.500S&w vs .30-06... just for fun

[115grfmj]

Just for giggles compare the .500s&w vs the .30-06. What would be the strenghts an weakness of either in the field (Hunting) Would one be better than the other, assuming both fired from the same style rifle platform. Could either one give you an edge in any particular situation to justifiy its purchase over the other. Assuming any Game to be taken in North america Only. Price and availabilty could also be taken into account, as could recoil range and accuracy. How would you rate them as a worthwile purchase.

Remember just for fun.....although you comments could be used to help justify a new rifle purchase to the wife.

 

[Art Eatman]

A .30-'06, depending on skill level, is quite good for most North American game to 500 yards.

Fat pistol bullets ain't. Slow down quickly, basketball trajectory. "I shot a bullet into the air; it came down, some dang where. Burma Shave."

 

[jakk280rem]

I'm gonna go with Art on this one. However; I will say, if we changed the platform limitation in your supposition, it might might put the 500 out front in certain circumstances.

 

[hipoint]

I would say if I had a big boar bear charging me I'd rather have the 500 ready to go... Although the right ammo in a 30-06 would have pretty impressive stopping power too.

if this were a hunting gun, by far the 30-06 I can't really think of anything except defensive situations that the 500 would be better for. I honestly didn't know the 500 came in a carbine yet, I'm assuming lever action? If so, the lever action 500 would be very very nice against hogs or close action bear, I've had deer run off a bit after a good shot with a 30-06, I'd say the 500 would just knock something on it's butt.

 

[Smith357]

Even though the S&W 500 is a big heavy gun, it's still easier to carry in thick wood or up and down mountains where having both hands free to brace yourself may come into play. For anything else the 06 rifle wins hands down.

 

[Ron James]

Just for fun, it is impossible to compare a dedicated rifle cartridge such as a 30-06 to a pistol cartridge in terms of effectiveness:banghead:

 

[C-grunt]

I'd bet a hardcast 500 would penetrate better than the 06 but the 06 has much more range and would probably be more effective.

 

[rule303]

The 30-06 wins out in most areas, trajectory, accuracy, available platforms, cost, and availability of ammo.

 

[115grfmj]

Against heavy game (I.e. Moose or Bear, Black brown etc) does it make sense to go with the .500 or can the 06 do just as much , and be lighter on the wallet.

 

[TexAg]

Are you comparing cartridges only? If they were both fired out of a rifle it makes for a better comparison (.500 can be had in a lever action and a Handi Rifle). Cost and availability as well as variety of rifle manufacturers all favor '06. About the only place I might prefer a .500 is, like someone above said, a big bear was up close and personal (and the .500 better be in a lever gun, not a single shot).

 

[coosbaycreep]

.30-06 may be more practical and affordable, but .500 is more fun to shoot, and WAY more powerful when fired out of a rifle.

.500mag doesn't do as good against steel though. Here's a plate I shot earlier this year:





I shot it with .30-06 AP and 180gr hornady SP, 8mm mauser AP and 125gr HP, and 300gr FTX and 700gr hardcast with the .500 from a handi rifle. Both the 8mm and .30-06 AP made it through, but the SP/HP didn't. They just made a "ping" sound when they hit too.

The 300gr FTX didn't penentrate as far as the HP/SP from the rifle calibers, but it knocked the plate down. The 700gr splattered and did nothing as far as penetration, but it hit the plate so hard it knocked the plate down and busted the rock in half that was propping it up.

I recently sold my .500, but that thing never failed to impress me with how destructive it was with max/near max loads. Load it with 420 or 440gr lead bullets and trailboss, and the recoil is light enough a kid can shoot it. It obviously lacks the range of a .30-06, but with bullets ranging from 275gr to 700gr, it still offers quite a bit of versatility for being a morbidly obese handgun cartridge. Within 100-150 yards, I'm sure it'd be just fine for hunting, but there isn't anything living in the lower 48 (outside of a zoo) where it would offer an advantage over a .30-06.

.30-06 is as perfect of all around cartridge ever made, but if you want to blow the absolute crap out of stuff just for the heck of it, .500mag (from a rifle, I don't know about from a revolver) is the most powerful thing you can get for the money.

 

[FROGO207]

I have both calibers in a NEF Handi Rifle platform. All things equal it is a tossup out to 50 YDS then the heavier bullet shows some effects of gravity.

 

[R.W.Dale]

I have both calibers in a NEF Handi Rifle platform. All things equal it is a tossup out to 50 YDS then the heavier bullet shows some effects of gravity.

The bullets drop towards the ground at the same speed FYI its how much distance they cover before they hit the ground that's the difference.

Like you I've had both. One thing the 500 never fails to do was rattle your teeth on firing.

Look at it this way. For hunting There are things the 30/06 can do the 500 can only dream about. There really isn't a reverse to that.

Which isn't to say the 500 is not good at what it does. But the op asked about versatility, and there the 06 almost always wins

posted via tapatalk using android.

 

[Oxide]

A pistol, pretty much, is never better than a rifle in terms of ballistics and stopping power. The reason the pistol was invented was as a sidearm, when you either had your hands full with a rifle, or doing something else. Nowadays, concealment also is in there.

Upshot of that: if you can use a rifle, do so.

 

[303tom]

No comparison, the .30-06 is faster & will go further.

 

[MachIVshooter]

For puttin' down something big and mean at close range, the .500 from a rifle barrel has a significant advantage over the '06.

For every other purpose, the .30-06 is a more useful cartridge.

 

[Princi]

To add a little more to what R.W. Dale said:

One day when I was range office a fairly large frame guy was shooting a single shot rifle chambered in S&W 500. It was knocking the snot out of him. He ended up with a sandbag betwee the rife and his shoulder.

I've never been too pleased with rifles chambered in pistol calibers. The only one that I really liked was the Kriss Super V in 45ACP.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

For hunting There are things the 30/06 can do the 500 can only dream about. There really isn't a reverse to that.

Nuff said!

 

[GaryM]

If you run the numbers (TKO, FtLbs, etc.) a 500 S&W out of a pistol might surprise a lot of the pro-rifle crowd here.
Beartooth bullets has an online calculator that can do all this. Personally for close range grizzly defense I would prefer a 500 S&W pistol to any 30.06, even a semi auto like a Garand.

 

[Michael R.]

i might be opening up a whole new can of worms, but how would the 500 fare when it was shot out of a 10 inch pistol barrel and the 30-06 was shot out of a 10 inch barrel? i would seem to beleive that the 500 would have more power compared to the 30-06 in that situation.

 

[d2wing]

The .500 S&W is roughly the same as a 45-70 or 12 gauge slug. I shot a deer yesterday with a 12 guage at about 40 yards. It smashed bones and killed the deer but but had no cavitation like a 30-06 would. I have shot lots of deer with both, I'd pick the 30-06 everytime for everything. More penetration, more damage, more range, better accuracy. If for some reason you hunt where you can use a pistol cartridge but not a rifle then it is useful or as a holstered back up. That said, you probably can kill anything that walks with either one.

 

[sugarmaker]

30-06 can be fired out of a browning M1919, wins hands down for combat, dangerous game, home defense, and overall fun.