Reloading 500 S&W Magnum for plinking.

[Marplot]

Ordering stuff to reload my 500 S&W Magnum pistol for plinking and target shooting. Never plan to fire full house loads. This can generate 4600ft lbs, SO let's tame this beastie!

Ordering Starline brass
Using my Large Rifle primers.
Maybe getting some "Titegroup" Powder
Maybe just beginning to use FFG?!

But need where to get bullets? I like blue bullets but can't find them in .50 cal, What else could I get? Looks like they need to be .500? Or .509? But your recommendation?

 

[Black Locust]

Midway USA or Graf's. Type in .500 bullets. And like magic.....

Oh and.....TTIWWP

And .509 would work perfectly. If your goal was to get your revolver to self destruct.

Just spit balling here, but 10 to 15 grains of Unique should make for a nice plinking load. H110, W296 and 2400 are for the rockets.

 

[Marplot]

Everything came except the dies. Wait for tomorrow!

 

[ElDiablo]

“Plinking” with a 500 S&W?! lol

 

[box_blaster]

Hard to go wrong with trailboss if you can source it. Never tried titegroup in anything myself & have nothing against it but there are pictures & such out there of it supposedly having destroyed x-frame revolvers due to flash-over, detonation, whatever you wish to call it. Maybe it's just bs idk? A net search for "500 s&w titegroup kaboom" will show the supposed phenomena some have experienced.

 

[Marplot]

The TiteGroup "Kaboom" is usually accidental 2x to 3x overloads, since you only use a few grains, so you could easily put too much in.

If methodically and carefully loaded it should be safe. Biggest side effects is it is messy, but I am used to black powder loads.

But I am starting with Trailboss. Have about one/half pound.

I also just acquired an Aimpoint 9000SC™2 MOA - Red dot reflex sight. Checking on the S&W Forum for more ideas.

 

[snapbang]

Plinking” with a 500 S&W?! lol

That was my thought. The largest rifle cartridge I own is a 338 win mag. I never considered it for plinking. But if your looking to get good with your gun I like it.

 

[Marplot]

Tree rats make good targets. I have an Aimpoint 9000sc Red dot. Reduced loads, but down to about 45 Long Colt loads. 350 grain blue bullets.

 

[earlwb]

Until this thread I really would have never imagined the .500S&W magnum for plinking. They are pushing $100 a box of 20 for the factory loads. So not a bad idea. I hope it works for plinking too.

 

[anonymouscowherd]

Manufacturer load data. Use it- dont assume, guess, etc

https://shootersreference.com/reloadingdata/500-smith-wesson-magnum/

 

[Fishbc]

Ordering stuff to reload my 500 S&W Magnum pistol for plinking and target shooting. Never plan to fire full house loads. This can generate 4600ft lbs, SO let's tame this beastie!

Ordering Starline brass
Using my Large Rifle primers.
Maybe getting some "Titegroup" Powder
Maybe just beginning to use FFG?!

But need where to get bullets? I like blue bullets but can't find them in .50 cal, What else could I get? Looks like they need to be .500? Or .509? But your recommendation?

I reloaded for that caliber in a S&W revolver, a Magnum Research BFR, an M.O.A. Corporation Maximum, and an H&R single shot rifle.
All heavy full power loads.
Guess I never had any desire for plinking loads as I used those guns for hunting.
I have a really neat observance on that caliber in revolvers. I would love to relate it on here but it would be waaaaay to long to type.
Basically it has to do with the barrel time of very heavy bullets and their influence on barrel rise and POI before leaving the barrel in a revolver.
I’ve seen the same thing in a contender without a muzzle break in 45/70 cal.
And with .454 Casull in an M.O.A. Maximum.
Great caliber. Good luck in your search for a plinking load.

 

[Fishbc]

Should’ve said barrel rise and the resulting effect on POI

 

[earlwb]

I remember many years ago when I lived in Arizona that there was a guy who downloaded a .458 Win Mag for rabbit hunting and plinking. He said it was great on rabbits as you aim to have the bullet come up just short of the rabbit. The gravel being thrown up does the killing not the bullet. It was like shooting them with a shotgun. I assume that just in case he would quickly run up and wack them on the head real hard too. There was a magazine article about it at the time. If I remember he was loading it to be a very mild .45-70 kind of load in the .458 mag.

So there could be something to using the .50 for things like that.