S&W 500 range accident

[Fixxah]

I flinched big time when I shot the beast for the first time. Closed the cylinder in the wrong position and had a click instead of a BOOOOOM! Pretty enlightening.

-Proud to be dad every day, a licensed plumber most days, and wish I was a shoemaker on others.

 

[PaulD]

I don't think it's much worse than a 45 ACP. I've fired the one up at Bob's before and after the guy committed suicide with it.

Comedy gold man.

EC let me shoot a few different loads though his (one at a time, thanks Jim). I distinctly remember being able to keep my arms straight but hanging on as the thing went up.

It was enough for me.

 

[MAGG]

senseless death that should have been avoided

 

[Gadsden]

IIRC a guy at a friend's range in WA was removed from the gene pool in this exact manner. He thought it would be funny to let his tiny g/f shoot a .500 (I think), not warning her of the recoil. She ended up double tapping, the second one taking him out.

I seriously can't stand folks that do that shit. NOTHING good comes of it..

 

[Dexion1619]

I'm not going to lie, if I see someone on the line at the range with a .500, I take off to the rifle range and come back after I here them finish up. Seems like 9 out of 10 people who own them are over-gunned. (Before someone gets bent out of shape, I'm not saying people shouldn't be able to have them,(Edited this part for work reasons), I just don't trust most of the shooters I see with them.)

And yea, the "I'm going to get my GF to crack herself in the face" guys are the worst, and If someone IS going to be "That Guy" they damn well should make sure to only load one torpedo in the thing.

 

[NickW85]

Inexperienced shooter with a gun known to fire a 2nd time during recoil if not handled properly. ****ing shame on the owner of that gun.

 

[shipwreck]

And this is why you only load one round.

 

[Spanz]

I don't even understand how that could happen. It's a revolver, not a semi auto. Not like you can "bumpfire" a revolver...

Edit: after seeing that video above, I take that back! I guess you can bumpfire it!

you can, if you finger is in the trigger guard and the gun is violently moving....it can spin the cylinder and fire a new one, just like u are pulling the trigger for a new shot

 

[chinalfr]

over-gunned

I'm not sure this word applied to NES. NES moto is 'The moor, The better'.

Sent from my Tinfoil hat

 

[enbloc]

you can, if you finger is in the trigger guard and the gun is violently moving....it can spin the cylinder and fire a new one, just like u are pulling the trigger for a new shot

Is this how Jerry Miculek fires so fast?

 

[M1911]

Is this how Jerry Miculek fires so fast?

No.

 

[kalash]

Don't be silly. If you (or anyone else reading this) is ever in the HSC/Shirley area, you are welcome to try mine. I'll supply the ammo.

Harvard member, I assume?

I don't find .45 ACP from a full-size 1911 to be bad at all. For a while the most powerful handgun I've shot was my friend's .357 Smith with a mean, mean reload. I think my lightweight LCR with a heavy .38 has even more kick though. That said, I really want to try a .44, never mind a .500!

 

[rudiewhitebwoy]

Probably with their ammo, right? I doubt they sell full power loads to go with the rental gun.

-Mike

Yeah, it was there ammo, and I think they were reloads.

Update 11/11;

I was there yesterday, they're out of ammo for the S&W 500 at this time but Steve confirmed they were "light" reloads.

 

[endus]

Ugh. Never load multiple rounds when someone is shooting a gun, especially a powerful one, for the first time. I apply the same rule to myself!

Horrible.

 

[M1911]

I don't find .45 ACP from a full-size 1911 to be bad at all. For a while the most powerful handgun I've shot was my friend's .357 Smith with a mean, mean reload. I think my lightweight LCR with a heavy .38 has even more kick though. That said, I really want to try a .44, never mind a .500!

That's because a .45 ACP from a ~40 oz. 1911 doesn't have much recoil at all. It still doesn't have much recoil in my 4" steel-framed compact. It has a bit more recoil in my 28 oz. 4" aluminum-framed compact, but it still isn't much, and I am a certified recoil wuss.

IMO, full boat .357 out of my 36 oz Model 66 has a LOT more recoil than 45 ACP. Not a little more. Not a somewhat more. A LOT more. As I said, I'm a recoil wuss.

Full boat .44 Mag has than .357, and full house .500 is a couple orders of magnitude more than that. So comparing .45 ACP to .500 is just silly. They aren't in the same county.

 

[*chris*]

I don't find .45 ACP from a full-size 1911 to be bad at all.

I agree, I love shooting my Colt series 70. That being said, my S&W PC 625 (45acp) really hurts. I don't know if it is the narrow wood grips or the profiled barrel but it hurts the web of my hand much more than my S&W 629 5" full lug with full house 44 mags. I have a set of Hogue rubber grips coming today for my 625 to see if that helps.

I think the semi-auto action really soaks of the recoil of the 45 ACP cartridge. I also think the grip angle of the 1911 is better than a revolver for reducing felt recoil.

Chris

 

[PaulD]

I agree, I love shooting my Colt series 70. That being said, my S&W PC 625 (45acp) really hurts. I don't know if it is the narrow wood grips or the profiled barrel but it hurts the web of my hand much more than my S&W 629 5" full lug with full house 44 mags. I have a set of Hogue rubber grips coming today for my 625 to see if that helps.

I think the semi-auto action really soaks of the recoil of the 45 ACP cartridge. I also think the grip angle of the 1911 is better than a revolver for reducing felt recoil.

Chris

I think that's a big one though there's also an aspect to the particular cartridge. Max pressure on a .357 Mag is a lot higher than .45ACP. I had a 627 Pro (since sold to a fellow NESer) and with hot .357 it had a lot of recoil even with the big heavy N frame.

Anyway, the OP says no charges will be filed, but whoever handed her that gun is criminally negligent IMO.

 

[PaulR]

Stirring the pot: Anyone hear of any charges stemming from this yet?

 

[TonyDedo]

Let me guess -- her moron male friend thought it would be funny to have her shoot a gun that is way, way too powerful for her, and video her hurting herself. These sorts of morons do nothing good for the shooting sports.

I used to see this all the time at NES shoots - some guy brings his girlfriend and wants a video of her shooting someone's .454 or .500, or maybe something full auto. Sure, there would be a range officer or someone knowledgeable next to her explaining what to do, but (as you can see from the video above), even the best instructor close at hand can't prevent an incident when you put a gun into the hands of someone who shouldn't be handling it. It was only a matter of time before an accident happened, which is why I stopped attending NES shoots.

 

[drgrant]

Stirring the pot: Anyone hear of any charges stemming from this yet?

Why would there be? If being exceptionally stupid was a crime half the country would be in prison. Whoever the lunkhead was that set her up with this gun will have to live with this for the rest of his life.

-Mike

 

[atilla]

I used to see this all the time at NES shoots - some guy brings his girlfriend and wants a video of her shooting someone's .454 or .500, or maybe something full auto. Sure, there would be a range officer or someone knowledgeable next to her explaining what to do, but (as you can see from the video above), even the best instructor close at hand can't prevent an incident when you put a gun into the hands of someone who shouldn't be handling it. It was only a matter of time before an accident happened, which is why I stopped attending NES shoots.

have some faith.

[video=youtube_share;kW9mWZrKVVI]http://youtu.be/kW9mWZrKVVI[/video]

watch trigger finger be indexed when she is done firing.

how do people become better shooters? training. what makes you a better shooter? experience.

granted this was not lady atilla's first rodeo, but 01SVTvert did an excellent job assisting her and instructing her on how the firearm worked.

now, would i give her a S&W .500 for the luls? shit no. she wouldn't accept one if i tried to put one in her hands, either. she knows her comfort level, experience level, and what she should and shouldn't be doing. if more people had such an approach to firearms ranges would be much safer.

to everyone's credit at the pumpkin shoot last week i did not see glaring safety problems, and i think everyone did a great job. shooters, RSOs, everyone. it felt much more like a NES shoot from a few years back.

 

[josh2600]

Some of the commenters on the origional article ARE calling for criminal charges....geesh...b

I know, I don't understand that desire to throw everyone in prison. This was awful, whoever let her shoot it was an idiot, but an idiot that has to live with that for the rest of their life.

 

[J.A.C]

I was just at the range yesterday and brought my S&W 500. I was shooting Hornady 300 grain. After sending the first 5 down range two older gentlemen asked if they could try it. They were shooting a S&W .357 magnum and I felt confident they could handle the 500, STILL I put only one round in as it was their first time shooting it. I let them shoot it again later on as well.

Some random guy made a comment that I only put one round in because the bullett's were expensive. I simply said no its because I know better.

 

[Quiet]

I was just at the range yesterday and brought my S&W 500. I was shooting Hornady 300 grain. After sending the first 5 down range two older gentlemen asked if they could try it. They were shooting a S&W .357 magnum and I felt confident they could handle the 500, STILL I put only one round in as it was their first time shooting it. I let them shoot it again later on as well.

Some random guy made a comment that I only put one round in because the bullett's were expensive. I simply said no its because I know better.

Good call. Has that always been the case or was it after reading this thread?

 

[J.A.C]

Good call. Has that always been the case or was it after reading this thread?

Quiet, good question. I have done that since purchasing the 500 last year, even the first time I shot it I only put in 1 round. Growing up my dad was ultra safety conscience at the range and in general (was also a NRA certified Range Safety Officer and instructor) and it defintely wore off on me.

 

[M1911]

As an NRA certified instructor, even though I start students with a .22lr, not a .500, I still start then with one round.

 

[01SVTvert]

have some faith.

[video=youtube_share;kW9mWZrKVVI]http://youtu.be/kW9mWZrKVVI[/video]

watch trigger finger be indexed when she is done firing.

how do people become better shooters? training. what makes you a better shooter? experience.

granted this was not lady atilla's first rodeo, but 01SVTvert did an excellent job assisting her and instructing her on how the firearm worked.

now, would i give her a S&W .500 for the luls? shit no. she wouldn't accept one if i tried to put one in her hands, either. she knows her comfort level, experience level, and what she should and shouldn't be doing. if more people had such an approach to firearms ranges would be much safer.

to everyone's credit at the pumpkin shoot last week i did not see glaring safety problems, and i think everyone did a great job. shooters, RSOs, everyone. it felt much more like a NES shoot from a few years back.

Agreed. She did really well and the only issue was a small girl holding a very nose heavy gun up at full extension for a long time. She knew her limits and stopped once it got heavy. And for all you heroes out there that single offhand 14lb M1As, try holding a box and a half of ammo at full arm extension plus a couple more pounds of gun. The MAX31 is really, really nose heavy. Makes for easy shooting but if you are a 97lb girl it can get heavy quick.

Fewer people usually means more enjoyment and less stupidity IMO at the NES shoots. Under 100 rule seems to work well and the RSOs are to be commended. I have seen stupider stuff at my local range than at the NES shoots. Car disk brake rotors with rifle ammo at under 25 yards and the rotor on the berm at a really bad angle for example.

First time I fired a 500 I also single loaded it. There is absolutely no comparison between a 45 or even a snub 357 to a 500. I actually like the LCR in 357 for shooting. Really find out quick if you flinch when you drop the hammer on an empty cylinder. The 500 makes it seem tame. The concussion is so different than anything else in a "normal" caliber.

 

[exo]

First time I fired a 500 I also single loaded it. There is absolutely no comparison between a 45 or even a snub 357 to a 500. I actually like the LCR in 357 for shooting. Really find out quick if you flinch when you drop the hammer on an empty cylinder. The 500 makes it seem tame. The concussion is so different than anything else in a "normal" caliber.

I did a comparison once between shooting different calibers an the 500. Not scientific, just what it felt like to me. S&W 617 (.22LR), S&W 686 (.357 Magnum) S&W 629 (.44 Magnum), and the S&W .500 Magnum, all in 4" barrels.

After shooting the 500, the 686 felt like shooting the 617. The 500 is a really dramatic increase in recoil vs almost any other handgun.

 

[namedpipes]

EC was kind enough to let me shoot one of his nuke loads out of the 500 a couple years back, and I had a double. Felt the second trigger pull with the pistol pointed about 45 degrees up. ... Fun as hell though! Someday....

I'm hardly petite and enjoy shooting my .357 Magnum derringer. I have no plans to take up EC's (VERY generous) open offer to try his SW500, even without the nuclear warheads he reloads with.

Why would there be? If being exceptionally stupid was a crime half the country would be in prison.

Only half?

You're such an optimist.

 

[endus]

The only thing I ever shot that was even close to the S&W 500 was a 44 mag. Nothing else is even in the neighborhood. .45? Noooooo way.

The 500 I shot was also with hand loads that were less powerful. Yikes!