S&w 500
 

I've got my eye on a beast at the local toy store. Anybody have an opinion on the 500? pros cons

No, but the LGS has 4 of them. I hope some one else buys them before I fall prey. I just cannot imagine carrying one in holster. If I buy one I will have to buy a Burro to carry it. I don't want to feed a Burro!:D

Welcome to the forum.

I still kick myself for missing my chance to purchase a 3" 500 mag several years ago for 500 bucks at a gun store. It was used. They no longer make the 3"

I will have one someday. And a 3" if I have my way. I have a 3" 44 Ruger then and still have it.
Hitchkock45 on YouTube does a review and shoots 60 rounds

Well 50$ for 20 magtech semi jacketed rounds seams impractical to me. Want 20 horniday critical defense rounds? Better be ready to cough up 70$!!!! 3.5$ a trigger pull is no fun lol. Good looking gun though

I have high dollar ammo I have not shot in years. Having a pretty gun does not mean you have to shoot it all the time.

Guns are like wives, you get over squeezing them after awhile and just appreciate them for their looks, knowing at any moment, they can go off and hurt you! Lol..

For most of us, enjoying a .500 requires handloading. I load for mine on my Dillon 550. Handloading takes care of two major issues: cost and recoil. Loading the least expensive bullets, cast, helps to save money, and loading them down saves the wrists and elbows from the effects of punishing recoil. I have three: a 4” which now wears a solid comp; a 5” John Ross Special, which doesn’t have a comp; and a 6 ½” PC Hunter, which currently has the comp sleeved to kill it. As you may guess, I am not a big fan of comps on the big guns. I prefer to allow them to roll. It also keeps unburned powder out of my hair and smoke off the objective of my scope on the PC Hunter.

While the .500s aren’t for everyone, they can be fun for someone who is well versed in handling heavy recoil. I also find it helps to wear padded bicycle gloves. They really take the sting out of the recoil for me.

(I can't post any photos until I get home tonight.)

Thanks guys. Just added this to my short list. My wife appreciates it. I've got to have it.

This is what they look like.

You would have to reload if you want to shoot it regularly. I've shot them before, big, loud, hard to handle. What are you planning to use it for? Are you in an area with a lot of bear?

Keep an eye out for used ones. People buy them, put a few boxes of ammo through them, then sell them on after they realize they are an expensive way to grab attention at the range. Great examples were quite common on the used market last time I looked. However, even for reloaders, calibers that use .5 in the diameter get expensive quickly.
If I were to get an X-frame S&W, I'd opt for the .460. Much more versatile IMHO. Components for .45 diameter stuff are much more common and significantly cheaper. And you can still wake the dead at the range. Bonus: you can use the "mild mannered" ;) .454 Casull & the positively inadequate .45 LC ;) in it in a pinch.