.500 S&W will it penetrate body armor and common barriers? Tactical role of it?

[kip]

Obviously a .45 is quicker for CQB and most defensive situations. I always carry my .45 even when I have the .500 in the woods. Does the .500 have a tactical role in regards to barrier penetration? Will it go through stuff that other pistols wont?

There have been more home invasions then I can believe in recent months. Seems like criminals have been wearing body armor more and more. I talked to a PD buddy and he said they purchase vests off ebay or steal them. I know of more than a few instances where the perps had used armor on.

It had me wondering if a .500 S&W out of any barrel length would penetrate armor.

I wouldnt carry this revolver on a regulat basis but do carry in the woods and keep it near my bed. I switched from a shotgun to an assault rifle for home defense bc of suggestions from pd buddies. The .500 smith would be handy if someone was kicking my door down and i knew it would go through stolen armor.

 

[cgt4570]

Due to the shape and surface area, it's unlikey to penetrate, but still very likely to KILL. The concussion to the chest would probably stop the heart. Think of laying flat on your back and having someone drop a bowling ball on your chest from a decent height. That would be the effect. At a minimum, I would expect broken ribs and possible internal injuries.

 

[DonD]

I would say that a 275gr Barnes XPB solid copper, spitzer bullet at around 2000 fps, something the .500 is capable would in fact defeat any normal body armor that didn't have a trauma plate in it.

And as was said, the shock to the chest area would be very significant.

Worrying about using these guns in a tactical environment is, in my opinion, a waste of time. The recoil is too heavy for quick followup shots and the muzzle blast extreme w/o hearing protection. Don

 

[mc5aw]

+1 on the previous two posts. The blunt force trauma of a .500 round hitting a human target at close range would be considerable, if not fatal, even with armor. That said, if someone was kicking your door down, a 12 gauge pump filled with slugs would probably be a better option in terms of speed, follow up, and control. Either way, .500 or 12 gauge, the individual on the opposite side of the door would be experiencing some pain.

 

[brucev]

Obviously a .45 is quicker for CQB and most defensive situations. I always carry my .45 even when I have the .500 in the woods. Does the .500 have a tactical role in regards to barrier penetration? Will it go through stuff that other pistols wont?

There have been more home invasions then I can believe in recent months. Seems like criminals have been wearing body armor more and more. I talked to a PD buddy and he said they purchase vests off ebay or steal them. I know of more than a few instances where the perps had used armor on.

It had me wondering if a .500 S&W out of any barrel length would penetrate armor.

I wouldnt carry this revolver on a regulat basis but do carry in the woods and keep it near my bed. I switched from a shotgun to an assault rifle for home defense bc of suggestions from pd buddies. The .500 smith would be handy if someone was kicking my door down and i knew it would go through stolen armor.

It might penetrate body armor. But, since you like the .45 ACP, just use it. If you are concerned about body armor, just aim at the intersection of the legs. Gut shot hits lots of structure as well as veins, arteries and of course the spine and hips are in play. JMHO. Sincerely. bruce.

 

[XTrooper]

Use what you can shoot accurately and practice the old Mozambique Drill; two in the chest, one in the head.

 

[jbouwens]

I shot a 350 grain Seira hollowpoint through 1/2" steel and into 10 inches of Georgia hard clay that the plate was laying against. Body armor can't be that tough....... Can it?

 

[scooter123]

Worrying about using these guns in a tactical environment is, in my opinion, a waste of time. The recoil is too heavy for quick followup shots and the muzzle blast extreme w/o hearing protection. Don

I'll second that. IMO there is a much simple answer, that is to shoot for the head. However, in my case that's a rather easy solution, I have a rather small house and the longest shot I'd have to make is 22 feet.

 

[stantheman86]

+1 for that, IMO .500 has little "tactical" application and was designed for large game hunting, not self defense.

Ironically, you would need to go in a completely opposite direction if you want a handgun that penetrates body armor. The 7.62 Tokarev will penetrate some types of soft armor, and the 5.7 FN rounds that civilians can't get is designed to penetrate body armor. Light, small, very fast bullets will zip through body armor.......think of the 5.7 as a razor sharp needle, and the .500 as a heavy sledgehammer.

If you are worried about home intruders wearing body armor,you might want to use something like an AR15 or something in 5.56-.223 for home defense. When I was in the Army I got my hands on some old soft Kevlar body armor panels, rated for 9mm. We took these "expired" panels to a range and shot them with 5.56 and it went through like paper. I can't imagine bad guys, in general, having good enough body armor to stop a 5.56, like ceramic plates. That stuff is expensive and hard to get. BG's wearing a vest are more likely hoping to stop rounds from a homeowner with a 9mm or .38. Hit a guy wearing armor with a .357, or a 12 ga. and he's gonna be out of it.

If you use a .500 for home defense you better keep a rag next to the gun, so you can mop up the blood that will be pouring out your ears if you touch off a .500 inside a house. I also hope there are no neighbors and you live alone.

Lots of foreign counter-terror units use .357 revolvers for close up room clearing, because even a bad guy with good body armor is gonna be out of the fight after a .357 center mass. And the muzzle blast and recoil is not extreme with a .357, and it gives good close up stopping power in tight confines. The French GIGN makes extensive use of .357 revolvers and list Manurhin and Ruger GP100 .357's as weapons they use. They need revolvers this tough because they do a lot of training with the .357's. The Navy SEALS also used S&W 66 and 686 wheelguns, I wish someone with info would chime in as to whether the SEALS or any other US special ops units use .357 revolvers anymore.

 

[6pack]

I bought my 500S&W with zero tactical application in mind.

Target fun and a chance to kill a whitetail with it is all I plan on.

Home protection....no way....not with that muzzle blast. I'd be deafened on the first shot. How's that help your tactical situation....low light vision gone and now deaf.

No thanks.

There are much better home defense guns.

 

[stantheman86]

Nevermind the garbage in movies like "Red" where John Malkovich fires a 4" .500 with one hand like it's a .38.......

 

[papajohn428]

For indoor use, I'll take a 45ACP over a 357 any day........the blast of a 357 is substantially worse than any 45 load I know of. Maybe a 357 with a 180 grain bullet wouldn't be as bad, but the 125-grain stuff is just brutal indoors. On my training days at the PD indoor range I wore both plugs AND muffs, and it was still loud enough to feel every molecule in your body jump when they went off.

 

[.357magger]

I think enough opinions have been given to give you your answer. And I agree with the previous posts except for the use of .357 indoors. Answer? .38 +P 135 grain Gold Dots are an exceptional round imo, produce much less flash signature and over pressure than any magnum loading, and give excellent penetration and expansion. Also use Critical Defense loads from Hornady.

But back to the topic at hand...I think from your OP that you already have more superior tools for the job at hand, namely being a 5.56 rifle for the intended role. Unless Bob Burglar is willing to shell out the $900 or so for high grade ceramic plate inserts the most you're likely to encounter will be kevlar only. 5.56 will go through that like a sheet of paper. Sight your rifle for "up close and personal" POA, go for groin or head shots, and I think you'd have 99.9% of situations covered, armor or no.

 

[stantheman86]

If a 5.56-.223 rifle like an AR15 with 30-round mags isn't enough for the job for home defense........you must live in a war zone Are you on the Texas border or something, where you may need to fight off "coyotes" with body armor and AK's attacking in platoon strength?

Might want to apply for a Class III and set up an M60 in the window with some sandbags

The .38 +P's like Critical Defense, Golden Saber or TAP are a vast improvement over the standard HP +P's from years ago......more than adequate for any threat with 2 legs and they are made with flash suppressing additives in the powder to lessen the "flash blindness" from shooting in the dark. They're pricy, but it's not range ammo.......

 

[jake m29]

I have a .500 in the 4 inch persausion. I've shot a lot of different things with it and I don't see how it couldn't penetrate our vest. The things hell on down range targets! I carry it at times when out in the mountains or desert and if need be I wouldn't feel the least bit bad about using it for self defence out in that area. In a populated area? I think not.

 

[Captain]

FYI, I have fired every load we make in 500 Mag from the 8" gun and none of them penetrated a level 2A body armor. The impact would probably kill you though after seeing the indent in the ground from it.

 

[MTKTM]

I've had a pair of 500s for a number of years, one of the early 8 3/8" guns, and a 4" from when those first came out, I think 2003 and 2005 respectively. I've shot both a lot, some factory ammo but mostly 'factory duplication' handloads, have chronographed both guns with factory and my loads, and have hunted and taken game with the 8", so I think I have a fairly good sense of how they perform. I don't use them for "tactical" or home defense situations. I do carry the 4" with me when I go into the backcountry hiking or huckleberry picking as I live in griz country. The load I ultimately settled on is a factory duplication (or close) loading of the Cor-Bon 440 grainer. I use a CastPerformance 440gr bullet over a hefty charge of H110/W296. It moves at over 1500 fps out of the long gun, 200 fps slower out of the 4".....which is actually a 3" with a 1" comp.

Seems that the earlier comments in this thread make some sense, both the pros and the cons of the 500. I do find that it has capabilities that no other commercially available handgun (and quite a few rifles, for that matter) offers in terms of terminal ballistics and pure destructive and knock-down power. When one of the 440s hits something, it reacts dramatically, exponentially moreso than, say, a 44 Magnum hitting the same thing, whatever it is.

 

[DonD]

Seems that the earlier comments in this thread make some sense, both the pros and the cons of the 500. I do find that it has capabilities that no other commercially available handgun (and quite a few rifles, for that matter) offers in terms of terminal ballistics and pure destructive and knock-down power. When one of the 440s hits something, it reacts dramatically, exponentially moreso than, say, a 44 Magnum hitting the same thing, whatever it is.

Another good take on my line of thought. I've done side by side comparisons with a .308 Win and the .500 and the .500 makes it look pathetic despite full loads having similar energies. I didn't compare steel penetration for a couple reasons, shooting metal at close range is a bad idea and velocity is king when it comes to steel, so the .308 would be a clear winner, no need to demonstrate that. I also think that with similar shot placement, the .500 is a FAR better choice on large and dangerous game. Don

 

[kip]

FYI, I have fired every load we make in 500 Mag from the 8" gun and none of them penetrated a level 2A body armor. The impact would probably kill you though after seeing the indent in the ground from it.

Would love to see pics of this

 

[Sportsterguy]

Use what you can shoot accurately and practice the old Mozambique Drill; two in the chest, one in the head.

Exactly! XTrooper nailed it. Practice this drill EVERY time I go to the range. 2 COM and one to the mouth.

As others have mentioned a shotgun with OO buck, or slugs is a way more effective weapon than the 500 for SD. The .38 balls will penetrate a couple layers of drywall to take whomever is behind it down.

Saying that, I would not want to be on the receiving end any of 500 round with a breast plate on.