I thought this was pretty interesting. A close call! Watch your backstop when shooting something this big! And, the shooter makes a pretty impressive "kill" with his first shot from this cannon.

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/outposts/post/man-panics-shooting-gun/

A T-Rex killer if you can find a T-Rex to kill.

True enough.... I fired one a few times, enough times to know that I do not want one.

I don't think the recoil is all that bad and have owned one for a while

Staged.

I don't shoot my .500 much.

Same here.

I reviewed one of the first ones back in 2003 and bought it. Sold the rest and kept the 500 as it is just fine for anything I would hunt with a handgun.
John

I agree, more gun than I want to shoot.

I've got a 45/70 barrell for my TC Contender, and agree that I don't want to shoot it much. However, I've found that if I limit it to 5-10 shots and call it quits, it's really not too bad, probably not much worse than those who hotrod 44 Mag or 45 Colt in same guns. I think I remember Ross Seyfried once writing that the way to adjust to the 475 Linebaugh was to not shoot it too much; shoot often but limit the rounds per session.

Wait'll you take it out and shoot it.

Nice shorty version of it, too.

The 329PD S&W with full house .44 Magnum loads has more felt recoil than that gun.

I have a 329PD and have fired it with full house 44 Magnum and extra power 300gr bear loads while in Alaska and.... I AGREE!

I am CAPABLE of shooting either, decently enough. I said I don't WANT to as in, it is not fun for me.

As I have said before, if I cannot handle it with my Hardcast FN 260's at 1,000 fps, then the next step up for me is a rifle.

Nah, I have a number of revolvers that kick considerably more than the .500 Smith X-frame.

I'd call bullshit on that. I have a .41 magnum scandium S&W M357. With full-house loads shooting 210 and 220 grain bullets it is snappy and unpleasant to shoot, but I can shoot several cylinders full without a problem. I also have a 500 with the long barrel and compensator. Even with 350 grain XTP's that are moving about 250fps below max loads the .500 is very clearly a harder recoiling gun. With 400 grain bullets approaching maximum loads the .500 is not on the same planet with any handgun I've ever shot. With either load I seldom shoot a whole cylinder full before putting it down to shoot something else for a while. Maybe I'm just a candy azz, but I'm 66 years old and no one I know has ever called me such.

It's not.

I can fix you up with harder recoiling handguns than a compensated 500 S&W.

And I would take you up on that, just because, but the idea that a .500 with full house loads generates less felt recoil than any. 44 magnum is absurd. I know better from my own experience,not from the opinions of internet commandos.

I know you can, friend! And I want no part of any of those, either!

Gimme my hot loaded 416 Rigby or 340 wildcat rifle, I am AOK, but I just do not enjoy shooting hard kicking handguns for whatever reason.

And I would take you up on that, just because, but the idea that a .500 with full house loads generates less felt recoil than any. 44 magnum is absurd. I know better from my own experience,not from the opinions of internet commandos. [/quote]

The fact of the matter is that the .500 Smith X-frame often weighs in excess of 4 1/2-lbs and has a muzzle brake. Even loaded hot, they just don't kick that much.

Interesting how different folks percieve recoil. One of my good buddies loves shooting my 416 Rigby but hated shooting my 300RUM. I had the exact opposite reaction and feelings, or perception of which was the worse kicker.

I said nothing about a 44 mags recoil. Since you brought it up do not discount the felt recoil of a heavy loaded 329 until you have shot one. They kick significantly more than a 357 which I have and they aren't bad at all.

I've got a number of .41's and .44's in the same models and configurations of revolvers, and I really don't see a lot of difference between the two calibers, recoil-wise (or in much of any other practical way, for that matter.)

I will be the first to admit there's a lot I don't know, but I don't see how a 329 can differ a whole lot from a 357, and I know, from personal experience with the .500, having had one since almost when they first hit the market, that they are a whole lot different than any .44 or .41 IME, even the scandium framed ones.

When I hear somebody say, "Yeah, the .500's not so bad," I have to question what they're relating it to, what kind of loads their shooting, or what kind of experience they're really had with it.

Even S&W admits the 329's recoil is excessive and was a bad idea. Call them for yourself. The 329's recoil is considerable grater than a 357. I have a 357PD. Try a max load of 320 grain bullets in a 329 and you will f ind it smacks the web of your hand significantly more than a ported 500 S&W. No question.

A Ruger converted to 475L kicks significantly more than a ported 500 S&W, no BS about it.

My youngest brother doesn't shoot a 475 or 500 Linebaugh or JRH well because of the recoil and will not shoot more than a shot or two, yet he will shoot a 500 S&W as long as the ammo supply last.
In my expereince of shooting big bore revolvers for several decades there are other revolvers and cartridges that recoil significantly more.

If you want to feel brutal recoil the light weight 50 Alaskan that I had and now Whitworth has recoils with 92 foot pounds of free recoil. It makes a 500 S&W seem like a pea shooter in comparison.

That's fine, I can understand your skepticism, but I have found that those who flocked to the .500 S&W as if it was an answer to some unanswered question, probably weren't familiar with the .475 Linebaugh, .500 Linebaugh, .500 Maximum, etc. as they would have seen the .500 Smith for what it was, a slick marketing ploy and not much else. Many folks bought into the muzzle energy myth and I credit S&W for at least getting more folks interested in handgun hunting.

However, keep in mind that .475 Linebaughs, etc. are typically built on 3-lb Ruger Blackhawks. The .500 Smith is a 4 1/2 + revolver empty, with a muzzle brake. The mass alone eats up much of the unpleasantness. I also get that for the uninitiated particularly, it's a pretty brutal gun, and relatively speaking it really is.

I have a .500 Maximum that weighs just a hair more than 3-lbs that is very unpleasant to shoot even for me, and I don't even need to go into the .50 Alaskan that jwp mentioned as that is in its own universe of brutality. And here it is, weighing in at 4-lbs, slinging 525s at right around 1,600 fps. Not fun in the least.

This thread reminds me of a thread where "A's" pee pee is much bigger than "B's" pee pee and smacks harder.

I understand what you're saying, and I don't disagree with you. Yeah, there are things out there with a lot more storm and thunder than the .500. Maybe shooting a lot of that stuff has got you guys who do so pretty immune to recoil to the point that the .500 is a pussycat and not so different from a .44 mag that you might notice (emphasis on "you".) When someone posts that it's not as bad as a scandium .44 I can not and will not agree - based on my own experience.

As far as why guys buy .500's, I can only speak for myself: something to play with that was readily available at a reasonable cost. My revolver needs are well met by my .41's and .44's (and a bucket full of .357's and .22's.) If I could walk into my LGS and buy a .475 Linebaugh I would have one...just because. Meanwhile, let's all have fun and take good care of our aging hands and wrists...

More BS from the peanut gallery stating ones experience is not what you describe.

Have you fired a 329 PD with a 300 to 320 grain slugs at 1350 FPS? Just curious.

I have to admit I haven't. I have shot those loads in my other .44's though, and interpolating from the difference in hot 220's in my steel .41's vs my scandium one I can't imagine they'd be as bad as the 500 with full house heavy bullet loads. I could be wrong, I have been before and I will be again and that's a promise.

The recoil is snappy enough that it is very difficult to keep the remaing bullets from jumping crimp.

I have. Some hot Cast-Core stuff. I couldn't bear to shoot more than one cylinder full and my wrist wasn't quite right for a few weeks thereafter. That was when I decided my 329 was actually a .44 Special.

My experience and thoughts as well. Warm loaded 44 Special, but about that level of performance is all I care to absorb, too.

My mind just recalled the ONE TIME I shot a whole cylinder full of those real quicklike. BAD idea. I went hopping around at the range holding my shooting hand with my left hand "Ouch"ing and "OW"ing my way the whole time. Dangitall, it HURT!

Cast Core by Federal are a good bit slower in velocity than those offered by Buffalo Bore, Grizzly, Underwood, etc.

Yeah, I think they run around 1,150 at the muzzle. I have shot a few of those myself and they are extremely accurate.

I don't find the recoil intolerable on a .500. I hate the concussion!!! After firing a few it feels like I got smacked in the noggin'. .460 is the same for me as well.

I think bullet weight has a huge bearing on perception with this cartridge. When I first reviewed this 11 years ago, there was no loading data, the seating cone was designed for flat tip bullets and the cases were designed for large pistol primers.

I tried most of what was available back then and discovered the primer issue with poor ignition and unburned powder, the seating cone was redesigned and I later found my handloads were still a few grains short of max because SAAMI set the new pressure limits at 65,000psi after they changed the primer.

The end result may shock some because I modeled the loads using a .243 for reference as the capacity was similar and that gave me the idea for the primer change.

The cases were changed about that time and I extended the handloading using Federal 210's.

I frankly like the gun as handguns are/were a new world for me and I have no prior bias or trepidation in using just a new gun for review.

It worked well, good loads were developed and I bought the review piece. Still have it though now it is scoped with a 2 power Leupold.
John