Doesn’t seem like it, but it has been over
five and a half years ago that Smith & Wesson
introduced their .500 Smith & Wesson
Magnum revolver to the world. I was fortunate enough to
get my hands upon of one of the first of these to leave the
factory, and reported on it here back in July of 2003. I had
done a lot of shooting with that early revolver, and had also
let several other seasoned shooters fire the big gun. All were
impressed by its power, and amazed at the sheer mass of that big
Smith. Some of the early guns had a problem with the heaviest
loads, and would sometimes unlock upon firing, allowing the
cylinder to rotate under recoil. I have heard of no problems
with any of the .500 S&W revolvers produced since that early
batch, and they have found a solid place in the market. The
first .500 S&W revolvers wore barrels that measured roughly
eight and three-eighths inches, plus a compensator, resulting in
a barrel that was about nine inches overall, and the gun
measuring about fifteen inches in total length. It was, by any
standard, a large revolver. Smith & Wesson dubbed the all
new frame their “X” frame, and it is now the platform for
the .460 S&W as well.
Selling very well for S&W, the .500 is now available in
various other barrel lengths and profiles, and Leroy
Thompson wrote about the special
five inch John Ross .500 S&W here back in July of
2007.
The latest version of the .500 S&W revolver,
and one of my favorites, is this six and one-half inch gun shown
here. The barrel profile and length makes the gun balance much
better for me than the full-lug long barrel of my earlier test
gun, and the ported barrel looks much better to my eyes than the
ones with the detachable muzzle brakes. This .500 shown here has
three ports on each side of the barrel shroud top rib, but the
barrel itself has ports all the way around, in about
three-quarters of an inch from the muzzle. This version of the
.500 looks more like a swelled-up Model 629, and just looks more
“right” to me. It also weighs considerably less than the
first version of the .500 S&W Magnum: about three quarters
of a pound less! Weighing in at 60.4 ounces, this .500 is no
pocket gun, but it is a lot easier to pack and better handling
than the heavier .500 that I reviewed before.
Like most other versions of the S&W .500,
this one wears a set of synthetic rubber Hogue grips. The
.500 grip frame is the same as the K and L model S&W
revolvers, so there are many styles on the market that will fit
this big Smith, but the design and material of the Hogue really
helps to make the big gun more comfortable to shoot. Recoil is
really not bad at all until you start pulling the trigger on the
heavy 440 grain Cor-Bon loads, and for those who do not
need full-power .500 magnum loads, and not many of us do,
Cor-Bon now loads the .500 S&W Special loads as well, and
they still give plenty of power to positively take most any game
animal on Earth, but with a lot less recoil. A 350 grain bullet
at 1200 feet-per-second (fps) will do most anything that a
handgun needs to do, but if you need more power, the Magnum load
will scoot that same bullet out about 400 fps faster from this
six and one-half inch barrel.
The trigger pull on the test gun was very good,
measuring a smooth nine and three-quarters pounds in double
action mode, and a typical S&W-crisp three and one-half
pounds in single action mode. Like most of the latest S&W
revolvers, the .500 has the internal key lock. I did not use it,
and it caused no problems at all during firing, whether
hand-held or when fired from the Ransom
Rest. The barrel/cylinder gap on the test gun measured
an even six one-thousandths (.006) of an inch; a bit larger than
I prefer, but within S&W specs. The .500 has a checkered
wide hammer spur, and a smooth wide trigger, both of which were
very comfortable during shooting. The S&W doesn’t hurt me
when shooting. The muzzle comes up instantly, and recoil with
magnum loads is brisk, but there is no painful pinching and
poking like goes on when shooting some big-bore revolvers. The
trigger guard on the Smith is plenty large to not slam into the
trigger finger, and it also accommodates a gloved finger very
well. By changing the length and profile of the barrel and
shroud, S&W really changed the handling dynamics of their
big Five Hundred. The shorter barrel loses a little velocity
when compared to the longer barrel, but not so much that
whatever beast you are shooting will notice a difference. I
fired five different Cor-Bon factory loads over the eyes of my
chronograph, set twelve feet from the muzzle, with the results
listed below. Velocities are listed in feet-per-second, and
bullet weights listed in grains. Testing was done with an air
temperature of thirty-nine degrees Fahrenheit, at an elevation
of approximately 550 feet above sea level. DPX is a homogenous
copper bullet with a huge hollow front cavity. JHP is jacketed
hollowpoint. FMJ is full metal jacket. HC is a hard cast lead
bullet.
AMMUNITION |
BULLET WEIGHT |
VELOCITY |
Cor-Bon .500 Special DPX |
275 |
1216 |
Cor-Bon .500 Magnum JHP |
350 |
1618 |
Cor-Bon .500 Special FMJ |
350 |
1199 |
Cor-Bon .500 magnum DPX |
275 |
1419 |
Cor-Bon .500 magnum HC |
440 |
1528 |
Reliability was, as expected, perfect. The big
Five Hundred fired every round fed it, and extraction was
smooth, with no stickiness at all. Accuracy was also very good.
I clamped the S&W into my Ransom Rest, and tested the
factory ammo for accuracy at twenty-five yards. No handloads
were tested. The high performance Cor-Bon ammo performed very
well, exhibiting match-grade accuracy with a couple of the
loads.
The Smith & Wesson .500 Magnum has made a
place for itself. For some, it is carried while in pursuit of
the world’s largest and most dangerous game. For others, the
big Five Hundred is carried for protection from teeth and claws
while working, hiking, fishing, or camping in areas where large
carnivores make their home. For others, the .500 S&W Magnum
is just used to bust rocks and such at long range, and doing so
with such a powerful revolver is reason enough to own one. With
several variations of the S&W .500 Magnum now available,
there is a configuration to suit just about everyone.
Check out the .500 and other S&W products
online at www.smith-wesson.com.
For the location of a Smith & Wesson dealer
near you, click on the DEALER FINDER at www.lipseys.com.
To order the S&W .500 online, go to www.galleryofguns.com.
To order the Cor-Bon High Performance
ammunition, go to www.cor-bon.com.
Jeff
Quinn
For a list of dealers where you can
buy this gun, go to: |
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To buy this gun online, go to: |
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Jeff tested the S&W .500 with a variety of
Cor-Bon factory loads. The big .500 performed admirably
with each.
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