Light load for 500 magnum

[68sixspeed]

Hi, does anyone have a light load recommendation for the 500 magnum for target fun? After a back injury I haven't been able to shoot 44 magnum let alone my 500. (8-3/8 bbl) So I figure that was a sign to get a reloading press. At the moment I only have 335gr hollow points and unique and 2400 powder around. I don't mind getting other powders etc but of course that means finding it. Thanks!

 

[JIW 263]

I don't believe there is any such animal !

 

[68sixspeed]

Well I'm thinking 1200-1300fps will be a lot lighter on recoil than 1800-2000. If I can find some 250-300gr bullets that should help too.

 

[John R]

I would start with a moderate 44 mag load and adjust from there.

 

[Bugkiller99]

I don't load that soup can, so I can't help you with your request. BUT, I've experienced back problems, and I've shot the 500 mg.

Maybe your better course of action would be to shoot a smaller caliber until your back is better?

 

[Dan Christopher]

My light 500 Mag load consists of 370 grain cast bullets from CPBC, 12 grains of Unique, and Federal large rifle primers. My 500 has the 6-1/2" barrel, and with the aforementioned load you could easily spend an afternoon plinking with it. It's very mild.

 

[mstem]

I've never loaded any light loads for my 500. But if you do, as always, use rifle primers!!!

 

[68sixspeed]

My light 500 Mag load consists of 370 grain cast bullets from CPBC, 12 grains of Unique, and Federal large rifle primers. My 500 has the 6-1/2" barrel, and with the aforementioned load you could easily spend an afternoon plinking with it. It's very mild.

Thanks, that sounds like a good starting point.

 

[68sixspeed]

I don't load that soup can, so I can't help you with your request. BUT, I've experienced back problems, and I've shot the 500 mg.

Maybe your better course of action would be to shoot a smaller caliber until your back is better?

Thanks, long story but it doesn't seem to be getting better, after effects from breaking a few vertebra plus some disc problems that they don't want to operate on. So now I'm just trying to get on with life and that is changing some of my hobbies, some things I can't do at all, others like shooting I need to modify..

I'm sure miss shooting sporting clays though.

 

[BLUEDOT37]

Reduced 500 loads

To date, the only bullet I've used in my 500, no matter what the power level, has been the Hornady 300 FTX. My light load with 2400 is 23.0gr. having a volume density of 68%. With Unique it's 12.5gr. having 59% VMD. (Be mindful of the possiblity of double powder loads.) Both are ~950-1000fps.

Pressure wise, neither of these need rifle primers. I used CCI300 only in that Unique load, & without issue. (My max. though, with Unique, was 19.0gr which is ~43K psi.) If you do substitute primers you need to look closely at the first fired primers to see if they're getting pierced. Not because of pressure but the hammer strength/firing pin length may be too hard/long for the slightly thinner pistol primer's metal. The 500 did not have this issue (neither did my 454 Casull) but my 460 does & so I don't use them in it for reduced loads. Pistol primers are also slightly shorter, height wise, by about .0085" (.1200" vs .1285", CCI300 vs CCI200).

Hope your back gets better soon!

.

 

[venomballistics]

Isn't a light load for a 500 kinda like a mild nuclear holocaust.

 

[ruggyh]

Trailboss will be your friend for light loads.

 

[THEWELSHM]

Thanks, long story but it doesn't seem to be getting better, after effects from breaking a few vertebra plus some disc problems that they don't want to operate on. So now I'm just trying to get on with life and that is changing some of my hobbies, some things I can't do at all, others like shooting I need to modify..

I'm sure miss shooting sporting clays though.

Do you want to sell the 500.. Sounds like it may be an option? Pm me if you do

Thewlshm

 

[68sixspeed]

Do you want to sell the 500.. Sounds like it may be an option? Pm me if you do

Thewlshm

For now I'm going to hang onto it, I'm pretty sure I can down-load it for target use. It is so darn heavy that I might have a chance, plus it is just too cool to have around.

 

[buck460XVR]

Trailboss will be your friend for light loads.

^^^This. I found that with my .460, about 90% of case capacity made for a good mild shooting load with both jacketed and lead bullets. Only problem is the difference in POI of the mild loads from legitimate .460 loads. I used a dipper from a used case as opposed to dropping it.


Here's a link that explains how to find your min and max loads....

http://www.imrpowder.com/PDF/Trail-Boss-data.pdf

 

[68sixspeed]

Thanks! Good info.

 

[68sixspeed]

definitely need to find some trailboss or take "Thewlshm" up on the sale offer... today the doctor was talking about possibly doing a 3 level fusion on my back. ****... back to shooting rimfire for me I guess.

 

[rsrocket1]

You can easily drive the bullet out the barrel with a moderate charge of Unique, Red Dot or Bullseye. You will definitely know if you stick a bullet, there will be no recoil, but be sure you shoot at clean targets and watch each bullet make a hole with the bullet as you work down loads. Driving a heavy bullet out of a 500 mag is no different than loading low recoil loads for big cased rifle cartridges.

Filling a case with about 12 grains of Trail Boss should get you about 950fps. 8.5g Red Dot or 10g Unique should get you about the same muzzle velocity. Mind you, that's still a pretty hard kick at 335 PF. That's compared to a typical 1911 of 200 PF or a 40 S&W of 175. But since the typical 500 S&W has a PF of about 700 I guess if you want "airsoft-like" recoil, you'd shoot an airsoft gun and not that cannon.

Hope your back gets better soon.

 

[ruggyh]

I recommend you use powders which have a case fill of greater than 50% and preferably greater than 80%. With powders such as tite group and unique it is possible to 4 times the correct load in a 500 case.

Practice good reloading habits and we wont be seeing another post of "Why did my gun blow up"

 

[cz223]

I actually came to the reloading section looking for

some whomp em' stomp em' Thors hammer type loads for the 500 S&W but this got me to thinking that it might be fun to try some black powder loads. I would fill the case up to about an eighth of an inch from the rim and stuff the bullet on top. If you must, fill it about 2/3rds full then put corn meal on top of that. Remember that it is very important not to leave any air space in the case. It should be a real hoot. I will give it a try. I just got my 4 inch 500 last week and picked up dies, 500 grain HTPs a 100 rounds of brass from cabelas. I am hoping to start reloading in the morning.