Visiting the Smith & Wesson booth at the 2004 SHOT Show, it wasn't long before a S&W staff member grabbed my arm and led me to the 500 Magnum display. Poor Herb Belin, "the man" at Smith, had probably already explained the new muzzle brake a hundred times but he's obviously quite proud of their

The 500, now with a 4-inch barrel, should be quite a handful to shoot. However, if you find yourself outdoors and up against a critter with the wrong attitude, it may be the best shortgun ever developed. The 4-inch gun gives up about 400 ft/lbs of energy compared to the 8-inch model. Photo by Gary Smith

new 4-inch barreled gun and it's very creative muzzle brake. I won't go into the details of the 500 cartridge since it was covered last year but in case you've missed some of the hunting reports, it's already taken elephant, cape buffalo and grizzly with ease.

The mechanical function of the firearm's action hasn't changed this year but it has a very aggressive, and I must say formidable looking, muzzle brake. The muzzle brake is a unique design and is removable. The photo below shows six locking slots that keep the brake attached to the gun. By turning the hex screw on the forward section of the barrel lug clockwise the brake can be removed with a twist.

Besides being interchangeable the brake also looks the part for being on the biggest - baddest revolver ever invented. Photo by Gary Smith

Realizing the 500 Magnum is a 60,000 psi cartridge you would imagine that lead bullets will leave a deposit around the workings of the brake attachment it not designed properly. For this reason the gun is supplied with two brakes from the factory, one for lead bullets and one for jacketed. (Other brakes will be available as accessory items.) When the "lead bullet" brake is attached the holes just south of the front sight will be closed. Although the brake shown on this gun is an early model they are basically the same as you will find on the production version. One addition will be a small hole on either side of brake allowing the shooter to insert a hex wrench or similar device to gain a bit of leverage when removing the brake for cleaning.

When shooting cast bullets, use of the correct brake means the three holes on either side of the front sight will be closed. Photo by Gary Smith

Shooters will probably want to remove the brake and clean the mating surfaces about every 40 or 50 rounds to ensure the easy removal of the brake remains that way.

This gun will be very well suited not only to the serious handgun hunter but outdoorsmen in places like Alaska will no doubt feel a good deal more comfortable with a 500 on their hip vs. a lesser caliber firearm. The goal with the 4-inch version of the 500 was, among other things, to produce a gun that could be carried on the hip. All of us realize that finding a holster for this new model would be impossible so Smith is also producing a high quality leather belt and holster designed for this gun that will make carrying it a snap. Due to the higher production cost of the brake on the 4-inch model it will be about another 100 dollars more than the standard model 500 Magnum.

A top quality leather holster is available from Smith for the 500 4" and retails for about $225. Photo by Gary Smith

I'm sure many have heard stories about the cylinder bolt "problem" that some shooters are experiencing when shooting the 500. Basically the cylinder bolt is dropping out of the way and letting the cylinder rotate freely after firing a shot. Determined to get to the bottom of this I asked Herb Belin about it in front of numerous members of the press and other bystanders and he went into great detail about the cause of this scenario.

I have come to believe that they are indeed correct and the problem lies with the shooter / gun interaction. As it was explained to me, when the gun recoils the shooter's trigger finger is driven forward a little. As the rearward shove starts to taper off the shooter regains the rearward force on the trigger and this short cycling of the trigger causes the cylinder bolt to drop out of the way and the cylinder is then free to rotate. In extreme cases the shooter actually fires the gun twice as their finger cycles the trigger. Herb suggested shooters need to modify their grip when shooting the 500 and place the thumb of the non-gripping hand across the back of the gripping hand to prevent some of the rearward travel when fired. This "problem" is noticed because the guns are double action in a world where this kind of power has only been available before in single shot or bolt action firearms. Single action guns are mechanically incapable of this phenomenon.

Aficionado's of performance center guns will also find a new 6-inch version that should prove to be very popular with the serious hunting crowd. The PC gun won't be available till around May but I handled a pre-production version and it has the best balance of any I've held. Second on that list is the 4-inch.

Good Hunting,
Gary

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