500 Magnum Nut
Member
1 more here!
How many 500 Mag shooters still out there
- Thread starter Redhawk1
- Start date
New one here, SW500-4", haven't shot it yet and a Bone Collector on layaway... 
John Ross
Absent Comrade
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!
Do I really need to answer this question...?
On a serious note, I am always puzzled when so many people on gun forums say things like "Why would anyone want one of THOSE?", not just about the .500, but about .17HMR, .327 Mag, .410 revolver, etc.
It seems that many people think that the only reason to own any gun is if it will perform an adequate job of some particular hunting or self-defense task at the lowest possible cost.
The fact that they think this way about their own needs and wants is reasonable. What I can't understand is their inability to fathom why other people might have DIFFERENT needs and wants.
Just sayin'...
Stainz
Member
I had an early SRH in .454 for years - rationalized it's existince to myself - and my cfo - as pachyderm protection... worked, of course. Always a problem, here in C.A. (Central Alabama). Once shot, hundreds of Hornady 240gr XTP .454 cases were repeatedly reloaded with warmish .45 Colt loads - still fun. I shot a long barrel .500 when they were new - not bad, if you could hold the revolver up - reminded me of a friend's MR .45-70 BFR. Still, I kept thinking... an ounce of lead .5" diameter - at 800 fps - perfect home protector. A 4"/5" without the comp... pipe dream for years (Hmmm, J.R., got any left?). Call me a closet .500 enthusiast/dreamer.
It's a good thing we don't have to rationalize - yet - to a third party - our gun buying desires. The day may come.
Stainz
It's a good thing we don't have to rationalize - yet - to a third party - our gun buying desires. The day may come.
Stainz
You aren't the only one.... It seems our society has conditioned people to believe what they "want" and what they "need" should apply to everyone. They seem to convey a message that "adequate" or "marginal" items should always prevail as the product of choice. Something new always seems to challenge their comfort zone and elicit an uninformed response.
The 500 is a prime example. Nothing generates a negative response from the "naysayer gallery" in the handgun world more than this relatively new caliber.
Many of us have read how ridiculous, petty and grossly uninformed many of these opinions are to the point of laughing out loud at some of them.. Of course the 500 isn't for everyone... It wasn't intended to be. So why criticize those of us who have found it to be a useful tool for whatever purpose we want to use it for.
I've had the privilege of hunting bear and elk with 41 and 44 mags for over 35 years. I switched to a 500 two years ago. The capability and performance of each caliber is well known to me as I cast my own bullets and reload as well. Nothing matches the 500 for versatility and all around usefulness. It's a shame many people are so stuck with their own erroneously opinionated mind sets. It's scary to think their whole world is consumed with such thinking....
BTW.... Thanks for your "John Ross" 500 offering! I don't own one but I'd like to some day....
JMHO
DonD
Member
Good response. I have ZERO, repeat ZERO interest in CASS events but I love the fact that many do enjoy it. That just means many more people who will support the 2nd Amendment. Good for all of us.
I try to limit criticisms (sometimes fail) of other's interests knowing full well that others think mine are off base. Don
John Ross
Absent Comrade
Edwards, I'll take a cut at this one.
The .460 is touted by many as being more "versatile" due to its ability to fire .45 Colt, .454, and .460. That appeals to the shooters who like the idea of getting "three guns in one."
I'm not one of those people.
I like to shoot a revolver in the caliber for which it is chambered, not a shorter case. I have been blessed with enough financial success that if I want to shoot .44 Special ammo, I can afford to own an M24 as well as a 29.
If you like to shoot more that just an occasional round or two, both the .460 and the .500 are VERY expensive to shoot if you are restricted to factory ammo. We're talking $3 a shot or more for ammo bought at your local gunshop.
Some people prefer the .460 over the .500 for it's ultra-high (for a revolver) velocity. Once again, that's true IF YOU ARE LIMITED TO FACTORY AMMO.
The moment the shooter has access to decent reloading equipment and components, all the above things go out the window and the .500 absolutely smokes the .460 for "versatility." This, IMO, is particularly true if you choose my 5" half-lug .500 with 10" twist and tight cylinder gap.
Want high velocity like the 200 grain .460 load? Try a polymer tipped 300 grain Hornady spitzer at 2250 FPS in your .500.
Want 3500 foot-pounds of energy? Try a long-nose, short-shank 400 grain cast bullet at 2020 FPS.
Want the up-close killing power of a .458 rifle? Shoot a short-shank 510 grain bullet at 1740 FPS.
Want to shoot 700+ grain bullets at anywhere from 800 to 1200 FPS with good accuracy at all ranges? Check.
Want a 400-450 grain bullet at 1200-1400 FPS that you can shoot long strings with and that Kent Lomont used to hit an oil drum 50 shots in a row (in front of witnesses) at a measured 700 (yes, seven hundred) yards? Check. (Gun was scoped and shot off sandbags.)
Want an accurate load that kicks like a .38 Special for your girlfriend to shoot, using Trail Boss powder and almost any bullet you want? Check.
Bottom line, the .500 has more case capacity and a bigger bore than the .460, and that means it can do things the .460 can't IF YOU WANT IT TO. Both guns are extremely accurate (2" groups at 100 yards, scoped, off a rest, are quite common.) Both guns are very well built. Either will give you years of shooting pleasure and pride of ownership.
But for the thoughtful reloader, the .500 has it all over the .460.
Wow JR.... I had no idea. Thanks for the info.. I was thinking I might need a 460... not anymore.
John, my main reason for being interested in the .460 was because everything I've read about it shows it being a very flat shooting and accurate cartridge. I may be be one of the few that has no interest in buying this gun to shoot .45 Colt in it.
I haven't looked much beyond my own reloading books at .500 data but was quite surprised to see the great variation of bullets available for it on sites such as MidwayUSA. I'm really interested in the 300 grain Hornady load you spoke of, I assume you're referring to the LEVERevolution bullet, where did you get the data for that load as even the Hornady manual doesn't have a load for that bullet?
Also, I noticed that none of my reloading books that show pressure, have loads that are anywhere close to the SAAMI maximum. Are these X frame revolvers up to taking the heavier loads more in the way that people would put together a big load in .44 and then have to use a T/C to shoot it? Both of these questions I ask because I'm very interested in a high speed load ala 200 grain 460, but my manuals don't get very close to that except for the Lyman that has max loads just over 2K FPS in a 275 grain Barnes.
More info! (I used the exclamation point to show my excitement). Thanks for the help.
I haven't looked much beyond my own reloading books at .500 data but was quite surprised to see the great variation of bullets available for it on sites such as MidwayUSA. I'm really interested in the 300 grain Hornady load you spoke of, I assume you're referring to the LEVERevolution bullet, where did you get the data for that load as even the Hornady manual doesn't have a load for that bullet?
Also, I noticed that none of my reloading books that show pressure, have loads that are anywhere close to the SAAMI maximum. Are these X frame revolvers up to taking the heavier loads more in the way that people would put together a big load in .44 and then have to use a T/C to shoot it? Both of these questions I ask because I'm very interested in a high speed load ala 200 grain 460, but my manuals don't get very close to that except for the Lyman that has max loads just over 2K FPS in a 275 grain Barnes.
More info! (I used the exclamation point to show my excitement). Thanks for the help.
John Ross
Absent Comrade
Yes it was the LeverEvolution bullet.
I have access to pressure barrels and testing equipment. I hesitate to publish some of my data as there are a lot of people out there who will use my data without the requisite knowledge of OALs and the concept of NET case capacity.
The X-Frame 500 is designed to take 60,000 PSI on a regular basis (this is SAAMI spec for the 500) and this is much more than is safe in a Contender firing a case of that diameter (fine with a .223). If you want a .500 S&W rifle, I recommend a custom Encore or Ruger #1.
No, I'm just interested in the revolver, but I don't like the idea of buying a revolver and being stuck using only moderate loads like many suggest should be done in a 29/629, I don't mean exceeding SAAMI specs, but people tend to think that shooting many hot .44 mag loads will tear up a Smith, I was trying to judge whether the same will happen with the X frames.
On a side note, is it possible to simulate pressure data via software in some fashion without actually testing?
On a side note, is it possible to simulate pressure data via software in some fashion without actually testing?
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DonD
Member
Just go to Hodgdon's website, they have pressure data for starting and max loads.
The X Frame is very strong, a S&W engineer I communicate with says that they have never tested one to destruction but his estimates are for pressures you don't even want to consider. Even at pressures well below SAAMI limits, it is a massively powerful handgun. Don
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