Not going to lie, I’ve owned this revolver for some time now. And by “some time”, I mean somewhere around eighteen months to two years. Honestly, I wasn’t really sure if this should be a “first impressions” review. Even though I’ve owned it for sometime, my records indicate this firearm has the lowest round count in the entire collection. It’s actually a really low round count. Like “I haven’t even finished the first twenty round box of ammo I bought with it” low.
One might think that with a round count of one round per month of ownership (or less) that it’s probably not a fun gun to shoot. However, nothing could be further from the truth. It’s arguably the most exhilarating gun in the collection to shoot. At the same time, it’s arguable the most difficult gun (and most painful) gun in the collection to shoot.
If memory serves me correctly, along with the purchase of the gun I received:
- the massive revolver itself,
- a user manual,
- a couple infamous S&W internal lock key that I constantly misplace,
- a spare (or replacement) front sight,
- and blue hard gun case that’s about the size of a small brief case.
The revolver is massive.
Weighing in at 71.4 ounces (that’s just shy of 4.5 lbs) unloaded, the stainless steel revolver has an overall length of 15″ of which 8.38″ is the massive barrel that’s crowned with a fixed compensator.
While some may consider a cylinder capacity of five (5) rounds limited, we are talking about five rounds of .500 Smith & Wesson magnum. Frankly, I’ve yet to load more than a single round in the cylinder at a time – so if you ask me, five is plenty.
The sights are black on black. While the front sight is fixed, the rear sight is adjustable for both elevation and windage.
The grips are a soft synthetic material which provide plenty of welcomed cushion to help with the obscene recoil produced by the cartridge.
I wish I could speak about the guns accuracy, but I haven’t attempted to sight it in or shoot groups with it. The recoil is so punishing that I have a hard time shooting more than three rounds before calling it done with this hand cannon. This largely due to the arthritis in my hands which limits how much punishment my hands and wrists can take. On the other hand, the half inch diameter holes left by this cartridge are pretty easy to see.
Even though I’m not very good at shooting this gun and the recoil of the cartridge is punishing, it’s an incredibly exhilarating experience to shoot it. Make no mistake, the hands griping the revolver will feel the authority of the cartridge when it’s fired. At the same, it will leave those who can appreciate it grinning from ear to ear. It’s akin to a car buffs bliss after driving a high performance machine. It’s definitely not for everyone.
Smith & Wesson suggests hunting and state compliance as the primary purposes of this firearm. I’m not sure I agree with it, but mostly because I’m not skilled enough to hunt with it and I really don’t know what is meant by state compliance. I wouldn’t recommend anyone purchase or even rent this gun unless the person is experienced with shooting less powerful big bore handguns and can appreciate the cartridge for what it is.
Please don’t expect to see a 500 rounds later review on this gun from me any time in the foreseeable future.
2 responses to “First Impressions: Smith & Wesson Model S&W500”
[…] with my wife and youngest kid who was 10 years old at the time. It was the same day I picked up the Smith & Wesson Model S&W500 revolver. While I was admiring and considering pulling the trigger on the large hand cannon, my kid […]
I have owned one of these beauties for quite a long time, a dream come true! I have acculumlated some tips for safe storage and operation;
• Please do not use the M500 as a crutch. This may block the barrel with debris and cause a misfire.
• Before firing your M500, perform a function check on it. If it has been left outside (a very bad idea indeed), check the barrel to ensure that no birds or ground-dwelling mammals or reptiles have built nests inside it.
• Do not remove or tamper with the compensator at the end of the barrel. It is there for a reason. Without the compensator, it is much more likely that you will experience a muzzle rise of 180 degrees, which often leads to an involuntary reflex that fires a second round and results in the removal of everything above the shooter’s eyebrows. We have enough “progressives” as it is. We certainly don’t need any more!
• If you would like to carry the M500 as a concealed weapon, we suggest modifying a wheeled golf bag for the purpose.
• Keep in mind that shooting at small game like boar, deer and brown and black bear actually vaporizes the animal, so don’t expect to recover any meat.
• Shooting animals the size of squirrels, raccoons or opossums will not only vaporize them, it will de-create them. They will never have existed in the first place.
• Speaking of larger game — the M500 is the only handgun in the history of the shooting professions that has been rated sufficiently powerful to take down a six-ton adult Tyrannosaurus Rex. If you do happen to bag a T-Rex with your M500, please be considerate and share the meat with those who are less fortunate.
• Please don’t use passing freight trains as target practice with your M500. Derailments are very dangerous and costly to clean up.
• Please do not shoot at the International Space Station with your M500. If the ISS loses any more solar panels, it could restrict the power supply to the astronauts inside. This would be very bad.
• The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is the government agency tasked with detecting and studying earthquakes. We recommend you contact your local branch of the USGS before shooting your M500 so they know they aren’t getting any false positives on their instruments.
• When felling trees with your M500, measure your intended target first. If it does not have a circumference of at least seven feet, other trees may be felled as well.
• The M500 is quite useful for home renovations. To remove the paint from the walls in a hallway, just fire one 350 grain round dead-center down it. To remove the sheetrock as well, fire a second round.
• Excavation of a hole that is approximately the size of a basement for a standard-sized house requires the use of Underwood 700-grain cartridges. If the ground is very rocky, two cartridges may be required.
• The M500 is the only handgun ever known to have made Chuck Norris blink. But after he blinks, he WILL kill you, regardless of how many rounds you fire at him.