S&W 500 problems

[hezu]

I’m about to buy this beast. I have shot it a few times and I can handle the recoil pretty well. The problem is that I’m not sure about the quality of the gun. I saw one in gun store that had exploded, and only factory ammo had been shot with it. It was older with the fixed compensator. Then I was about to buy the version with removable compensator, but I noticed that the cases always got stuck to one chamber. The chamber was damaged.

Also, another shopkeeper said that the quality of these things aren’t that good. What do you think? Is it safe to buy one and what I should look for? Are there specific serial numbers / years to avoid? How about new guns?

 

[chief38]

While I do not own one, I have shot 4 of them belonging to friends many many times - both in 4" and 6" barrel lengths. After a dozen or so shots, they are not that much fun (at least for me). NOT really because of the recoil, because of the noise - trust me, it's an "outdoors gun". I hope you are also prepared to either hand load for it or have won the lottery to buy .50 ammo.

Unless you are truly using this in a big game hunting scenario either as a primary or back up gun, I see no real purpose for it. Please don't get me wrong as I will admit to owning a few guns myself that have absolutely no practical purpose at all - I just liked the gun - got it. So if you just have to have one because....... OK go for it. I put it in the same category as a .25acp Colt 1908 - just looks cool and is "cute" but useless for target shooting or SD purposes - but I've got one anyway - lol.

My friends that do own them have had a few cosmetic issues, but no mechanical issues so far. I'd take a guess that none of them have more than 3 or 4 hundred rounds through any one of the guns, so they are not used that much. Ammo is the achilles heal!

 

[DonD]

Wow are you getting absolutely rotten advice. Those gunshops need to close down, they're hacks.

No S&W 500 Mag will come apart with factory ammo. It's SAAMI rated at 60,000psi, brought down from 65,000 psi because that kind of pressure does make extraction harder but it won't hurt the gun.

Whoever damaged the 500 is a flaming idiot.

I've been shooting 500s since they came out in 2003. Have had 5, now 2 which are keepers. By the way, all 5 have had excellent triggers.

People who say they don't kick hard are shooting mild stuff. Full snort ammo in the range of 2800-3000ft lbs do kick hard. The hottest reload I've done was a bit over 2800ft lbs and was still below Hodgdon's top load and they don't go to 60KSI in their data.

I know a well regarded S&W engineer who was on the original 500 Mag design team. I asked him how much pressure would it take to wreck a 500? He said they won't test that as it would destroy their pressure testing equipment but he said probably 130,000 psi, INSANE pressure.

Be careful who you listen to. Don

 

[Sevens]

I had a 500 but only for a short bit as I came in to a 460 and 500 at the same time and I chose to keep the 460XVR and move the 500 along.

The 460XVR was fed something around 200rds of the screaming fast 200gr Hornady FTX load, 2,200 fps. Since eating through that factory ammo, I've fed it a steady diet of the 240gr XTP-Mag over a near max charge of W-296, 48.0 grains.

The revolver has had nearly 500 rounds of these handloads on top of that 200rds factory and there is no part of it that is broken or damaged or unsafe.

700rds isn't a ton of ammo for a firearm but these are not typical firearms.

I bought it because it was a good deal for me and I enjoyed it. I kept it and use it for two jobs and only for two jobs:

--shoot from a rest at the rifle range, 100 to 300 yard steel plate and iron sights is enjoyable

--offer it to folks that have never had the chance to experience it. And there have been MANY folks that have taken me up. Very very few don't want to take a second shot.

Recoil? I've only shot these two loads (basically) and I find it more enjoyable than most full boat .44 Magnum. The grip, the weight and the porting works very well.

 

[Chrisj357]

I have the 6.5” barrel. Only factory loads from 350 to 700 grain. The only problem I had was with the cylinder lock spring. S&W fixed it. They figured a wrong, weaker spring was accidentally used. It’s flawless now after years of fun blasting. Years ago you could buy 350 HP full power rounds for under $30 for a box of 20 on line. I accrued a bit over 600. I think I have the rest of my life to enjoy the recoil

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

The only thing that stopped me back in the day was the cost of ammo. I have several friends who have them and have shot them frequently for decades with no issues. I shoot theirs. One is a contractor and carries his in his tool chest. I suspect the shopkeepers were less concerned with giving good advice than increasing their margins.

 

[hezu]

Okay so how I read the comments is that most people haven’t had any problems. I think I’m just going to try to find a new one. For some reason the used ones I’ve seen have been lemons.

Also, I know some people argue about its purpose. We hear similar comments about things like Desert Eagle, cars with big engines, certain motorcycles etc. For me it means that the manufacturer has made something special. I just want to make sure the quality of the product is right.

 

[Imissedagain]

IIRC you get a lifetime warranty with a new gun.
Better bullet selection with our 460s.

Just loaded a few hundred for later this week.
Penn PCs at 230, 255, 300 and 340gr leads. All coated except the 255s
I use them in other guns as well.

 

[jscheck]

I was given mine as a gift ( no idea if it was new). It’s worked flawlessly for me. My friend laughs at my “hand cannon” but I love it! Not cheap to fire but it’s a hoot! Get one and enjoy it!

 

[DonD]

Also, I know some people argue about its purpose. We hear similar comments about things like Desert Eagle, cars with big engines, certain motorcycles etc. For me it means that the manufacturer has made something special. I just want to make sure the quality of the product is right.

Re the 50 DE, the 500 Mag is way out of the DE's league, massively more energy and if you want a DE, you must use jacketed slugs or foul the gas system.

The 460 and 500 Mags can eat any kind of slug and smile. Don

Edited to add that I'm not dumping on a 50DE. If I got some monstrously great deal on one, I'd buy it but not at it's current MSRP or close to that. Don

 

[hezu]

So I pulled the trigger and got myself 8 3/8 S&W 500. It’s sweet! With a little practise I was able to shoot 50 rounds with no pain.

One question: is it normal that the front sight is a bit loose? I mean the movement is really almost nothing but it is there. I can see that the front sight has some kind of spring loaded quick release system which is not ideal for a sight.

 

[Mark8]

One question: is it normal that the front sight is a bit loose? I mean the movement is really almost nothing but it is there. I can see that the front sight has some kind of spring loaded quick release system which is not ideal for a sight.

Are we talking about side-to-side movement or the fact that you can move the sight back and forth due to the DX mechanism?

 

[hezu]

Are we talking about side-to-side movement or the fact that you can move the sight back and forth due to the DX mechanism?

Both, of course there is front to back movement due to the spring mechanism, but there’s also minimal amount of movement from side to side. Does not matter on short distances, but might affect long range shooting.

 

[dogdoc]

Small amount should make no practical difference . I will check mine as I have 2 but I think mine are not removable without removing the pin.

 

[cmj8591]

Welcome to the rabbit hole. The range of loads for the 500 is very big and you can tailor it to just about anything you want it to do if you reload for it. With cast bullets, it's pretty inexpensive. The recoil can be pretty stout but the gun is heavy and soaks up a lot of it. In practice, it really is not a lot harder to master than a 44 magnum. Take out the front sight blade and clean the mortise where it lives then put a couple of drops of oil inside so that the spring will seat. Or you can fix it like I did.

 

[Bill Lear]

I’m about to buy this beast. I have shot it a few times and I can handle the recoil pretty well. The problem is that I’m not sure about the quality of the gun. I saw one in gun store that had exploded, and only factory ammo had been shot with it. It was older with the fixed compensator. Then I was about to buy the version with removable compensator, but I noticed that the cases always got stuck to one chamber. The chamber was damaged.

Also, another shopkeeper said that the quality of these things aren’t that good. What do you think? Is it safe to buy one and what I should look for? Are there specific serial numbers / years to avoid? How about new guns?

Everything you've stated is subjective and based on 3rd party information which you seem to take as Gospel.
A blown up 500 is almost certain to be the result of a hand load overload. People who do such things seldom admit to it until they're forced to by proofs provided by outside sources.

When you say a chamber is damaged you need to provide objective information that others can rely on to determine the truth and validity of your assertion, otherwise it's just another newbie suckered in to whatever some gun-store shill has put forward.

IF you don't think the gun you're looking at is built to handle the 500S&W then the ONLY advice is to not buy it - period. Move on and find something else until you have the confidence to believe in your own judgement.

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

Outside of a manufacturing flaw such as a void in the steel…unlikely in a forged piece…about the only thing that would blow the gun up is a hand load with a double- or even triple-charge of propellant. I saw that happen once at a range…a 629 had almost half the cylinder blown off by an over charge. The shooter was lucky as his injuries were to his pride only.

Factory ammunition defects tend to go the other way…undercharges or primer issues.

If the problem was either S&W or factory ammo maker related they would want that gun for examination as well as the box of ammo for investigation…too much liability involved to ignore.

 

[AC Man]

I shot my friends 500 long barrel with a red dot that he bought for hog hunting. I shot it one handed no problem. Recoil was not a issue with factory ammo. What ammo he had I have no idea.

I see videos of people shooting these guns and it goes flying over their head. Then I see a female that knows what she is doing and no problem with recoil.

 

[jjflwers7396]

I have a S@W Performance Center 500 that I purchased in 2023.It blew up while at the shooting range.S@W refuses to replace it.It is unokrepaireable

 

[4K2022]

I had a 500 but only for a short bit as I came in to a 460 and 500 at the same time and I chose to keep the 460XVR and move the 500 along.

The 460XVR was fed something around 200rds of the screaming fast 200gr Hornady FTX load, 2,200 fps. Since eating through that factory ammo, I've fed it a steady diet of the 240gr XTP-Mag over a near max charge of W-296, 48.0 grains.

The revolver has had nearly 500 rounds of these handloads on top of that 200rds factory and there is no part of it that is broken or damaged or unsafe.

700rds isn't a ton of ammo for a firearm but these are not typical firearms.

I bought it because it was a good deal for me and I enjoyed it. I kept it and use it for two jobs and only for two jobs:

--shoot from a rest at the rifle range, 100 to 300 yard steel plate and iron sights is enjoyable

--offer it to folks that have never had the chance to experience it. And there have been MANY folks that have taken me up. Very very few don't want to take a second shot.

Recoil? I've only shot these two loads (basically) and I find it more enjoyable than most full boat .44 Magnum. The grip, the weight and the porting works very well.

,,,”these are NOT TYPICAL FIREARMS.”

The good in this thread outweighs the Questionable.

The mention of the cylinder jumping open WAS an early issue as WAS the front sight. John Ross is probably, if not already, going to be known as the Elmer Keith of the S&W 500 Magnum, he (John Ross) is to me.
These are not typical firearms and the John Ross guns are not typical 500s. The video of Jerry M firing off 5 rounds on target is one way to enjoy shooting a 500. A typical guy shooting a typical revolver!