "bells and whistles" but he custom makes them for only $73.15 to your barrel length specs. Their website address is listed below the picture...

A. E. Nelson Leather Co.

Mine is a little different than the "Bianchi" style spring open style shown with their "Untouchables" model but they are the same price.... They could be useful to some of you for a good hunting holster....

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

My Dad gave me his about 5 years ago when he decided it was too much of a hand cannon for him .... I on the other hand love it (I love all guns though, so hard to be 'fair') ..

This is my favorite weapon for my 9mm laser site usin' Glock ownin' buddies to shoot a few rounds through (and before the poop flys, I've got G17 and G26 - So no hard feelings, they are just cap guns) ..

It doesn't see to much action these days ,but it will stay in my collection forever.

This thread got me a little trigger happy, I think it's coming out of the safe tomorrow!

 

[Redhawk1]

I have taken a few deer, a hog and 2 black bear with my 500 Mag.. 370 gr hard cast and 440 are my favorite bullet weights, shot a bunch of 575 and 700 gr. as well.

 

[uhittheuglytree]

WOW I have yet to get my hands on any bullet above 350gr. I would love to but it seems as tho they are a little hard to find these days.

 

[MTKTM]

I got one of the early 8 3/8" 500s in 2003, fairly soon after they came out. Then I picked up an early production 4" in either '04 or '05. I use both guns regularly, consider the 500 to be the best heavy hunting handgun round available. As others have noted, I'd love to find a nice single-shot in that caliber, preferably a Ruger No. 1. A Marlin lever-action would be nice too, but I suspect that the SAAMI pressure standards for the 500 are excessive for that design.

 

[kennyb]

Just curious as to how much powder it takes to load up one of those.

I shot one when they came out and was very impressed with both the power (obviously) and the quality of the gun. The action was as smooth as any revolver I've ever shot.

all depends on type of powder...i use 40 gr.of h-110

 

[ColColt]

I have to ask this as it's gotten the best of me. Why would anyone want a handgun, of all things, that fires a 50 cal round? What are you using it for other than bringing down a T-Rex? I thought the 45-70 in a pistol was insane enough. These things must recoil ferociously enough to crack your head open. For me, the 44 Magnum is more than enough power to ever do anything I'd need or want in a handgun.

 

[TDC]

I have to ask this as it's gotten the best of me. Why would anyone want a handgun, of all things, that fires a 50 cal round? What are you using it for other than bringing down a T-Rex? I thought the 45-70 in a pistol was insane enough. These things must recoil ferociously enough to crack your head open. For me, the 44 Magnum is more than enough power to ever do anything I'd need or want in a handgun.

ColColt,

I'm old enough to remember when the same questions were asked about the 44Mag and the 454 Casull. Many thought those calibers were ridiculous when they believed the 357Mag was adequate for all hunting and self defense situations . More than a few still do and that's their choice....

The answer to why own one is to ask those of us who shoot this particular caliber and handload for it. We have learned how versatile and useful it really is. Like the 44Mag, it can be loaded down to be as docile as a 38 Special, or, because of its strength and weight, loaded hot to achieve any result the user asks of it. It can provide more than three times the delivered energy of a 44mag if we ask it to. Rarely would we ask it to but the power is there if we should want it.

A 500 isn't for everyone because of its size and weight, but because of it's strength a shooter who requires a very flat shooting, accurate and potent round at longer ranges has his gun. I require those capabilities for elk hunting and it serves my purpose well. The bottom line is the 500 user who reloads can custom tailor their load for most any situation and actually have a gun that's fun to shoot.

The factory produced ammo for the 500 has generally only been available in very hot loads. They can be brutal with recoil and many people who have only shot a 500 a few times are turned off by the recoil and muzzle blast produced by that ammo. So many of the negative comments about the 500 have come from people who have only experienced the hottest loads and that's a shame.

When I take my shooters to the public range I always take lots of ammo for my 500. They are loaded with three levels of power. I let others shoot the gun with all three loads. They are amazed to learn how versatile the gun can be. I know of 6 other people who have purchased 500's after shooting mine, all choosing varying barrel lengths.

I don't speak for other owners but these are my assessments of the 500 and the 50mag caliber... I hope they've answered the "why" question from my point of view.....