Finally got me a 500S&W rifle

[mickbr]

Somewhat of an oddball this one, Winchester XPR which apparently started life as a 270WSM and wears a stainless steel barrel. Should arrive next week. Im not sure how it will do, previous owner says it feeds fine outta that little mag and he took deer. I admit I took a bit of a plunge with this one, price is a fraction of a BHA lever so I grabbed it. I'm not a big fan of that side lever setup but maybe it will grow on me.

[AJMD429]

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My first 500 S&W was a breakopen Handi-rifle - It was on the 'used rifle' shelf for $125, and the story was clear - it the front sight had a broken fiber insert, and there were shear-marks indicating a slipped scope from recoil, and it came with a box of 19 unfired cartridges and one fired case...

It was enough to convince me that it was kind of a rifle-cartridge equivalent of a 20-gauge slug gun, in that format, only potentially far more accurate.

Years later I saved and traded and wound up with the BHA I now have, but I think you'll likely find the bolt action in 500 S&W will be kind of like having a Ruger 77/44 in 44 Mag - yeah it is a fun and good levergun cartridge, but can certainly be implemented well in a bolt action. I tend to scope bolt actions and use aperture sights on leverguns, due to the likely shooting applications, but othewise either 'real lever' or 'side lever' is definitely workable.

[Bill in Oregon]

That ought to provide as much punch at both ends as you could possibly want.
I will confess that out of a 10-pound rolling block sporter chambered in .50-70 and a compressed load of No. 2 Swiss under a 625-grain Creedmoor bullet from a Buffalo Arms mold, the recoil was borderline unpleasant. Not sure what your Winchester weighs.

[yooper2]

My dad had a 500 S&W handi-rifle he won in a raffle. It was a real handful to shoot with full loads. He added about a pound of lead to it and loaded it 50-70 levels which made it much more tolerable.


Eric

[mickbr]

That ought to provide as much punch at both ends as you could possibly want.
I will confess that out of a 10-pound rolling block sporter chambered in .50-70 and a compressed load of No. 2 Swiss under a 625-grain Creedmoor bullet from a Buffalo Arms mold, the recoil was borderline unpleasant. Not sure what your Winchester weighs.

Hi Bill, maybe 7.5lbs, owner wasnt sure. They go about 7lbs in 270WSM. Its got a heavier barrel but also shorter. The BHA 500 18" barrel versions are about 8lbs so I will add weight to that ballpark. Not looking to run it full tilt, figuring to stay at revolver power levels, maybe 350-400 grains at 1650fps or so,. More like 12ga 3" slug power than 50Ak levels.

[mickbr]

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Years later I saved and traded and wound up with the BHA I now have, but I think you'll likely find the bolt action in 500 S&W will be kind of like having a Ruger 77/44 in 44 Mag - yeah it is a fun and good levergun cartridge, but can certainly be implemented well in a bolt action.

yup Ruger 77 type thing is how Im seeing it doc. And of course to scratch an itch . I can stop scouring gun classifieds now for cheap BHA's, 480 rossis, 50AE on lever actions and other forms of unobtanium.