{"id":65654,"date":"2016-11-03T14:03:37","date_gmt":"2016-11-03T18:03:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/?p=65654"},"modified":"2016-11-03T14:03:37","modified_gmt":"2023-08-20T10:18:19","slug":"sw-500-magnum-gel-tests-cylinder-gap-blast-internals-construction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/sw-500-magnum-gel-tests-cylinder-gap-blast-internals-construction\/","title":{"rendered":"S&W .500 Magnum Gel Tests, Cylinder Gap Blast, Internals & Construction"},"content":{"rendered":"

To purchase on GunsAmerica.com, click this link: https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/Search.htm?T=SMITH%20%26%20WESSON%20500&ltid-all=1&as=365&cid=645&ns=0&numberperpage=50&<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the mid-1950s, Smith & Wesson announced to the public their new Model 29<\/a>, chambered in .44 Magnum. This gun was the culmination of the work of Elmer Keith: Rancher, author, and firearms genius. This offering in .44 Magnum was successful with the big bore and hunting crowds, but failed to take off with the public.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The 4-inch S&W .500 Magnum delivers wrist-wrenching power, but can be a handful to fire.<\/p><\/div>\n

I Blame Clint Eastwood<\/h2>\n

In 1971, Inspector “Dirty” Harry Callahan brought to the double-action Smith & Wesson Model 29 .44-Magnum revolver to the mainstream, with these words:<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Model 29 in .44 Magnum was made famous in the “Dirty Harry” movie series. Image courtesy of Smith & Wesson.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

\u201c\u2019Did he fire six shots or only five?\u2019 Well, to tell you the truth in all this excitement I kinda lost track myself. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and would blow your head clean off, you’ve gotta ask yourself one question: \u2018Do I feel lucky?\u2019 Well, do ya, punk?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

From that moment, the success of the Model 29 was a lock. Many were purchased for full retail plus a nice premium. More than a few were only shot once before they were put up on a shelf along with the words \u201cThis is my Bear gun\u2014I can\u2019t bear to shoot it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith & Wesson was the king of big bore double action pistols until the .454 Casull came along. The .454 was developed in 1957 by Dick Casull and Jack Fullmer.<\/p>\n

Second Place was Just the First Loser<\/h2>\n

In 2002, Smith & Wesson\u2019s Herb Belin proposed the idea of developing a gun to regain the title of the world\u2019s most powerful production revolver. The work would be split with Cor-Bon and the S&W X-Gun engineering team (Lead Design Engineer Brett Curry, along with Rich Mikuta and Tom Oakley).<\/p>\n

The design requirements given to Cor-Bon were to launch a .50-cal projectile in the 400-grain range at around 1,600 feet per second (fps) and produce 2,200 ft.-lbs. of muzzle energy. As a comparison, the vaunted .44 Magnum can push a roughly 250-grain bullet at around 1,300 fps with muzzle energy in the 1,000 ft.-lbs. range. The .50 AE round for comparison pushes a 300-grain projectile around 1,500 fps for 1,400 ft-lbs. or so of energy, while the .454 Casull pushes a 300-grain bullet at around 1,600 fps for a muzzle energy of 1,800 ft-lbs.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The lockup of the new X-Frame revolver was designed around a center pin in the rear of the cylinder, mated with a ball detent in the frame.<\/p><\/div>\n

To meet those requirements, a whole new frame that could accommodate the new .500 round would have to be designed. The decision was made to create the X Frame. The design\u2019s success and speedy creation were facilitated by the SOLIDWORKS design software.<\/p>\n

The sheer weight of the resulting gun was impressive, ranging from 56 ounces to 82 ounces. The lockup was designed around a center pin in the rear of the cylinder, mated with a ball detent in the frame. The barrel was torqued into the frame to form a solid rear attachment point, and then a shroud was installed over the barrel. The butt of the gun was taken directly from the K\/L-Frame\u2019s round-butt frame design, to allow a firm grasp on the beastly thing. The grips for the new Model 500 were designed by Hogue<\/a>: A full-wraparound type (verse the open rear common for K\/L frame) with recoil-cushioning inserts. Smith & Wesson brought back the fourth side-plate screw that left in the late 1950s to stabilize the revolvers larger side plate.<\/p>\n

My First Time<\/h2>\n

I distinctly remember the first opportunity I got to shoot the X-Frame. I was at a local indoor range that was hosting a Smith & Wesson Day event in late 2004. For a mere $10, one could fire three rounds through their choice of the .500 Smith & Wesson Magnum or the 460 XVR. I happily threw down a crisp $20 bill and took my turn on each of the guns. The .500 Magnum was clearly the big dog, and I was sure that I had experienced the new King of the Hill, but I still had questions.<\/p>\n

A number of years later, while on a hog hunt with several members of the Chicago Police Department SWAT team, one of my cohorts hefted out his 8.38-inch X-Frame. Naturally, we set up bowling pins and I got to take my turn on the big bruiser. I was able to control the gun, and you\u2019ll be relieved to hear that we vanquished the bowling pins and suffered no casualties in the battle. Needless to say, the bowling pins were only able to absorb one direct hit from the 300+ grain projectiles we were launching… but it was a tense skirmish all the same.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve fired countless guns over the years, but I vividly remember these two stories because this is a gun of consequence. Its sheer weight and size alone command respect, but the ability to combine both speed of (up to 1,800 fps) and mass (up to 500 grains) on target makes the .500 Magnum a truly awesome weapon.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The beefy X-Frame was developed to handle the .500 S&W Magnum cartridge. With the 4-inch barrel, the massive revolver is more reasonably sized.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Gun<\/h2>\n

When the opportunity presented itself, I jumped at the chance to test the 4-inch Smith & Wesson 500 Magnum. This gun actually has a 3-inch barrel with a choice of two interchangeable muzzle brakes that are easily installable via the included Allen wrench. Although I would hesitate to call it a \u201ccarry gun,\u201d the 4-inch barrel on this one makes it more practical as a portable howitzer for self-defense\u2014possibly in deep bear country? The trigger breaks at 11 lbs. 8 ozs. double action, and 4 lbs., 8 ozs. single action.<\/p>\n

The 4-inch 500 Magnum is equipped nicely with a rear adjustable sight mated with a black front post with a red insert. The top of the barrel shroud is adorned with milled lines that match those on the inset rib of the rear adjustable sight. There was only the slightest play on the cylinder, both side to side and end to end, and the cylinder was timed precisely with a crisp lockup. This big gun was not clumsy at all; it felt and handled like a well-proportioned precision machine. The custom grips designed by Hogue for this gun felt good in the hand, and I appreciated the wraparound design even before shooting the gun.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The barrel features an integrated, removable muzzle brake system and comes with two different versions standard. They can be changed via the included Allen wrench.<\/p><\/div>\n

SPECS<\/strong><\/h2>\n