found a deal on one used at a local gun store, if they still have it on wednesday it will be mine, anyone who has one please chime in and let me know what you think of it, the one im looking at is the full size one

It's ridiculously heavy(mine is 91 oz empty), expensive to shoot ($2.50 a round), and pretty much completely absurd.
I have about 125 rounds through mine and every pull of the trigger makes me grin from ear to ear.  Expect constant questions and gawkers at the range, and check your local ranges to see if their backstop can handle this caliber.
It's also pretty damn accurate, if you can ever recover your flinch control.  22 years of handgunning and I still flinch just about every other shot.
I got mine used for $825 - 8 3/8 barrel, scope and base were purchased later.
Best sources for ammo are Cabelas (HSM), and Doubletap for the stupid-hot loads.  Unfortunately, Ballistic Supply shut down, and they were the only source I'm aware of where you could get cartridges with the 700-grain bullets.  I don't reload, but it's helpful if you do.
ETA - my favorite 500 video - NSFW, one loud expletive

 


 

wow i had i no idea they went up to 700 grain bullets, biggest i have seen an local places is 400 grain. Im basically getting it for the cool factor but i may take it hog hunting this winter. and my brother reloads so if i get the tool head and dies for his machine i will be reload ready. thanks, anyone else ?? i know there is more than one guy on ARFCOM with a 500

I wanted an X frame, but I chose the .460 because of the versatility of being able to use other rounds.  However, if I had a .500 S&W, I'd but this carbine too.  I wish they'd make one in .460.  I'd be all over it.

why did you have to show that to me hahaha. i understand the versatility view point, i just want the 500 because its the biggest and i want it, have no real use for it

I confess I have no real need for one, but I got my first 500, a 500 PC Hunter, as a retirement present to myself. I got my second one, a 4” one, as protection for an Alaskan trip. When the 5” John Ross Special became available, I grabbed one of those, just because. It is the one I shoot the most. It is the most normal. It has no comp and rolls in recoil like a more normal gun. The comps on the 4” and 6 ½” PC Hunter cause a more straight back recoil. I actually prefer the roll.

If you want to clear the line, fire a 4” with loads using slow powders like 296 or Lil'Gun. They don’t even have to be full power. The slow powder will maximize the effect, and noise, of the comp. Many people will suddenly discover they have an urgent appointment elsewhere.

do you reload for the 500?? i put two hundred down on it today to be sure it didnt walk out and im going to pick it thursday evening so it is basically mine now, it comes with two boxes of ammo although im  not sure what they are. My brother has a dillon progressive reloader and he called dillon today and they said the tool head and dies would be about 200-250 to be set up to reload. do you have any good load suggestions or links to such information?? thanks for all the input so far

ETA- by the way the one im getting is the 8 3/8" barrel with the standard compensator

A serious question. Do you feel that the recoil can be controlled enough for good follow up shots in a short time (i.e. a charging grizzly)? Would a less super hero caliber that is able to put more rounds on target be more suitable, such as a 44 mag or even the anemic(in today's world).357? Watching that video  makes it seem that rapid fire would be impossible.

I've shot one of these.  Very accurate, but recoil is over the top.  Couldn't imagine hunting with one and taking a shot without hearing protection.  Between the fireball, recoil , and cost of ammo, it seems more of a novelty vs. a serious hunting weapon.

i agree with most of what you said. more or less it is just a novelty for me, always thought they were cool but did not want to pay the more or less 1200 dollar sticker price on a new one, went in the gun store the other day and saw one in the case for 800 with a couple boxes of ammo and the lady told me that an older gentlemen had bought it and discovered it was too much gun for him so he just wanted it gone. so i jumped on it.

all that being said ill have to take it hunting and give an after action report, first im gonna take a deer down with it, iknow its overkill. then im gonna take it hog hunting this winter, after all that ill post back up on here and give some more feedback

i have not shot one yet so i can not speak from experience but i can say that in the video he is shooting a 700 grain bullet loaded crazy hot from a small ammo manufacturer that is now out of business. i looked at the load specs and it basically seems like they said hey lets see how hard we can make the 500 mag kick with out it blowing up in our hand. there are several loads in the 400 grain range that are designed to take out anything from an elephant down i imagine that they have quite a bit of recoil as well but you are figuring on well placed shot, if i were carrying it for defense against something charging (i.e. a grizzly) i would use some of the 265-325 grain loads that seem more managable just looking at ballistics

There is part of me that would like to take a deer with one of these I think just to survey the damage!   Question to those who hunt with one of these:  Do you wear hearing protectin in your stand?  I can't imagine how much I would flinch knowing I don't have ear plugs in.

I double up on hearing protection when I'm using my beast - plugs and muffs.



Regarding bear protection - even without the scope, I wouldn't carry my 500 for bear protection.  There's no such thing as accurate/fast follow-up shots with a 500.  Under stress, with such a heavy gun, my hit ratio would be awful and five shots just aren't enough.  I carry a Glock 20 10mm with 16 rounds of 230-grain hardcast bullets as my woods gun.  



Ballistic supply made some stupid-hot loads, but so does Doubletap.  The hottest Doubletap load is pushing a 350-grain bullet at 1975 fps for over 3000 ft-lbs of energy.  That's 30-06 territory.  The X-frame is designed for 55-60,000 psi, and was tested with loads that ran at 90,000 psi.  To say it's built like a brick shithouse is a gross understatement.  Ever wonder why the cylinder is 2 1/4" long, when the standard 500 cartridge is 2 inches long?  The designers at S&W wanted to be able to accommodate the 5.56 X 45 rifle cartridge as a potential future model of the X-frame line.



I think the 500 would make an excellent hunting handgun.  If I use mine for hunting, I would use a monopod or bipod.  The 1975-fps 350-grain bullet would be a very flat shooter, and it'd probably be good out to 200 yards for medium game like deer.  The trigger is actually very crisp with a very light pull.  It's not so much flinching, as muscling trying to control the recoil.  If you hold it with a handshake grip, and accept the fact that the muzzle is going to flip straight up, you can make some very accurate shots.



Here's what it can do at 100 yards with a scope.  I fired two shots free and easy, and muscled/flinched on the other three.  Guess which ones?







Those are 1-inch squares.  Any one of those five shots would be a kill.

was that group free hand or off of a rest

Freehand with a 91-oz revolver at 100 yards?  Um, no.  LOL



Shot off of sandbags.  As it was, the RSO at the range freaked out when he saw me getting ready to fire a revolver at the 100-yard line.  I had to reassure him that I'd be on paper at that distance.  He was watching me very closely, then I saw him using a spotting scope to check my hits.

Color me impressed.

On ammo questions on the .500:

I am old enough (62) that I no longer feel I need to beat myself to death. These days I wear padded bicycling gloves on the range when I shoot hot loads.

I reload for mine on a Dillon 550B. Mostly I use lead bullets and relatively inexpensive Speer 325 gr. bullets for the .50 A&E. I crimp the Speer over the ojive to keep them from walking under recoil.

I don’t spend much time with full power ammo. I see no need for it. A really nice range load is a 370 lead bullet with a full case of Trail Boss. Velocity is supposed to be about 925 fps. Recoil is very mild. When you want to play with something more potent, there are lots of load combinations to play with. Comfortable load in the 1100 to 1400 fps are easy. When you get really serious about bear medicine, I favor 400 to 440 gr. LBT bullets loaded with 4227 to 1200 to 1400 fps.

The .500 can easily be loaded hotter, but the only thing you buy is flattened trajectory at extended ranges. If that is what you want, 296 and ‘LilGun are about perfect, but higher velocity only seems to increase recoil and noise without doing much for terminal ballistics, particularly at close range. A reduced velocity 440 gr. LBT should penetrate a big bear from stem to stern while maintaining a level of recoil that permits follow-up shots. What more do you want?

I've got two of them. The one with the short barrell(4 inch) is uncontrollable. The 7 1/2 inch one has a scope on it and is accurate and fun to shoot.

just picked mine up, shot 5 cor bon 500 special rounds through it=nothing to write home about but they are probably all the bullet you really NEED
shot five federal fusion 275 grain loads and there was  a notable difference in recoil then onto some mag-tech 325 grain loads and you can definately feel the  power will post back up soon with some pics and more details on the ammo.

Of particular note here: the load ClemY is referring to is not too far removed in characteristics from the original .45-70 load from a Springfield trapdoor rifle in the late 1800s.

I have a 500....does very well at filling the freezer

bb

http://i706.photobucket.com/albums/ww70/Bucktail_Bob/IMG_edited-1.jpg

Nice.  



That's a mighty-purty gun you got there.....



How were you set up for the shot - sitting, prone, sandbag, monopod...?



 

Damage shouldn't be too bad with cast bullets ––- i use a 45-70 rifle loaded warm to minimize drop at 150 yards–––– should be very similar energy and velocity levels.    Noise cancelling ear muffs  can do double duty by amplifying forest sounds when they are on,  then protecting your ears when needed.     I'd almost consider them a must with this beast.   Hot .45-70 power levels out of a 6-8 inch tube is deafening.

[/quote]
Nice.  

That's a mighty-purty gun you got there.....

How were you set up for the shot - sitting, prone, sandbag, monopod...?
 [/quote]

I was  in a tree stand with a gun rest.  I was out doe hunting with just me and my .500.
Shot was 70 yds. Went rib to rib with no meat damage.....in other words a perfect shot!
Hornady 350gr. XPT Mag, pushing 1900 fps.
I will not shoot it without ear protection.
I've have also used .44's, .45 lc and  .454 Casull wheelguns to fill the freezer.
I am still partial to my 629 for deer hunting.

bb