500 magnum review(sort of)

[sawgunner74]

Hello everyone,new member long time lurker.I actually registered because some of the flak the 500 magnum is getting.Im not an expert and try to shoot as much as possible,(money and time permitting),and the recoil from my smith is not like i thought it would be,it is not bad at all .It torqes in your hand ,but there is very little muzzle rise at all . and i actually thought the 440 grain bullets ,were not much different than the 375 ,350,400 ,325.the only difference i noticed was the 350 hornady factory ammo seamed to recoil the most.i shot about 60 rounds in an about 3 hours and the web of my hand did get sore ,but if i wear my gloves it doesnt happen .I have not heard about the double tap issue ,i cant even understand how it could happen.it must be nerves,the recoil isnt even close to haveing the gun hit you in the head ,make you drop it hurt your hand,double tap etc....I dont work for smith and im not outraged that people dont like the gun.but if you like big guns give it a try you might warm up to it,its fun to shoot and really is acurate i have not had any problems at all (except the price of ammo), and a hunting buddy of mine shot it and loved it and wants to get one.it did lead alot, noise was not as loud as i thought it would be.gun is still tight as new about 400 rounds later,my time with the smith has been all positive thus far and i recomend it.buy the way its penitration with the hard cast 440s is unreal (shot it through a 2 foot thick tree stump still in the ground  from about 20 yards away)seening is beliving ,ive got plenty of brass ,cant wait to try some bigger stuff, thanks Chris.

[TNrifleman]

It's good to hear from someone who has a fair amount of experience with the new S&W 500. I know a few guys locally who have also got 500s, and their experience is quite simmilar to yours. I am seriously considering a 500. I have waited for two reasons. First, it is a rather subatantial investment.  Factory ammo is also expensive. I handload,and would love to build some 500s. Second, I wanted to see how the gun actually worked in the hands of shooters. Sooner or later, I'll have to have one of these big boomers. As for the folks who express negative comments, well, as someone once said, "A man has to know his limitations." :-D

[Redhawk1]

I sold my S&W500 but kept my BFR in 500MAG. I think the 500MAG round itself is a great round and will be here to stay. The round is so versatile. You can shoot 275 gr. bullets for Deer or 400 gr. and up for brown bear and the occasional T-Rex :grin:  LOL :grin: .  The 500MAG has my vote.

[sawgunner74]

hello again and thanks for the replies.i thought i might add i purchased my xframe new for 899 ,and he gave me two boxes of ammo to boot.i have noticed the price of ammo getting better,natchez selling ultramax 325 for 29.00 and horndy 440  for 24.00 its still outrageous but good to see it going down. thanks, chris.

[sawgunner74]

hello just a bit of an update. mounted a red dot on the five hundred and i shot it alot better i can keep them all in about 3 inches at 50 yards(good for me still practicing),have noticed the 440s shot higher than the 330s,also my hands must be changing because i can notice the big difference between 330 and 440 grain bullets(big difference),(when i first had the 500 all i could get my hands on were 440, 375 now that im shooting smaller grain bullets i find them alot more comfortable to shoot. the gun has been flawless,i have not had any of the problems that ive read on the net,and the round count is getting higer.buy the way the red dot i put on it has been great it just a cheap silver bsa for 35 bucks but its been through about 150 heavy loads,it was cheap and zeroed fast and the rings are made on the scope so they have never came loose or lost zero.(i have a leopold 2x 20 but i have was worried about the five hundred tearing it up so i put the bsa on first heck im going to leave the bsa on it .thanks

[Wilbe Lead]

Howdy Everyone,
My local shop has the new shorty for less then 900.00.
Still have not made up my mind. S&W or BFR both are about the same price? Cut that barrel down on the BFR and the packing wieght will be less then the S&W shorty?
Later
Wilbe Lead

[Redhawk1]

Howdy Everyone,
My local shop has the new shorty for less then 900.00.
Still have not made up my mind. S&W or BFR both are about the same price? Cut that barrel down on the BFR and the packing wieght will be less then the S&W shorty?
Later
Wilbe Lead

You will not be disappointed with the BFR. I had my BFR cut down to 6 inches. It is about 1/8 of an inch to where the extractor screw stops. I had it Mag-na-ported and it shoot like a dream. I just got done shooting 575 gr. pills and it was a blast. The gun has a real good recoil with these heavy bullets. I am hoping to load some 700 gr. when I can get them.

sawgunner74, I have a Ultra dot on my BFR, and I have now over 700 rounds of heavy loads. It is holding up just fine. I also put my Leupold on it and shot 50 rounds of the 575 gr. loads, and it did just fine. I like the red-dot better than my Leupold, I can get on target faster with my red-dot.