.500 S&W Magnum

Infobox Firearm Cartridge
name= .500 S&W Magnum


caption= Comparison of the 500 S&W cartridge (right) to the popular .44 Remington Magnum
origin= United States
type= Centerfire (.50 caliber)
service=
used_by=
wars=
designer= Cor-Bon / Smith & Wesson
design_date=2003
manufacturer= Smith & Wesson
production_date=
number=
variants=
is_SI_specs=
parent=
case type=Rimmed, straight
bullet=.500
neck=.526
shoulder=
base=.526
rim_dia=.556
rim_thick=.056
case_length=1.625
length=2.10
rifling=
primer=Large pistol
is_SI_ballistics=
bw1=350
btype1=JHP(Jacketed Hollow Point)
vel1=1600
en1=1990
bw2=400
btype2=SP(Soft Point)
vel2=1625
en2=2346
bw3=440
btype3=HC(Hard Cast)
vel3=1625
en3=2580
bw4=
btype4=
vel4=
en4=
bw5=
btype5=
vel5=
en5=
test_barrel_length= 8.375 in
balsrc= (Cor-Bon) [ [http://www.dakotaammo.net/products/corbon/hunter.htm CORBON Hunter ] ]

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." [http://www.shootingtimes.com/handgun_reviews/monster_1103/ Smith & Wesson's Monster Magnum] " by Dick Metcalf in Shooting Times November 2003] Currently only a handful of revolvers have been introduced that fire this massive caliber : BFR .500 S&W Magnum, Raging Bull Model 500, Smith & Wesson Model 500, JTL-E .500 S&W Magnum 12" barrel. 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. [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_1_53/ai_n16866654/pg_1 NEF's biggest and baddest Handi-Rifle: yeah, it's a .50] , Guns Magazine, Jan, 2007 by John Taffin]

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. [http://www.dakotaammo.net/products/corbon/hunter.htm Ballistics data from COR-BON.] ] [ [http://www.accuratepowder.com/data/PerCaliber2Guide/Handgun/Standarddata/375Cal(9.55mm)/375%20JDJ%20T_C%20pages%20112%20and%20113.pdf .375 JDJ loading data by Accurate Powder] ] [ [http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp Hogdon load data] , search for .45-70 pistol loads]

The intended design for this cartridge is for handgun 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.

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. [ [http://www.cabelas.com/story-123/carlson_beast/10201/The%252BBeast.shtml Review of the Smith & Wesson Model 500] by Dan Carlson.]

See also

* .50 caliber handguns
* .500 S&W Special
* S&W Model 500
* List of handgun cartridges
* 12 mm caliber

References

* " [http://www.handgunhunt.com/june2008/fiftycaliberhandguns.html Handgun Hunter Magazine - 50 caliber shootout] " by Gary Smith
* " [http://www.reloadammo.com/500sw.htm Reloading the 500 S&W Magnum] " at ReloadAmmo.com
* " [http://www.gunblast.com/SW_500.htm Smith & Wesson’s New .500 Magnum Revolver] " by Jeff Quinn at GunBlast.com
* " [http://www.starlinebrass.com/descriptions.html Starline Product Information & Descriptions] " Starline Brass website
* " [http://www.john-ross.net/sw500.php .500 S&W Magnum Loading Data] " Extensive reloading data by John Ross, author of "Unintended Consequences"