Allan Clark
Member
wondering if we have any handgun hunters shooting and loading for the 500
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500S&W loding
- Thread starter Allan Clark
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comfisherman
Well-Known Member
Sadly not as much as I should.
Started with an 8 inch x frame after a friend brought one home and it was more fun than I'd expected. At the time rainier 335s were very reasonable and we found a load that shot well at the velocity limit rainier suggested. Wasn't full kilt but still thumped harder than just about everything else. Was the first pistol that showed me what could be done with a revolver at what to me was long range (100 yard berm, I'm not exactly a crack pistol shot but consistently hitting notebook paper at the berm was always fun)
Friend who got me into the x frames had a fascination with shooting soup bones suspended in whatever water vessel we could find at the recycle center. Two bullets really stood out in his tests, the 400 grain platinum dual jacket from winchester and handloaded 350 grain speers that I think were bonded. The factory loaded platinums were the meanest thing I've ever pulled the trigger on, and the speers are seemingly available once a decade. Don't know how good shooting ham bones in totes is for a test of a bullet.... but for a couple guys in early 20s it sure was a lot of fun.
We took them on a ground squirrel hunt with a combination of hard cast and the rainiers, once again absolutely pointless but might have been the most fun I've ever had shooting sage rats. Shot it so fast that the hogue grips got gummy and you moved quick handling reloads.
Probably 15 years ago one of my guys shot a island black tail with it off shooting sticks. Used one of the aforementioned speers, it worked. But a small bodied deer was likely to succumb to any and all available 500 bullets.
Regrettably traded it off for a 4 inch for ease of carry, but it gives up a lot of sight radius and velocity. It's been shot very little compared to the workout I gave the 8 inch.
Probably time to get another longer barrel pistol, and find a new substitute for the now gone rainiers. X frames are inexplicably fun to shoot, one of those guns that doesn't really make sense how big a smile it induces.
Would think for some of the pistol only hunts a 500 with a little practice could be deadly.
Started with an 8 inch x frame after a friend brought one home and it was more fun than I'd expected. At the time rainier 335s were very reasonable and we found a load that shot well at the velocity limit rainier suggested. Wasn't full kilt but still thumped harder than just about everything else. Was the first pistol that showed me what could be done with a revolver at what to me was long range (100 yard berm, I'm not exactly a crack pistol shot but consistently hitting notebook paper at the berm was always fun)
Friend who got me into the x frames had a fascination with shooting soup bones suspended in whatever water vessel we could find at the recycle center. Two bullets really stood out in his tests, the 400 grain platinum dual jacket from winchester and handloaded 350 grain speers that I think were bonded. The factory loaded platinums were the meanest thing I've ever pulled the trigger on, and the speers are seemingly available once a decade. Don't know how good shooting ham bones in totes is for a test of a bullet.... but for a couple guys in early 20s it sure was a lot of fun.
We took them on a ground squirrel hunt with a combination of hard cast and the rainiers, once again absolutely pointless but might have been the most fun I've ever had shooting sage rats. Shot it so fast that the hogue grips got gummy and you moved quick handling reloads.
Probably 15 years ago one of my guys shot a island black tail with it off shooting sticks. Used one of the aforementioned speers, it worked. But a small bodied deer was likely to succumb to any and all available 500 bullets.
Regrettably traded it off for a 4 inch for ease of carry, but it gives up a lot of sight radius and velocity. It's been shot very little compared to the workout I gave the 8 inch.
Probably time to get another longer barrel pistol, and find a new substitute for the now gone rainiers. X frames are inexplicably fun to shoot, one of those guns that doesn't really make sense how big a smile it induces.
Would think for some of the pistol only hunts a 500 with a little practice could be deadly.
amateur_pewist
New Member
Caught a few deer with 350 xtp mags. Started playing with 440 hard cast from Matt's bullets but the scope failed and I haven't pursued it.
dhbikerczar
Well-Known Member
I have not taken any game with mine yet but I load for it quite a bit. I'm running berrys bullets and h110. There's so much carbon and soot that after 2 or 3 cylinders the cases are really hard to get out and I have to clean the cylinders. I think i need to find a new load or something. I'm curious if others have this issue. Otherwise I really enjoy it and I do have hopes of getting a deer with it some day. I have the 350gr XTP loaded to hunt with.
DustThroughaFan
Well-Known Member
I use H110 in my 460s&w with 200-250gr bullets and I've had no issues with the soot like you describe. I wonder if the 460 is just more efficient with the given charge?
That said, what's your charge weight ?
DustThroughaFan
Well-Known Member
I love my X frame. By far my favorite handgun I own.
sable tireur
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2010
- Messages
- 3,970
I went back to my .454 Casull...
Here are a couple of lengthy lists to review:
https://shootersreference.com/reloadingdata/500-smith-wesson-magnum/
https://reloadammo.com/500-sw-reloading-data/
https://www.barnesbullets.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/500SW.pdf
Here are a couple of lengthy lists to review:
https://shootersreference.com/reloadingdata/500-smith-wesson-magnum/
https://reloadammo.com/500-sw-reloading-data/
https://www.barnesbullets.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/500SW.pdf
I have not harvested game with the SW500. Although I missed one deer sitting while I was in a tree stand at 50 yards. It was completely my error. I have loaded and shot many different bullets from my 4" hand cannon. I shoot the 350 XTP's over Lil Gun mostly as this is what I have significant quantities of. I can't imagine any bullet out of this revolver not being devastating on a deer. Call me a wimp if you will, but I'm only able to shoot a couple of cylinders before my wrist and elbow tell me to put it down nowadays.
dhbikerczar
Well-Known Member
41 gr with the 350gr berry's or 350 xtp.
The tendency for all is to cram as much powder into a case to create the fastest possible bullet. Seelms that everyone forgets that if the powder doesn't burn inside the barrel, it will not propel the bullet any faster and all the un-burnt powder will do is make a big flash of light at the end of the barrel and burn up $$$$ worth of expensive powder with no benefit whatsoever. You will see this phenomenon with short barrel magnum rifles. Wonder how your pet load is doing? At the range close to sunset have a buddy shoot your rifle/pistol while you stand off to the side and watch the muzzle flash. If you see something like what is in this picture you might as well decrease the powder charge in your cartridge until the flash is minimized (hard to get rid of it completely) or change to a faster burning powder.
If the truth be known, the problems associated with Green house gasses and cow flatulence is nothing compared to the burning of
unused powder into the atmosphere.
alancthomas
Active Member
Well this might sound crazy but I hunt with a 4'' S&W 500 And my hunting load is a 330 grain hard cast lead projectile around 20 on the scale with 12 grains of Unique = 900/950 FPS all the way up to 16 grains of unique =1250/1300 FPS , You can shoot the 12 grains of Unique all day long with one hand and it Kills Pigs D.E.A.D.
memtb
Well-Known Member
LikeDustThroughaFan, I use 296/H110 in a 460, though with 400 grain cast……no soot either! memtb
dhbikerczar
Well-Known Member
What primers? I'm running starline with both CCI 200 and 250 and I can't tell a difference. I have 5 pieces of brass i shot 3x with CCI 200 and now 3x with CCI 250 (I'm watching to see if primer pockets wear out or what, no signs of change after the 1'st firing). The cylinder gets soot in it after 1 shoot but after 2 or 3 there's e enough that it gets very hard to get the cases out. This is the same with both primers.
