What do you think of your pistol? I am seriously considering getting one and would like to know what you guys think of yours.

I own two. It's good for hunting and maybe defense against bears. I read an account
a while back of a 440 grain bullet penetrating 30 inches of polar bear. The recoil is
fierce and it's overpowered for most uses.

I love my 8 3/8" model. It's a thrill to shoot. I would shoot it alot more if the ammo was not so expensive.

It's accurate, powerful, and awesome. I never get tired of just hefting it's weight. I wish Lou Alessi offered a holster for it.

Have you talked to Lou about making a holster? He's aweful busy, but if you promise him enough money...

i enjoy the big bore (2 629's, 2 454 f/a casull- field and premier, 1 s/w 500 8 3/8.

the smith is fun, i shoot paper at 20-50 yards off hand. it is costly at about 1.25-1.50 a pop. i have 500+ rounds down the tube- looks new. it is a conversation piece every time i pull the cannon out of the bag at the range. most people when offered to shoot the gun decline....i guess they are afraid of what others have said about the recoil. with that said the recoil of the 350 gr jacketed soft point at 1500 fps, is less on the palm than the 454 shot from my f/a 6 inch. the pachmayer grips vs my stag on the f/a make all the difference in the world.

bottom line, if your in need of a single shot stop in to a bear, moose than the shorter ported barrel s/w 500 is for you. if you want to just punch paper....its fun but at the end of the day you can shoot 4 rounds of new full house 44 mag for every 1 shot of 500 ammo. from a collector stand point the gun is HUGE, it dwarfs the 629 and all other handguns period. i would look on gunbroker as you can find dealers selling new in box 500s for 750-800 from time to time and most used (less than 1-2 boxes shot) go for 700-725.
just my .02

I bought a ported 8 3/8 earlier this year and it makes me giggle like a schoolgirl every time I shoot it. I reload some soft shooting 335 gr Raniers for right about 20 cents a piece (not counting brass ammort). I actually traded for a bunch of components before I bought the gun so I probably have 400-500 pieces of new and once fired brass. I do have some 400 grain bonded core HSM loads that are pretty unpleasant w/o gloves so those are saved for animal control.

The 500 is a must have. Bob

It is a great gun for just having fun. If you want the biggest, baddest, ballsiest handgun made, this is the gun !  Unlike the snubby "hurt your handiums", this is actually fun to shoot, but don't get me wrong, it will rattle your cage a bit. The gun is an engineering masterpiece and runs well. I can't think of any practical use for it other than turning heads at the range, but it does that well. I know some people will say hunting big dangerous game, but in my opinion, get a big rifle for that.

I'de give it a big thumbs up.

Quoted: It is a great gun for just having fun. If you want the biggest, baddest, ballsiest handgun made, this is the gun !  Unlike the snubby "hurt your handiums", this is actually fun to shoot, but don't get me wrong, it will rattle your cage a bit. The gun is an engineering masterpiece and runs well. I can't think of any practical use for it other than turning heads at the range, but it does that well. I know some people will say hunting big dangerous game, but in my opinion, get a big rifle for that. I'de give it a big thumbs up. www.boomspeed.com/spiralbri/500mag.jpg

Damn, I really like that picture.

As for ammo costs, I am already set up to cast my own, 440gr with gas checks should let me go as high as 1500fps and since I get the lead for free....
I do have a .44 mag and have wrung out some pretty serious rounds, think 310gr at 1400fps out of a 7 1/2 redhawk. I have shot a .500 before and it did leave a lasting mark (pun intended) and now John Ross is offering a limited edition 5" S&W with a few extras tweaks straight from the S&W performance shop I figured it is a sign, a sign for me to blow 1395.00 on what I consider a diabolical work of art.
From what am reading it seems the consensus is the pistol is too much for hunting but is a great range piece. Considering most of my guns only get fired at the range and a limited edition pistol like this really won't lose too much value sitting in a safe I am going to get it.  
Anyway, thanx and keep up the opinions, i want to hear more!!

The first gun I ever bought.
The best gun I ever bought.

I have 2, a 4" and a 6 ½" PC gun. They are a lot of fun to play with, but they are pretty specialized. You really need to handload for them. The cost of factory loads is pretty high, and most factory ammo is full power stuff. Nice for occasional use, but not much fun for continuous use.

By handloading, you can load it any way you want. There is tremendous potential and tremendous flexibility. I typically load it much milder than factory loads. I have inexpensive lead and jacketed bullets that are suitable for mild loads. I also have some beautiful hardcast slugs for full power applications. I have a QD scope on the PC gun. The thing is very accurate, but tough to shoot off the bench due to the recoil.

John Ross just released his first design of gun this week.  I may start a new thread for this.

It comes in two different finishes.  I'm picking up mine on August 28th so I can avoid the Missouri PTA issue.  

I can't wait to fire it.

You can see more about the gun here: www.john-ross.net

I'm getting SN 25 in the stainless.

We call 500 S&W the smile maker at our house.  There is nothing like knocking around empty propane  tanks.  If you reload, the shooting does not hit the wallet as hard.  Once you shoot the big boy, all other magnums feel like nothing.    Find somebody with one, you will be hooked!