Smith & Wesson crowns the new king of handguns with its Model 500 S&W Magnum revolver
In the 1971 movie "Dirty Harry," actor Clint Eastwood introduced the world to the double-action Smith & Wesson Model 29 .44-cal. Magnum revolver—"the most powerful handgun in the world."
It was a crown S&W wore proudly, albeit briefly.
The rising popularity of handgun hunting for big game (spurred largely by the .44 Magnum itself) prompted the introduction of newer and significantly more powerful revolver cartridges. Many powerful enough that they had to be chambered in single-action handguns because existing double-action designs could not contain the recoil forces and pressures they produced.
Since S&W does not make single-action revolvers, and no double-action frame at its disposal could handle the new loads, S&W was effectively dethroned.
At the 2003 Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show, the manufacturer regained its crown. And, most significantly, it did it by introducing a new massive double-action revolver that is chambered for an equally new .50-cal. cartridge.
The S&W X-frame Model 500 is a brawny handgun designed to master the most rigorous hunting fields in the world. It is not a revolver one would, or likely could, tuck into a waistband. In fact, to call it massive is an understatement.
With its 8-3/8-in. barrel, the overall length of the Model 500 is 15 in. and the empty weight is 4.5 pounds. The cylinder alone is almost 2 in. in diameter and approaches 2.25 in. in length. Thumb the cylinder open and five charge holes await. Each is 1/2 in. in diameter, and the .50-cal. cartridges they hold are almost 2 in. long. Load five of them and the total weight of the handgun climbs to 5 pounds.
You don't just casually pick up a Model 500. You have to lift it.
Fire even one of those big cartridges and you'll appreciate why the weight and mass are there.
When the .44 Magnum laid claim to being the most powerful handgun in the world, its standard load produced about 900 ft.-lb. of muzzle energy. Several new loads have since eclipsed that, but the handgun most commonly used by big game hunters is the .454 Casull, which will generate about 1900 ft.-lb.
The 500 S&W Magnum will produce almost 2600 ft.-lb. with its heaviest load, and more powerful loads may well be on the way.
If Dirty Harry felt that the .44 Magnum would make his day, the new 500 S&W Magnum would certainly make his decade. It is the largest double-action revolver available, and there is no production revolver in the world—single or double action—capable of matching, or even approaching, the level of power it produces.
Harnessing that power in a double-action revolver, however, required some departures from traditional designs.
Rethinking Double-Action Design
No frame in the S&W line was capable of containing the 500 Magnum, so the new X-frame was designed specifically for the 500's .50-cal. cartridge. It is massive. But, just making a bigger double-action revolver was not the solution. A major concern was the barrel-to-frame connection. This is traditionally done by simply screwing the barrel into the front of the frame, but this design places all firing stress at that one point. To increase strength throughout the 500's barrel assembly, S&W opted for a composite barrel/shroud system.
A stainless steel barrel tube is torqued into the frame to form a solid rear attachment point. A separate, heavy stainless steel shroud is then slipped over the barrel and braced against the forward portion of the frame. The muzzle end of the barrel bears against the forward end of the shroud, and a separate compensator/muzzle brake is then rotated into place under torque at the muzzle end of the shroud.
This arrangement compresses the shroud and places the barrel tube under tension for its entire length. In effect, the barrel and shroud act as linear springs to distribute the stress of firing across the entire barrel/shroud component instead of focusing it all at the single junction of the barrel and frame.
Maintaining precise cylinder alignment was another concern. Traditional designs utilize a front- and rear-cylinder lockup, with the forward end of the ejector rod bearing against a ball-detent fixture on the barrel to provide the front lockup. Given the power of the 500 Magnum, the potential for flex in the ejector rod had to be addressed. The solution was to dispense with that design and install a massive ball-detent lock on the frame itself, directly below the barrel forcing cone. This mates with the yoke to provide a solid front lockup directly at the front of the cylinder. Combined with the traditional rear lockup, this is the strongest cylinder alignment design possible.
While the 500 S&W Magnum answers the question of "where's the beef?" the company wisely decided to incorporate the same grip dimensions found on its much smaller K-frame handguns. Experienced handgunners regard this as one of the best handgun grips ever made.
Thus, the 500 Magnum is a big revolver that's strong where it needs to be, but is comfortable to handle. That was borne out during firing tests.
Caliber: .500 S&W Magnum
Barrel: 8-3/8 in.
Capacity: 5 rounds
Front Sight: Interchangeable black blade
Rear Sight: Micrometer click-adjustable black blade
Grips: Hogue rubber, energy absorbing
Weight (empty) : 72.5 ounces
Material: Stainless steel
Finish: Satin stainless
Overall length: 15 in.
Other features: Internal key lock and recoil muzzle compensator
On The Firing Line
Despite the power of the cartridge, the 500 S&W Magnum is surprisingly controllable. Due largely to the sheer mass of the revolver (combined with the muzzle-heavy balance and an excellent muzzle brake), the violent wrist-wrenching muzzle whip associated with single-action revolvers firing such powerful loads as the .454 Casull and the .475 Linebaugh has been tamed considerably.
In those guns, muzzle rise on recoil can reach 90° and present a hazard to the shooter. With even the heaviest 500 Magnum load tested, muzzle rise was confined to the 50° range and there was never any concern about the shooter wearing an imprint of the front sight in his forehead. That does not mean it's a pussycat. Make no mistake about it, this is not a handgun for the timid or the inexperienced. In comparison tests, the lightest 500 load—the 275-grain jacketed hollowpoint at 1665-ft.-per-second (fps) velocity—produced a modest, but noticeable, increase in recoil levels over a S&W Model 629 .44 Magnum. Anyone who is uncomfortable with the .44 Magnum will be decidedly uncomfortable with the 500 Magnum. The 440 cast-lead load at 1625 fps raised the recoil bar significantly. Muzzle rise still remained under 50° and placed little or no stress on the wrists, but the rearward thrust absorbed by the shooting hand began to become uncomfortable after 10 to 15 rounds. A shooting glove would have mitigated some of that.
Still, considering that the projectile weight and velocity of this load is virtually identical to a 1-ounce 12-ga. rifled lead shotgun slug—and that the 500 Magnum operates at over four times the pressure level of the slug—the recoil was less than expected. We'd say that Dirty Harry would certainly approve.
One of the more unusual aspects of the Model 500's creation is that S&W developed the cartridge first. Only when the gunsmiths had the performance levels they wanted, did they design and build the revolver that would fire it.
The cartridge design was handled by Cor Bon of Sturgis, S.D., which has extensive experience in that field. The guidelines the company received were firm: The bullet had to be precisely .50-cal., and the operating pressure could not exceed 50,000 psi. It had to produce at least 2200 ft.-lb. of energy with its heavier loads, and the overall cartridge length could not exceed a certain figure.
According to Cor Bon, the task was easier than it sounds.
Research determined that no existing cartridge case would meet the specifications, so a completely new, straight-walled .50-cal. case, measuring 1.625 in. in length (using standard large-pistol Magnum primers) was designed and produced. A pressure barrel was built, and the testing of powder and bullet combinations began.
It quickly became apparent that the energy requirements could easily be met, and at significantly lower pressures than the maximum allowed. The search then turned to those specific bullets that would provide the best terminal performance. That was done through actual hunting field tests and took almost a year. The quest for the best bullets continues, but at press time Cor Bon was offering three effective loads.
The "light" load is a 275-grain Barnes X copper hollowpoint bullet. Muzzle velocity is 1665 fps and it produces 1668 ft.-lb. of energy. It is more than adequate for any game up to and including elk.
A 400-grain jacketed softpoint at 1675 fps and 2500 ft.-lb. of energy is available for larger game.
Those heading to Alaska, Africa or even Jurassic Park will want the 440-grain hard-cast lead, gas checked, flat point load. At 1625 fps and 2580 ft.-lb. of energy, it will handle anything a handgun hunter is likely to pursue.
A 385-grain flat based spitzer load was to be available by press time. Cor Bon says this may be the best all-around load for the 500 S&W.
Additional loads may well be more powerful. There is enough room in the cartridge case and revolver cylinder to handle bullet weights up to 500 grains, which will make the Model 500 suitable for any game animal on Earth.
