.500 S&W Magnum

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

.500 S&W Magnum
Comparison of the 500 S&W cartridge (right) to the popular .44 Remington Magnum
Type	Centerfire (.50 caliber)
Place of origin	United States
Production history
Designer	Cor-Bon / Smith & Wesson
Designed	2003
Manufacturer	Smith & Wesson
Specifications
Bullet diameter	.500 in (12.7 mm)
Neck diameter	.526 in (13.4 mm)
Base diameter	.526 in (13.4 mm)
Rim diameter	.556 in (14.1 mm)
Rim thickness	.056 in (1.4 mm)
Case length	1.625 in (41.3 mm)
Overall length	2.10 in (53 mm)
Primer type	Large pistol
Ballistic performance
Bullet weight/type	Velocity	Energy
350 gr (23 g) JHP	1,975 ft/s (602 m/s)	3,031 ft·lbf (4,109 J)
300 gr (19 g) EFT (Jacketed w/Elastomer tip)	2,075 ft/s (632 m/s)	2,868 ft·lbf (3,888 J)
440 gr (29 g) JSP/HCL(Hardcast Lead)	1,650 ft/s (500 m/s)	2,660 ft·lbf (3,610 J)
Test barrel length: 10 in (254 mm) Source: Winchester ^[1]

The .500 S&W Magnum is a cartridge that was developed by Cor-Bon with the "X-Gun" engineering team at Smith & Wesson for use in their Model 500 revolvers and introduced in February 2003 at the SHOT trade show.^[2] Currently only a handful of models have been introduced that fire this massive caliber, including the X-Frame Model 500 revolver from Smith & Wesson, Magnum Research's "BFR" (Biggest, finest revolver), the Taurus Raging Bull and German Janz JTL-E 500. Each holds only five rounds to allow for thicker cylinder walls to accommodate the pressure generated by such a large and powerful cartridge. The single shot Thompson-Center Encore and NEF Handi Rifle are also chambered for this round.^[3]

[edit] Performance

With over 2500 ft·lbf (3.5 kJ) of energy, created with a 440 gr (29 g) bullet travelling at 1650 ft/s (503 m/s), it is claimed to be the most powerful handgun cartridge commercially manufactured, and provides power similar to long established wildcat cartridges such as the .375 JDJ and pistol loadings of the .45-70 Government. Recently, it has been widely compared to the .460 S&W Magnum's muzzle velocity and energy.^[4]^[5]^[6]

The intended design for this cartridge is for big game hunting and wilderness protection.

Bullet weights available for this cartridge range from a 265 grain (17 g) jacketed hollow point, to a 700 grain (45 g) cast lead bullet. Moderate velocity, heavy bullet loads from the .500 S&W Magnum are similar in performance to the black powder .50-70 Government^[3].

The recoil of this cartridge is quite strong. Smith & Wesson has incorporated design features into their Smith & Wesson Model 500, including a muzzle brake, recoil reducing rubber grips, and considerable weight to help mitigate the recoil.^[7]