As noted in other posts of mine, I recently picked up the S&W 500 with the 10.5" barrel (the 'big' one of the bunch; most youtube videos of it show the 8 3/8" barrel version; you can tell the difference by looking at the barrel as the compensator on the 10.5" sticks out beyond the rest of the frame and it is pre-drilled for a bracket/sling setup).
Anyway, I had some Cor Bon Hunter ammo with me for shooting it. This particular Cor Bon ammo was 350gr and hollow point. I shot my other 4 guns first, saving the big boy for the finale. I then loaded just ONE bullet into the cylinder and carefully rotated it into position. I must have tested and checked my grip about 10 times before I finally pulled back the hammer for a single-action shot. Again, I affirmed my grip, being sure of the placement of my thumbs after reading a comment that someone ripped off a part of their thumb on one of these babies (true or not, it left an indelible impression in my memory).
At last, the moment arrived. With a clean target about 10 feet away (yes, wimpy, I know), I squeezed the trigger, the gun went BOOM, and ... well, nothing. It didn't flip up on me noticeably at all. In fact, it didn't hurt or sting any part of me any more than my full size 45 does.
Granted, the above was done with 350gr ammo (which cost me $3 a round at the range). I also have some 500gr non-hollow point Hornady ammo (which is an impressively yet larger bullet
), but I didn't have the nerve to bring it along today. Next time though, for sure.
Now, I'm not a big guy, nor do I have Popeye's forearms or a grip of steel. I have to say that both the BOOM and the recoil were far far far nicer than I could have hoped to expect.
I suppose if I had the 4" version of the gun and 700gr ammo (again, as seen in a youtube vid), my reaction would have been different. I will certainly be trying the 500gr stuff next, and if that is manageable, I'll dial it up a notch and try to special order some of the 700gr stuff. In the meantime, I'll be ordering a 200rd bulk pack of 350gr from Cabela's to bring my cost down to $1.50 per shot, with the intention of letting loose 15-30 rounds on my next trip.
Below is a picture of the gun, shown with the 350gr Cor Bon ammo that I used.
.
Sorry that the above pic came out a little dark and shadowy, here is the same gun in another pic with the rest of my collection.
Anyway, I had some Cor Bon Hunter ammo with me for shooting it. This particular Cor Bon ammo was 350gr and hollow point. I shot my other 4 guns first, saving the big boy for the finale. I then loaded just ONE bullet into the cylinder and carefully rotated it into position. I must have tested and checked my grip about 10 times before I finally pulled back the hammer for a single-action shot. Again, I affirmed my grip, being sure of the placement of my thumbs after reading a comment that someone ripped off a part of their thumb on one of these babies (true or not, it left an indelible impression in my memory).
At last, the moment arrived. With a clean target about 10 feet away (yes, wimpy, I know), I squeezed the trigger, the gun went BOOM, and ... well, nothing. It didn't flip up on me noticeably at all. In fact, it didn't hurt or sting any part of me any more than my full size 45 does.
Granted, the above was done with 350gr ammo (which cost me $3 a round at the range). I also have some 500gr non-hollow point Hornady ammo (which is an impressively yet larger bullet
), but I didn't have the nerve to bring it along today. Next time though, for sure.Now, I'm not a big guy, nor do I have Popeye's forearms or a grip of steel. I have to say that both the BOOM and the recoil were far far far nicer than I could have hoped to expect.
I suppose if I had the 4" version of the gun and 700gr ammo (again, as seen in a youtube vid), my reaction would have been different. I will certainly be trying the 500gr stuff next, and if that is manageable, I'll dial it up a notch and try to special order some of the 700gr stuff. In the meantime, I'll be ordering a 200rd bulk pack of 350gr from Cabela's to bring my cost down to $1.50 per shot, with the intention of letting loose 15-30 rounds on my next trip.
Below is a picture of the gun, shown with the 350gr Cor Bon ammo that I used.
.
Sorry that the above pic came out a little dark and shadowy, here is the same gun in another pic with the rest of my collection.
