The wife and I went to the range, there was a fella a couple of benches away shooting some big stuff. I went to check it out and he asked if I would like to try one. I declined, but he insisted. He had a custom Ruger chambered in .500 Linebaugh. The ammo was custom loads. 400 gr shooting at 1250 fps. Holy crap!!! I am a fairly big guy with large hands and I could barely hold on to the thing, I had enough after five rounds. Shot my 45 afterwards and it felt like a pea shooter.
I agree, bigger is not always better. Could he shoot it? It's funny this is why you normally see these guns for sale and in the listing it says something like " less than a full box of ammo down the pipe!!" Gee I wonder why?? I have two 44 mag and love them. I can shoot several hundred rounds with little to no discomfort ( I reload a little light) and I see no reason to go any bigger. I have been seeing "The Alaskan" The S&W in 500 that comes in the water proof case sitting on the same shelf in the gun shop for over a year. I reckon I'm not the only one who doesn't want to shoot a bullet that large out of a snubnose , or close to it!!!
That's actually a terrible cartridge in my opinion. It reminds me of the Beowolf .499. Terrible ballistics and really no other purpose but to shoot elephants. Even then, it's a terrible choice for an elephant gun.
Orange County Sheriffs office just went out and spent the Homeland Security funding on .499 Beowolf AR15 style rifles. They cited the need to shoot elephants should they ever get out of the theme parks in Orlando zoos.
I guess none of the "Expert" law enforcement deputy's checked to see how lousy a 400 grain bullet is at 1450 fps.....................Could have saved money and just purchased a couple of 45_70 Guide guns. But I didn't expect the Orange County Sheriffs officers to really know anything about what they had just bought anyway.................................mindless.
If you've ever attempted to shoot those things beyond 100 meters you'll be surprised at how much bullet drop is present at an intermediate range. You have to hold low, very low, with a scoped Beowolf.
Orange County Sheriffs office just went out and spent the Homeland Security funding on .499 Beowolf AR15 style rifles. They cited the need to shoot elephants should they ever get out of the theme parks in Orlando zoos.
Lousy? Similar ballistics to .45-70 out of a rifle, but from a revolver, is lousy?.
I understand that big bore revolvers aren't everyone's game, and that some people don't care for heavy recoil and muzzle blast, and no, it's not designed for concealed carry.
Still, I can't understand why every time someone talks about the biggest of the big boy cartridges, someone is sure to deride the cartridge as worthless... a toy... too much gun.
A revolver that is suitable for hunting any large game on this continent... worthless.
A caliber that produces twice the muzzle energy of a .44 magnum... worthless.
A revolver capable of long range accuracy like no other handgun... useless.
Don't knock it simply because it's not your thing. People spending money on guns and ammo, and spending time at the firing range is _always_ a good thing.
I fail to see the utility in any big bore revolver. Unless your hunting big big game, and then a snubby is about as useless as throwing rocks unless you want to get up close and personal with your growling Kodiac Bear.
As mentioned the .499 Beowolf, as now used by the Orange County Sheriffs deputys, is a lousy cartridge for an AR15 platform. It's actually a joke and this should be in the comedy threads.
And, twice the muzzle energy ????...............................Don't think so. I've got 9mm Luger +P+ loads that will produce the same muzzle velocity, maybe not the energy but if your going to shoot a 400 grain bullet, it had better be traveling much faster than 1250 FPS..............................That's actually funny.
i have no problem with people having these guns. if they enjoy shooting them, then great! good for them. no they are not practical for human self defense. but they are practical for other things and heck, guns dont have to be practical to be fun. the only things that concerns me is often the guys with such guns are the unsafe ones. at least where i go and shoot. im sure there are plenty that arnt. just a lot of times the people i see with these are either the ones holding their other guns gangsta style, or the group of guys that decided to rent the biggest gun the range has and think they know stuff about guns when they dont
I happen to like the 500 S&W , honestly tho i like the .460 more . I can get into a 500 for " market value " but wont . If the hand had a .460 where i could use .45 lc in it i would have been all over it months ago . The 500 is impressive , and carrys a lot of weight , the .460 is a true pocket rifle . This will ignite the 9mm vs .45 debate all over again , with predictable results as posters have different expectations , and different needs .
I'd love a .500 Linebaugh, but I don't think I'll ever get one. Its not even on my list. I do have a .475 Linebaugh on my list though...
You can download it to 1000fps and hunt deer and hogs all day long, or crank it up and go after buffalo or grizzly if you want to. Its quite the versatile cartridge, and in a handgun there's not need for amazing ballistics past 100 yds IMO - I wouldn't shoot farther than 75 yds in most situations.
I shoot a 454 Cassull. Not quite up to 500 Linebaugh, but it can intimmidate when being fired.
I had been planning a Alaska bear/carribu trip when I got it five years ago. The hunt did not happen, now it shoots 45 cal. bullets at about 1200fps [sound like a 44 mag.] doesn't it. Much more pleasant to shoot. Great deer pistol.
Quite frankly, at it uppermost loads, it is more than I want to shoot. On the other hand, I have watched people put round after round of heavy loads downstream.
I don't know why you would want a 50 cal. anything unless it was black powder, but it you shoot it safely, why not. Do it and don't look back.
not every one who owns the 500 just has them as toys .. the 500 smith is a fun gun to shoot i do it often the 700 grain load is my fav .. the 460 is a fun gun also I have carried by 4"500 OWB so its possible ..
Sheriff Berry always has to have the biggest toys in the state. God I DO NOT miss central Florida. There you deal with idiots with and without a badge. In Colorado, I only have to deal with generic left-wing tree-hugging idiots. I can't believe DHS approved Kevin Berry's rationale for getting such a useless cartridge. Well, actually I can. It is a federal agency run by theorists. Enough rant.
I think a .44 Mag with a 6" bbl. would keep me in the food chain better than a 2" bbl. .500 - IMHO.
I went to a dealer show at a local gun shop. There was a S&W 500 to rent. I shot it twice. Cost me $2.00 a shot. The first shot, I hit the target dead center, but it knocked me off balance. Quite a punch. Second shot I was more prepared. I loved it and would love to shoot another one/.
I think this might be another example of trying to limit penetration...
I can just see it now. If I was selling the things (and had no honor or conscience) I could say "Yeah they're perfect for elephants, because they're .499 caliber and fire from a rifle - but you don't have to worry about over penetration because they aren't too powerful." So, the perfect elephant gun. No overpenetration.
Most of those big guns are so expensive to buy and so expensive to shoot most people soon loose interest in them. After they brag for 6 months on how you have the biggest handgun on the planet they end up selling or trading at a loss. I have a S&W in .44 magnum and that is plenty of gun for anyone.
Havegunjoe, seems you are being a little critical here. Maybe it's just because I shoot a big pistol.
If I read you correctly, you have no use for one which is very acceptable. I have no use for an assult rifle either, but would not say most people don't need one.
Hope I'm not being too critical here, but I like my 454 and my 44 too.
I know 3 people who bought the S&W 500 and two had Ruger .454 Casull's. All five have traded them in. This of course does not mean everyone doesn't like this type of gun and they do have their place but I would think that I would have to be living in the Alaska wideness to find them practical. Also, I can't afford the ammo bill.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Defensive Carry
5.4M posts
117.5K members
Since 2004
A forum community dedicated to defensive firearm owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about everyday carry, optics, holsters, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!