The Smith. 500 revolver

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  • geezer

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jul 14, 2016
    51
    6
    NE Indiana
    On another forum there has been some discussion about circumstances that cause the Smith .500 to double in full recoil.
    The supposition is that, in the hands of an inexperienced shooter, the massive recoil compresses the grip material resulting in a springing action and a inadvertent double firing of a second round while in full recoil.

    One of the members of that forum confirmed it. His Dad fired two rounds. The firing was so close together that he did not believe it until he opened the cylinder. That backs up the report of a woman who lost her life by the second round hitting her in the head.

    I also note that there videos online that are made by idiots out there who purposely let a novice fire the .500 to get their reaction. As a long time NRA instructor, that is a real head shaker!!

    IMO, Even aside from the possibility of loss of life issue, the thought of sending a .50 cal. up to 700 grain bullet OFF of a legitimate range could result in shutting down the range by legal action. That is also serious!

    One solution: load only one round until familiar with the gun.

    Comments?
     

    maansmit

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    22   0   0
    Aug 12, 2014
    5,743
    38
    Greenfield
    I have never fired one but would like to. If and when I get the opportunity to, I would only load one round for the initial firing so that I could get accustomed to and comfortable with firing that hand cannon.
     

    aturk

    Marksman
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jul 25, 2016
    248
    16
    Charlotte, NC
    I have one. 8" Barrel. Love it.

    I will only load one in it no matter what if handing it to a new shooter. It's a handful, and there's a little bit of natural intimidation that comes with it. Once you've shot it once, 90% of that fades.

    First day I had it on the range, my dad and I got about 30 rounds out of it. I did about 10, he did about 20. Hands were swollen, red, and throbbing by the time we were finished. The frozen pumpkins didn't survive however. :)
     

    biggen

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Feb 12, 2012
    353
    18
    I own a 8" 500 Smith, I always take it to our church's " God, Guns and Grub" men's outing each year. I never let anyone shoot it the first time with more than one round in it.

    Even though I only provide 350 or 400gr. loads for it, they are still pretty hot loads. And even though a 8" has enough weight that it really shouldn't get away from anyone, you never know.

    Better safe than sorry. As gun owner's who are constantly under attack for things we're not responsible for, we need to be careful to not give the enemy ammunition to use against us.
     

    Hop

    Grandmaster
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    16   0   0
    Jan 21, 2008
    5,084
    83
    Indy
    I shot aturk's pistol. I'm not a new shooter, actually am an NRA instructor and that thing took me by surprise. It doubled on me the first time I tried it. Tony has a video of it somewhere although I'd prefer he burned that footage. ;)
     

    Tandem160

    Marksman
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Jan 27, 2009
    177
    18
    I had one when they first came out. Took it to the field..double tapped it right off the bat. I believe I was shoorting Corbon lead cast 500gr's ?. A very fun and powerful gun to shot for sure, when I sold it I kept the unfired ammo and brass though. It is as expensive to shoot as it is fun. The Barnes hollow points absolutely disintegrated cantaloupe. So to the OP, it happened so quickly after pulling the trigger that I felt like something weird and unusual had happened so I checked the cylinder and found that I had fired two rounds. The second round fired in such a way that the recoil from the second round seemed to melt into the initial rounds recoil. Weird I know but that's the way it happened.
     

    Sniper 79

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    19   0   0
    Oct 7, 2012
    2,939
    48
    Saw a dude from my former gun club handing his off to inexperienced shooters. I watched some young girl double tap. Scary stuff and nothing to laugh at. Owner thought it was hilarious.

    He tried handing it to me next. I passed. Anything over 357 mag and it's long gun time. Been there done that.
     

    oldpink

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Apr 7, 2009
    6,660
    63
    Farmland
    I shot one on a single occasion when I was at the range shooting 10mm and my Ruger Blackhawk .45 Colt, both with very stout loads.
    There was a very generous gent there shooting it, an 8" version with the integral muzzle brake, and the thing that impressed me the most about it was the muzzle flash and blast.
    As I was saying, I wasn't shooting pipsqueak loads by any means, and he just casually offered to let me put a whole cylinder full through his model 500, so who was I to turn down an offer like that...I mean, that Hornady ammo probably cost at lest three dollars a shot.
    Anyway, he didn't bother single loading it, probably because that Hornady ammo was strong but by no means the really hairy stuff intended for dangerous game, and also because he could probably see that I handled the considerable recoil from the Blackhawk with no problem.
    To be honest, I was really surprised by how well the weight of the gun combined with that big muzzle brake worked together to make the recoil, while still significantly greater than even my stout .45 Colt loads generated, not at all painful or unmanageable, more of a great big shove really.
    I had no inadvertent double taps.
    However, that's one gun I firmly believe requires double hearing protection outdoors, but totally unsuited to any indoor range because even double hearing protection indoors probably won't attenuate the incredible muzzle blast (literally as loud as a thunderclap) enough to prevent hearing damage, and surely flinch-inducing.
    I'll admit that I would have requested a single round only if the gent who owned that beast had some of the loads intended for Grizzly on hand.
    As Clint Eastwood says in Magnum Force​, a man's got to know his limitations.
     

    edporch

    Master
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    25   0   0
    Oct 19, 2010
    4,663
    149
    Indianapolis
    I've had a S&W Model 500 8" barrel for several years and I nor anybody I let shoot it has ever doubled it.
    This is the first I've heard of this.
     

    aturk

    Marksman
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jul 25, 2016
    248
    16
    Charlotte, NC
    I shot aturk's pistol. I'm not a new shooter, actually am an NRA instructor and that thing took me by surprise. It doubled on me the first time I tried it. Tony has a video of it somewhere although I'd prefer he burned that footage. ;)

    I wasn't going to mention that :)

    It didn't help that it was about 120^F out that day we were shooting and our hands were so sweaty it felt like we dipped them in motor oil.

    400gr Magtech's, luckily only loaded one up in the chamber for ol butterfingers Hop.
     
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