Anyone who knows me knows I like big bore pistols. While my first gun ever was a 9mm (GLOCK 17) my second was a 45ACP 1911, I then realized I liked the larger amount of felt recoil and picked up the 50th Anniversary Ruger Blackhawk in 44 magnum. I loved that gun and enjoyed letting other people shoot it, most of whom did not care for the added recoil of a single-action revolver chambered in 44 magnum when they were used to soft shooting 9mm semiautomatic pistols.
When Smith and Wesson came out with the X Framed revolver in 500 magnum a friend of mine quickly picked up the 8-inch version. We hit the range not long after that and he let me shoot it. It was an in-door range and I thoroughly enjoyed how quickly the entire range went quiet after I shot it. We were quickly surrounded by people asking what we just shot, some assumed it was a Desert Eagle, and others mentioned it was Dirty Harry’s 44 magnum. We informed them it was a 500 magnum and more powerful than any of those. In fact, the 500 is the most powerful production handgun ever made.
After that range trip, I knew that I had to buy one. Luckily for me, this was before firearm prices went crazy and I found several new ones on GunBroker. After some internal debate, I decided to go with the 4-inch version as I’m not going to use it to hunt and that the 4-inch barrel (technically it’s 3-inches with a 1-inch compensator) would be easier to handle at the range. Not to mention the fireball exiting the barrel is larger and more pronounced in the shorter barrel.
Before it even got to me I bought a pair of speedloaders from 5 Star Firearms, Galco holster from MidwayUSA, and some Hogue wood grips. I later found out Hogue wouldn’t warranty the grips on the X Frame revolvers as they would crack under the extreme recoil so other than some pictures I took with them on, they’ve not been on the firearm. It’s made to be shot and not a safe queen after all!
I will say, once I finally got a chance to hold and admire the 500 I can honestly say that videos and pictures do not do this gun justice. It’s much larger in person and an absolute work of art. With that said there’s nothing too special about it compared to S&W’s normal lineup other than the fact that everything about it is oversized.
Once I finally got a day off work I took it to the range and to my surprise the recoil was not that bad. I shot a friend’s 500 once but I only shot a single round but all I really had to compare it to that I had a good amount of experience with was my Blackhawk chambered in 44 magnum and honestly, the felt recoil was slightly less than that. I think it comes down to a couple of reasons; first, the Ruger has small plastic grips, the S&W has large rubber grips that help absorb the recoil, and the 500 also has a compensator which negates some of the recoil as well.
All in all the 500 is an amazing firearm and one that I’ll never sell, no matter what. Due to ATF rules, you cannot make a bullet with a larger diameter and I can’t imagine another handgun coming out with a round longer than a magnum this may very well be the most powerful handgun for my entire lifetime. I hope I’m wrong and there’s more innovation coming but only time will tell.
Stay safe, be kind, and help those in need.