454 vs 500s&W

[jamaldog87]

to me i don't know why the made the 500S&W. IT's more powerful than the 454 but the 454 can shoot 45long colt and i don't think most game here in the USA need a 50cal hand gun to put down. the 454 i had would drop hogs and the one elk i killed with one shot and i would shoot cci shot out of it for small game. The 454 to me is more useful than the 500S&W.

[John R.]

That's why Baskin Robbins has 31 flavors, you can get what you want. For the vast majority of hunting situations the 45 caliber is more than suffient. However there are certain situations where the hole in the end of the bbl. can't get big enough.

[jro45]

I took my S&W 500 to the range today got it ready for deer season. I was shooting 350 gr bullets at close to 1800 fps. I shot one shot at 100 yds free hand and put that bullet right into the spine area.

[Redhawk1]

to me i don't know why the made the 500S&W. IT's more powerful than the 454 but the 454 can shoot 45long colt and i don't think most game here in the USA need a 50cal hand gun to put down. the 454 i had would drop hogs and the one elk i killed with one shot and i would shoot cci shot out of it for small game. The 454 to me is more useful than the 500S&W.

It does not have to meet your wants or needs. We all have different opinions on what we like. The 454 Casull may meet all you want out of a handgun, but some of use want more. Why, because we can. 

I don't think there is anything wrong with a 454 Casull, I just prefer the 460 and 500 Mags. Some guys like redheads, some like blonds. I happen to like them all. Ahh the power of choice.

[shilo]

Wasn't life simple when the 44 was king of the magnums?

[Redhawk1]

Wasn't life simple when the 44 was king of the magnums?

Will any of us ever be happy. 

[Graybeard]

Wasn't life simple when the 44 was king of the magnums?

Will any of us ever be happy. 

Yup I've decided happiness is having $5billion so as soon as I get there I'm gonna be happy.  I figure at the rate I'm going I should be there in less than 5 million more years. 

[Redhawk1]

Bill when you get there invite me over to celebrate. 

[Camp Cook]

I live in BC, Canada and work in extremely remote wilderness areas.  I am one of the under 900 non-enforcement Canadians that can legally carry handguns for protection when I am in remote areas of Canada.

I have spent a lot of time contemplating which handguns to carry and have decided that due to the amount of equipment that I have to have with me that the new S&W's 460 or 500's are just too much gun to have hanging off my shoulder or hip all day.

For winter carry or if I am jumping in and out of the truck a lot I like to have my 5" KKM barreled Glock 20 10mm.  When I am in areas that do not normally have grizzlies I carry my 5.5" s/s Ruger Bisley Vaquero's in 45 Colt.  I also used to carry a 6" S&W 629 44mag but found that I left it at home in the safe most of the time so I just sold it to finance the handguns that I have settled on for the most remote grizzly infested areas that I venture into.

I find that the Ruger Super Redhawks are the largest guns that I can comfortably carry all day.  I like the 454 Casull cartridge and load 360gr @ 1520fps and 395gr WLNGC's @ 1420fps out of a 7.5" barrel.  I have just purchased a second 7.5" SRH and sent the old one off too Gunnar @ Armco http://armco-guns.com/ in Prince George, BC to get the barrel shortened to 4.25" and his new sight rib installed.  Check out "What's New at Armco" to see the photos of what he is doing to the SRH's and his sight rib design which uses the original removable front sight insert. 

When I get the first gun done and it checks out I am sending my new 7.5" SRH to get the same sight rib installed so that both are matching other than the barrel lengths.

Having the option to shoot from extremely mild 200gr cast cowboy loads @ 850fps and about 1375fps for my new 405gr Beartooth WLNGC loads in the 7.5" barrel and hopefully 1200fps in the shortened 4.25" gun should handle all of my stopping needs. 

Yes the S&W's have more power but I have to be realistic so carry handguns that I can carry all day, shoot fast, accurately and that leave big holes.

[Redhawk1]

I live in BC, Canada and work in extremely remote wilderness areas.  I am one of the under 900 non-enforcement Canadians that can legally carry handguns for protection when I am in remote areas of Canada.

I have spent a lot of time contemplating which handguns to carry and have decided that due to the amount of equipment that I have to have with me that the new S&W's 460 or 500's are just too much gun to have hanging off my shoulder or hip all day.

For winter carry or if I am jumping in and out of the truck a lot I like to have my 5" KKM barreled Glock 20 10mm.  When I am in areas that do not normally have grizzlies I carry my 5.5" s/s Ruger Bisley Vaquero's in 45 Colt.  I also used to carry a 6" S&W 629 44mag but found that I left it at home in the safe most of the time so I just sold it to finance the handguns that I have settled on for the most remote grizzly infested areas that I venture into.

I find that the Ruger Super Redhawks are the largest guns that I can comfortably carry all day.  I like the 454 Casull cartridge and load 360gr @ 1520fps and 395gr WLNGC's @ 1420fps out of a 7.5" barrel.  I have just purchased a second 7.5" SRH and sent the old one off too Gunnar @ Armco http://armco-guns.com/ in Prince George, BC to get the barrel shortened to 4.25" and his new sight rib installed.  Check out "What's New at Armco" to see the photos of what he is doing to the SRH's and his sight rib design which uses the original removable front sight insert. 

When I get the first gun done and it checks out I am sending my new 7.5" SRH to get the same sight rib installed so that both are matching other than the barrel lengths.

Having the option to shoot from extremely mild 200gr cast cowboy loads @ 850fps and about 1375fps for my new 405gr Beartooth WLNGC loads in the 7.5" barrel and hopefully 1200fps in the shortened 4.25" gun should handle all of my stopping needs. 

Yes the S&W's have more power but I have to be realistic so carry handguns that I can carry all day, shoot fast, accurately and that leave big holes.

Have you looked at the 4 inch 500 Mags or the new 2 1/2 in 460 or 500 Mags? Not as big as the 8 3/8 barreled ones.

[Camp Cook]

I was going to comment on that because I new some one would bring it up... 

It is illegal to import any handgun into Canada that has a barrel length less than 4.15" in length so that excludes the 4" guns.  Some gun grabbing Lieberal had a brain storm to exclude all of the awesome shorter barreled guns and the law got passed.

[jamaldog87]

the 460S&W makes the 454 look like a old man. Is the 460S&W a long range bullet? I have hear it's been use for deer at 150-200 yards.

[Camp Cook]

What I am getting at is that there is a cut off point where the over all size of a revolver has to be taken into consideration.

As far as I am concerned a 460 or 500 S&W's no matter what the barrel length is a huge gun that starts to out way the benifits of the larger cartridge and it's added performance.

Now if you want to talk 500WE or 500 Linebaugh in a managable sized gun your talking about something that I'd be interested in....

I have two consecutive serial #ed stainless steel 5.5" barreled Ruger Bisley Vaquero's chambered in 45 Colt that I would love to have the Linebaugh's convert to 475 and 500 Linebaugh's if I had the money.

Those could possibly do the job better than my 454 Casull SRH's and still be in a managable sized package....

[corbanzo]

I will have to agree with the above statement, I love fast bullets.   I have a .454casull, and a .44mag.  I feel comfortable hunting any game in north america with these (though I wont be spot and stalking a brown with the .44, I'll shoot him from a stand)  Sometime in the hopefully near future when I have my $5billion I'm gonna buy a .460mag.  Do I need it for hunting?  Nope, do I need it for more toys?  Yes.  With the same resoning I still have to buy a .300 RUM, when I am perfectly confident in my 30-06.  I have a pretty long list.  Yes, I actually wrote down the guns which I am going to buy when I have the money.  

I have a titanium .44 for size, then the big boys are to be just that, big boys.

[mk454]

i want a 6" .500 WE in the FA 83.  it's a big ole' caliber in an awesome gun, but i'm not sure i need anything bigger than my .454, and i've taken hogs out to just over 200 yards with my .454. 

[mk454]

btw, i'm gonna get a bunch of big uns as well, i just love the big bore handguns.  however, some money will have to go into a nice 470NE double soon as well.

[Lloyd Smale]

Damm. another post that makes me want to sell all my big bores because theres no use for them

[Redhawk1]

Damm. another post that makes me want to sell all my big bores because theres no use for them

You and I will both have to sell them, I did not know there was no use for them. We must be the last ones to know.   

[S.B.]

Sounds like this discussion has gone the same as many in the past? More speed or more caliber? What about the deal with the barrel throats wearing out fast on the .460 mags? And yes, I know the .500 had growing pains, too. I agree with Redhawks signature: "If your going to make a hole, make it a big one".  In the end, I'll take several of each of them.

[Lloyd Smale]

dont tell anyone else that there dammed good hunting guns even for little whitetail. We will keep it our secret. Tell them all that the recoil is so horendous that it will break bones in there hands when they shoot them and burst there eardrums even with double hearing protection and they will completely destroy any edible meat on the animal.

Damm. another post that makes me want to sell all my big bores because theres no use for them

You and I will both have to sell them, I did not know there was no use for them. We must be the last ones to know.   

[Redhawk1]

dont tell anyone else that there dammed good hunting guns even for little whitetail. We will keep it our secret. Tell them all that the recoil is so horendous that it will break bones in there hands when they shoot them and burst there eardrums even with double hearing protection and they will completely destroy any edible meat on the animal.

Damm. another post that makes me want to sell all my big bores because theres no use for them

You and I will both have to sell them, I did not know there was no use for them. We must be the last ones to know.   

Yea maybe then the price will come down a lot and we can get more. 

[Lloyd Smale]

naw pal if they got cheaper there just be more idiots at the range trying to impress everyone with there minute of barn door shooting capabilitys

[Redhawk1]

Your killing me...

[Mikey]

Excuse me, but I want the both of ya to know that I have shot minute of barn door before and consider myself pretty lucky to have found the holes........................... Mikey.

[Lloyd Smale]

Hell Mikey all of the accuracy claims I make are factored in on the fact that a barn door is equal to 4 minutes of angle as it has four angled corners  it makes it easy to shoot moa at 100 yards with a handgun. I figure alot of people use my theroy cause ive seen people claim that they can shoot minute of angle with a revolver and as far as my experiences go it would be the only way. 

Excuse me, but I want the both of ya to know that I have shot minute of barn door before and consider myself pretty lucky to have found the holes........................... Mikey.

[Redhawk45]

S.B. I think with the 460 you get both   Speed and bullet size.  I think the 454 casuall is a great round.  If you pickup a 460 you can now shoot all three.  I have fired a 454 in a Freedom Arms and it had a real kick to it.  Out of my 460 because of the weight and porting it feels like shooting a 357 out of a n-frame smith.  Just my two cents.

[Casull]

the 460S&W makes the 454 look like a old man

Let's see, the 460 shoots a 200 gn bullet at 2200 fps and the 454 shoots a 240 gn bullet at 2000 fps.  You're right, no contest 

[mk454]

the whole thing b/w the two rounds is not an issue of which has more power, but which size gun do you want to carry.  the .454 is the obvious choice if you want a normal size gun, the only reason i haven't bought a .500 is that my .454 will kill anything i shoot it at, and yes i'm including big big game in africa.  until the bigger bores came out the .454 was referred to in hunting mags as being absolutely adequate for brown bear and cape buffalo, now it's a joke it's being marginalized as barely good enough for black bear and some question it on elk.  LOL the difference in ballistics isn't much, not enough to notice, the game will die if hit in the vitals, period.

[Redhawk1]

the whole thing b/w the two rounds is not an issue of which has more power, but which size gun do you want to carry.  the .454 is the obvious choice if you want a normal size gun, the only reason i haven't bought a .500 is that my .454 will kill anything i shoot it at, and yes i'm including big big game in africa.  until the bigger bores came out the .454 was referred to in hunting mags as being absolutely adequate for brown bear and cape buffalo, now it's a joke it's being marginalized as barely good enough for black bear and some question it on elk.  LOL the difference in ballistics isn't much, not enough to notice, the game will die if hit in the vitals, period.

I don't really see where anyone said anything bad about the 454 Casull. I know it is a great round, but I just choose to use the 460 and 500 Mag.

[corbanzo]

Really, you arent going to save any space with the .454.  They are both about the same to carry for me, both really large guns, both will kill anything, both guns i need for some reason...