Proud Owner Of A New SW500

[tencrore]

Just picked up my SW500 this afternoon! What a beauty! Hoping to take it to the range this weekend. Looking it over, everything looks in order and I hope it shoots the same too. For you reloaders out there, can you suggest some TAME recipes, around 1000 fps, using Hodgdon's HP38 or H110 using Hornady's XTP Mag 350 grain bullets. I'm using Starline brass with CCI's Magnum Large Pistol Primers (No. 350).

Thanks in advance for your advice!

 

[Truckn10mm]

Just picked up my SW500 this afternoon! What a beauty! Hoping to take it to the range this weekend. Looking it over, everything looks in order and I hope it shoots the same too. For you reloaders out there, can you suggest some TAME recipes, around 1000 fps, using Hodgdon's HP38 or H110 using Hornady's XTP Mag 350 grain bullets. I'm using Starline brass with CCI's Magnum Large Pistol Primers (No. 350).

Thanks in advance for your advice!

Congrats on your new 500 S&W, I'm sure you'll love yours as much as I love mine, they're a hoot to shoot!

Unless you have some VERY old Starline brass, the correct primer is LARGE RIFLE. I highly recommend using Winchester Magnum Large Rifle primers, they seem to work the best for 500 owners.

I can't really recommend any light loads, maybe others can, but I can steer you away from anything light using H-110. The powder H-110 does NOT like to be loaded down, take those words to heart if you value the digits on your hands and your 500 in one piece. Somewhere around 41 - 42 gr. of H110 with those 350 gr. XTPs should be fine but it's going to be somewhat faster than you're looking for, maybe around 1700 - 1800 fps.

Play it safe, look up the load data, pick up some Winchester Large Rifle Magnum primers with H110 and have fun. The 500 was meant to be shot with full power loads, IMHO, trying to load her down has caused more than one 500 owner grief.

 

[snuffy51]

Just picked up my SW500 this afternoon! What a beauty! Hoping to take it to the range this weekend. Looking it over, everything looks in order and I hope it shoots the same too. For you reloaders out there, can you suggest some TAME recipes, around 1000 fps, using Hodgdon's HP38 or H110 using Hornady's XTP Mag 350 grain bullets. I'm using Starline brass with CCI's Magnum Large Pistol Primers (No. 350).

Thanks in advance for your advice!

Ought to be a law against this. Man, that is a "500"!! Get the biggest loads you can find and go blow things up. A .38 special is "tame". Whew! Had to get that out of my system. Beautiful gun. Hope you get a lot of good times shooting it. Enjoy and be safe.

 

[shocker]

Why are reduced loads so finicky in this calibre? My go to powder for reduced loads in centerfire rifle cartridges is AA5744 and just as noted above there is ONE recommended load for each bullet weight for the 500.

 

[CDR_Glock]

I've used Win 296 with 350 grains Hornady JHPs. Somewhere around 39-40.5 grains is pretty tame.

I enjoy shooting mine. The 500 grain JHPs are pretty stout, bordering on unpleasant. I have shot 20 at a time. Not my idea of fun.[emoji23]




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[Flipside]

For "tame" loads, it seems that Trail Boss comes up frequently.

Try a search on that powder, and see if you like what you find.

Otherwise, Federal Fusion 325's are pretty mellow factory loads.

 

[9mmsubgun-m11]

For tame loads I use Starline brass,Win L-Rifle primers,350gr Berrys plated bullets,11gr of TiteGroup for around 1000fps. Can shoot this all day.

 

[colt_saa]

Congratulations

I am another fan of the 500

I also cannot stress enough that H110 is NOT to be used for reduced loads.

My lighter load is the Remington 385 over 40 grains over H110

 

[tencrore]

Thank you all for your advice on lighter loads. I was incorrect when I said I'll be using CCI 350's for the 500. They are for the 44 reloads. Thank you Truckn10mm for that correction!

Please keep the "500 lighter load" advice coming! This Hand Cannon kind of has me intimidated!

 

[gman51]

Did that fine looking 500 hand cannon come with training wheels? Just kidding but from what I have heard that is the poster gun for a hand cannon.

 

[CDR_Glock]

Thank you all for your advice on lighter loads. I was incorrect when I said I'll be using CCI 350's for the 500. They are for the 44 reloads. Thank you Truckn10mm for that correction!

Please keep the "500 lighter load" advice coming! This Hand Cannon kind of has me intimidated!

You can also shoot 500 specials instead of magnums. The cool thing is the widest range of bullet grain weights all the way up to 709+.


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[DonD]

Go to Hodgdon.com and find some very nice Trail Boss loads. You do not want to load low density powder charges with any powder but particularly ball powder like H110 which a previous poster commented on.

With the Trail Boss you don't need gas checked slugs, plain base works fine but not with hot loads. Don

 

[DonD]

For tame loads I use Starline brass,Win L-Rifle primers,350gr Berrys plated bullets,11gr of TiteGroup for around 1000fps. Can shoot this all day.

Don't mean to sound arrogant but I'd stay away from such a light load of TiteGroup. I've had occasional erratic ignition with slightly heavier powder charges. Suggest Trail Boss. Don

 

[maineultraclassic]

Ought to be a law against this. Man, that is a "500"!! Get the biggest loads you can find and go blow things up. A .38 special is "tame". Whew! Had to get that out of my system. Beautiful gun. Hope you get a lot of good times shooting it. Enjoy and be safe.

Exactly...........it's a 500 MAGNUM.............it's made to be loud, hurt your hand, and destroy things. Go out and shoot the biggest baddest rounds you can find, Underwood ammo 700 Grain.

 

[DRJ]

Now that you have a 500 check out Trailmaster holsters. You can thank me later.

 

[Confederate Tyrant]

John Taffin has used W231 for light loads. Unless something has changed, W231 is the same as HP-38. Trail Boss would also be my recommendation for light recoil loads.

The .500 S&W Magnum cartridge - Taffin Tests

 

[Bill In Texas]

Congratulations!

 

[AmStaff64]

They are great firearms. I picked up my 500 a month or so ago - exactly the same as yours.
Had it at the range this past weekend with my chronny - all my loads were Sierra 350 or 400 gr bullets between 1400 and 1550 ftps. I tried H110, AA#9 and LilGun. All low to medium loads based on load info.

I have some Trail Boss but have yet to use that (in any cartridge). I did buy it for the 500. Seems like another range trip is in order.
These guns are plenty heavy and that absorbs quite a bit of the recoil. I put a scope on my 460XVR and that helps too by adding more weight.

If you have any time behind a 454 Casull or other big bore you won't find this too bad even with medium loads. Now, if you approach max - ymmv.

 

[CDR_Glock]

They are great firearms. I picked up my 500 a month or so ago - exactly the same as yours.
Had it at the range this past weekend with my chronny - all my loads were Sierra 350 or 400 gr bullets between 1400 and 1550 ftps. I tried H110, AA#9 and LilGun. All low to medium loads based on load info.

I have some Trail Boss but have yet to use that (in any cartridge). I did buy it for the 500. Seems like another range trip is in order.
These guns are plenty heavy and that absorbs quite a bit of the recoil. I put a scope on my 460XVR and that helps too by adding more weight.

If you have any time behind a 454 Casull or other big bore you won't find this too bad even with medium loads. Now, if you approach max - ymmv.

The Ruger Alaskan has some nice recoil.[emoji23]


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[Truckn10mm]

If I were to load some light plinkers for the 500, my first choice would be TrailBoss and cast lead or the plated lead like Berry's or Rainier. With the bulky TrailBoss powder, no worries about powder position causing a strange detonation issue.

On the recoil of the big 500, when I first fired one, I was shocked. It's not brutal at all, the Ruger Alaskan 454 Casull is somewhat worse in my estimation, with more snap, less push. I haven't tried any 700 gr loads in mine, but I've pushed some of the lighter stuff, 370's and 440's up pretty warm. I chrony'd those 370 gr. loads at 1920 FPS, more than 3000 ft/lbs. energy and the recoil wasn't bad at all.