500 S&W range report

[mo_bio]

I took 3 loads out today and tried at 50 and 100 yrds.  2-5 mph W, 51 degrees, low humidity
Load 1: 440 g lee GC water cooled, 36 gr H110, WLR, Darr lube. 1.3" at 100 and 1.1" at 50.  This load shot great out of my rifle.  Kicks pretty good.  No lead. (winner for deer load next week)
Load 2: 440 g lee GC water cooled, 30 gr lil gun, WLR, Darr lube. 3.2" at 100 and 1.9" at 50.  Not great but ok.  Kicks.  No lead.
Load 3: 440 g lee PB air cooled, 11 gr Unique, WLR, Alox lube. 2.4" at 100 and 1.3" at 50.  Pleasure to shoot.  Kicks soft- relative.  No lead.
Did not set up chrono today.  Would guess the 2 hotter loads are around 1700 fps.

[cwlongshot]

I shot a couple deer with my 500 and a 440 WFNGC bullet and XMP5744 powder at about 1500 fps.  Worked very well, good luck!

CW

[gcrank1]

All you have to have is a 50-70 equiv., it was THE buff gun before the 45-70, etc.
Original loads used a 450gr. lead bullet at about 1260fps with an energy of about 1488 ft. lb.; not too different from the 45-70 BUT, the larger dia. and frontal area makes up for that.
Still, its a little guy compared to my 577 Snider  .

[twoshooter]

My load is 20 gr of Blue Dot and the 440 cast, water cooled. 1320 fps. 1.4" @ 75 yds. Surprisingly clean shooting with BD, very mild recoil.

PS sent pm. Have new Lee mold for 360 gr Minnieball 500dia, picked up over the weekend, will have to wait to try it out. Meanwhile, that H110 load sounds great, but not exactly wimpy  the 1700fps guess sounds pretty on to me. If you can't kill it with that, you had better leave it alone. Love that 500 .