S&W 500 first impressions

exo

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I bought a S&W 500 4" yesterday and took it to the range today. This is a pretty sweet gun!

View attachment 21618

The 500 next to my other Smiths:
View attachment 21619

Like my other S&W revolvers, I opted for the 4" because it seems to balance a lot better than the ones with longer barrels. My 7.5" Ruger Blackhawk can get a little tiring with that barrel weight hanging off the end. I won't be hunting with this and won't need the extra velocity or whatnot, so I find the tradeoff acceptable.

I tried 5 different types of factory ammo today:
  • Winchester 350gr "reduced recoil"
  • Magtech 325gr
  • Magtech 400gr
  • Hornady 300gr
  • Hornady 500gr

The Hornady 500gr had some punch to it, though the Hornady 300gr was a little screamer too (the box said something like 2000fps). I can't yet say if I prefer one load to another here.

Not having shot one before, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I thought that there was a chance that it would rip my hands off, but this turned out not to be the case at all [grin]. My hands are still attached and I've got all my digits [wink]. I didn't find that it "hurt" or anything like that. My hand now feels about like it did after the first time I shot my .44 Magnum, which is a little tender but not bad at all. After the second time I shot the .44, I didn't notice any tenderness. I'm expecting the same sort of deal here with the .500, but we'll see.

For my own comparison, I shot my .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum today as well. The .44 feels "dinky" and the .357 feels like a pea shooter next to the .500 [smile]

I'm going to start reloading for the .500 soon, this factory ammo is expensive! Not sure what kind of loads I want to work up yet. I'm not interested in anything soft shooting really (why bother? If I want to shoot something softer I'll grab one of my other guns). I grabbed some Win 296 powder and some Sierra 350gr JHP bullets, along with some Starline brass and CCI 250 primers. I've got some 440gr GC bullets on the way too. This should be fun!
 
Welcome to the club! Enjoy!
By the way, 400g Magtech ammo has the capability to launch detergent bottles into low orbit and render Dwarves helpless with laughter!
 
I had a .500 with the 4" barrel for a few years. After a while I decided that a rhino invasion in my neighborhood was not going to happen so off it went to someone in Alaska that needed it more than I. It was a fun (and expensive) toy that brough me a lot of joy. Never found it to be as tough to shoot as many say it is but I had to try for myself. Congrats on the new toy, it will get you a LOT of attention at the range.
 
Wait until you cast and reload the 700 grainer..... Your perspective will never be the same...[smile]
 
I have been in love with the S & W 500 since before I got my LTC. Its on the list for sure. Congrats!
 
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