Shot a .500 Smith & Wesson today

[Quillback]

After fishing this morning, I rolled over to the local pistol range to expend some .45 ACP.  At the range there was an older gent shooting a .45 Derringer and a group of 3, 2 guys and a gal, younger people shooting various handguns.

When I finished shooting, I was talking to the guy with the Derringer and one of the young guys comes over and asks us if we want to shoot something "Bigger than those .45's", and he pulls out a Smith & Wesson .500 revolver.  It's the performance model, big ol' pistol with something like a 10" barrel.

The dude puts out a box of shells and hands me the pistol.  There were 2 different types of shells, a big size and then another size up, I have never seen handgun rounds that stinking big.  So I load one of the smaller shells in the cylinder and shoot it.  Didn't know what to expect, but the recoil wasn't that bad at all.

So I told the guy that the recoil wasn't too bad and he points at one of the big shells and says "Shoot one of these".  I declined, one was enough thank you very much.

So I was about to leave and the gal comes over and says she wants to shoot it.  She's not a girly girl by any stretch and I think she might have heard my comment about the lighter than expected recoil.

She then loads three of the really big rounds in the gun and I decide to stay and watch.  She fumbles around for a bit and  I got the impression that she'd probably never shot a revolver, let alone something like that .500 S&W.  The guy didn't coach her much either.

So she points it down range, pulls the trigger and BOOM, the pistol almost jumps out of her hands and flies past the left side of her face.  I was over on her right and I thought it may of hit her, even though it didn't hit her, it seemed to have stunned her a bit as she was kind of staggering around, mumbling something, and waving the pistol around.  

After about a minute of that it was determined by her friends that she was OK, and that is when I left.

I'm glad I did not shoot one of those big rounds.

[fishinwrench]

I shot a .460 magnum Weatherby rifle a couple times.   Wow! 😳 

I don't want any part of a .50 cal. Revolver.   No thank you.  

[Terrierman]

A hot loaded .45 LC even in an 8" Ruger is all I want.  

[feather n fin]

Some years back, my son brought his .454 Cassul over and said Dad try this.

Once was enuff.

[Ketchup]

I shot one that a buddy bought a few years ago. I had gotten to his farm 30 minutes after they did, so they had already shot it a few times. As soon as i exited my truck, Dan handed me that beast. He said “here’s you a gun to try. Shoot it at those cinder blocks over by the fence”. I steady’d up, squeezed the trigger, as that block from 20’ exploded into pieces. I have shot lots of caliber handguns, but that one shot was all i needed that day out of that gun. I asked how hot that ammo was, and they just grinned.  

[Carl1969]

Not even interested. Shot a buddy's 7 1/2" .44 Mag Ruger Redhawk one time. Just fine with any normal factory ammo, but with Buffalo Bore 340gr +P+, one round was enough. Shooting's not supposed to be an endurance test & if hot .41 Mag handloads from my Super Blackhawk Hunter won't get 'er done, I'm using a rifle.

[fishinwrench]

11 minutes ago, Carl1969 said:

Shooting's not supposed to be an endurance test

My sentiments exactly !    

[MOPanfisher]

I fortunately outgrew my phase of bigger and badder was better.  Now a hot .357 in my little Taurus revolver is more than I want.  If it ain't fun I don't want to play anymore.