S&W 500 Magnum PC Lew Horton- value?

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Pvt.Joker

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Hi, all. I picked this revolver up in a trade deal a couple of weeks ago, and I'm trying to figure out about what it is worth. Any ideas/estimates? Not looking to sell it, just trying to figure out if what I think it is worth reflects what the current market value is on these. It came with the PC soft case and the extra scope rail attachment. I called S&W with the serial number and the person at S&W said it was a Lew Horton PC model delivered on 09/28/2004. It came with one box of 20 rounds of Hornaday 350gr 1900fps cartridges, which I have not yet had a chance to go shoot. Here's a couple of photos:

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Biggest handgun I've shot was a S&W Model 29 a few years ago. This beast is- I presume- going to probably dwarf that in comparison for recoil? Still, it should be handy for anything from 450lb wild boar to elk, moose, the occasional tyrannosaurus rex in the vegetable garden, and even the dangerous Methheadadon, the PCPerotops, and the BathSaltaraptor.

So what do you guys think? I know they are not common, but I haven't seen enough records on them to have an honest idea of what it should be worth.
 
One of the two Model 500s I have is identical to yours, purchased in the same timeframe, also from Lew Horton.

Have no idea of the number built, S&W can help you with that. Don’t have any idea of the value. Very nice gun, tight B/C gap, minimal end shake and excellent trigger. Don
 
Thanks, Don. I've heard the number of them built was either 500 or 1000, but I don't know for sure. Either way, fairly low production I would think and a one-year-only version. Only one I could find an old listing for on GB was asking $2800 opening bid and about $3900 Buy It Now. I guess it's like everything else; it's worth what someone would offer that I would be willing to take. But about the only thing I can think of that I would consider letting go of it over would be if someone had one of those Russian Dragunov Tigers they wanted to trade for it. The odds of finding that one person with that specific rifle, that wants to swap it for this one specific revolver, are pretty slim. So I will probably just wind up keeping it and getting the die set and components to reload for it, and see how I like it.
 
I think the Gun Broker price is way high. Don’t remember what I paid for mine but it was something like $1150 straight from Lew Horton.

There are other forum members with the same gun, perhaps they’ll chime in with some helpful thoughts. Good luck. Don
 
I do not have the Horton model or have a clue as to its value. I do have a pair of run of the mill stock units and will say they are a couple of my favorite shooters.

Reloading for them is pretty straight forward and lends itself to the almighty Bathsaltrapter rounds, or some reasonable to shoot lighter rounds..

All I can say is keep it and shoot it, you wont regret it!

I just loved your Bathsaltrapter thing and just had to use it!!:D
 
I think I have 5 S&W 500s right now. Just sold a snubby to a fellow Forum member recently.

Considering that the current 7 1/2" compensated Hunter from the Performance Center can be had brand new from a dealer for roughly $1200, I would never consider paying $2800 for a used Lew Horton version with a 1" shorter barrel.

Lew Horton being the distributor that ordered the revolver does not ad that kind of a premium for me.

If this were some kind of Exclusive where there was nothing comparable ever made, that would be a different story. Other than being 1 inch shorter with an unfluted cylinder and an integral rail there is nothing special about the firearm.

Now 50 or 75 years from now? It will probably have some extra value as a less common variation on the 500. I still doubt that extra value will be worth more than double the more common variant goes for
 
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Feel the same way, I've got a 7.5" PC and love it and would enjoy a 6.5 as well but there's no way I'd pay more then double the price of a new one. I've gone as high as $1400 on a NIB 6.5 LH this winter but that was my final bid and IIRC it sold for $1450. The one that sold for ~$4000 this spring was a one off that had 2 stubborn goofballs go head to head for hours and that's why you see the inflated current pricing, I highly doubt you'll see that circumstance happen again on one of those.
 
OK; thank you all for the input, and also about the background on the one that sold so high. I wondered if that were the case, as I've seen that happen with other firearms before. A new benchmark gets set from an outlier bid and it takes a while to see if it remains the "new normal" of if anyone ELSE pays that amount for a similar listing.

Either way; I didn't get hurt on it for what I am into it at. Thanks again for all the help. I guess the next thing is, once I get the chance, to go shoot it (although I *am* wondering about those 1900 FPS Hornaday factory loads on my wrists with this; I keep reading that about 1,000- to 1,100 FPS is the "sweet spot" on these to make them manageable and fun to shoot) and see if it winds up a keeper BEFORE I go drop the cash on the loading supplies, which do seem to add up for these pretty quick.

But the revolver itself just, for all the world, reminds me of this generation's "Colt Walker" and I find that kind of cool. The modern-day "Josie Wales" gun. ;) Maybe I need to get one of the Italian repros of one of those to go with it to take both to the range?
 
Pvt.Joker said:
But the revolver itself just, for all the world, reminds me of this generation's "Colt Walker" and I find that kind of cool. The modern-day "Josie Wales" gun. ;) Maybe I need to get one of the Italian repros of one of those to go with it to take both to the range?
Click to expand...

IMO you need one of these Big Horn Armory Model 89 Lever-Action Carbine to go with it, then you've got the cool factor completely covered... :D
 
Typically I see these 500's actually sell for $1100 to $1400


The Handi-rifle cost is line with its quality,if you were lucky enough to get a good one it maybe ok for an occasional firing. Most I know have failed to function properly even after being returned a number of times.

The Big Horn Armory is worth every penny.

I might mention several Ruger#1 have been rechambered for the 500S&W and their owner say they are great. While I not yet shoot one of these I can say the 460S&W Ruger #1 have is great.
 
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Pvt.Joker said:
to go shoot it (although I *am* wondering about those 1900 FPS Hornaday factory loads on my wrists with this; I keep reading that about 1,000- to 1,100 FPS is the "sweet spot" on these to make them manageable and fun to shoot) and see if it winds up a keeper BEFORE I go drop the cash on the loading supplies, which do seem to add up for these pretty quick.
Click to expand...

While I am sure the Hornadys are fairly stout, they seldom live up to their advertised numbers.

You don’t have to run the .500 to full throttle most or even much of the time. I usually restrict myself to 4-5 cylinder fulls of moderately heavy loads per shooting session, the rest are lighter loads. You can try plinking loads with Trail Boss that are truly gentle yet make a .45ACP look like a wimp.

I don’t have any side effects from these guns. I have a Ruger SP101 that when practicing defensive shooting with fairly heavy .357 loads, leaves my hand sore for 3 days afterward, never happens with the .500s.

Unless you want to have a safe queen or enjoy spending great amounts of money on ammo, you simply must reload for this beast. Don
 
Well, I *FINALLY* got a chance to take this to the range today and shoot it while I was testing a magazine for a VEPR-12, and all I can say is WOW! This revolver lets you know you just SHOT something, that's for sure. I enjoyed it, but I'm concerned that now, ANYTHING else I shoot (handgun-wise, at least) is going to seem... small, by comparison anyway. :D But on the bright side, my forearms aren't shattered, I don't have a front sight shaped indention in my forehead, and my hands are still attached (albeit a bit tingly this evening) so now that means that once I get some extra cash together, I need to get the die set from Lee and figure out what load(s) to try with it. This is a weapon that makes one really regret the extinction of the Wooly Mammoth, though...

Thanks for all the advice and help. I had almost forgotten how much FUN big-bore revolvers were- ALMOST.
 
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T/C makes a .460 S&W Mag. barrel for the Encore. Do the make a .500 barrel? I saw a bear hit with a S&W .460. It worked!

Old 1911 Fan
 
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