If you already have a .50 cal, maybe a .500 S&W X-frame, .500 JRH BFR, or a .500 Wyoming Express Freedom Arms 83. Then you can just stick to a single diameter for your hand cannons. If you already are not there, once you get heavily invested in reloading and casting, at some point logistical simplification becomes preferential. If I were gonna do everything over again, I'd probably stick to 2 handgun rounds and maybe 3 rifle rounds for all my needs. If that line of logic doesn't appeal to you, a Ruger Alaskan .454 is SUPER fun.
What hand cannon?
- Thread starter BobTheTomato
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Lloyd Smale
Member
if its not going to be a custom my hands down choise would be a FA in 475 or 500we. Id probably go with the 475 as it will kill ANYTHING and its easier to find brass dies bullet molds ect for.
aarondhgraham
Member
I'm with heyjoe,,,
I remember when the .44 Magnum was considered a hand cannon,,,
Now it's considered basic entry level for big boom shooters.
I've fired almost all of the big handguns out there,,,
That's an advantage of belonging to a good Rifle & Pistol Club,,,
My fellow members are for the most part willing to let people try their toys.
For me the .44 Mag is all I want,,,
I have a 6" S&W 629 that I love shooting,,,
But after shooting 3-4 cylinders of factory ammunition I'm done.
I will say though,,,
The Desert Eagle was the exception,,,
The weight or the gas action or both in concert,,,
Make it a big boomer pistol with surprisingly light felt recoil.
But for me,,,
I'll stick to something kinder & gentler.
Have fun with whatever you decide to get for yourself.
Aarond
.
I remember when the .44 Magnum was considered a hand cannon,,,
Now it's considered basic entry level for big boom shooters.
I've fired almost all of the big handguns out there,,,
That's an advantage of belonging to a good Rifle & Pistol Club,,,
My fellow members are for the most part willing to let people try their toys.
For me the .44 Mag is all I want,,,
I have a 6" S&W 629 that I love shooting,,,
But after shooting 3-4 cylinders of factory ammunition I'm done.
I will say though,,,
The Desert Eagle was the exception,,,
The weight or the gas action or both in concert,,,
Make it a big boomer pistol with surprisingly light felt recoil.
But for me,,,
I'll stick to something kinder & gentler.
Have fun with whatever you decide to get for yourself.
Aarond
.
yzguy87
Member
If money was an object I'd get a Taurus Silhouette in 44 mag. I love my dad's!
If money wasn't an object I'd get a S&W 460 with a 14" barrel
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...57767_757751_757751_ProductDisplayErrorView_Y
This is my dream revolver! I love hand cannons!
If money wasn't an object I'd get a S&W 460 with a 14" barrel
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...57767_757751_757751_ProductDisplayErrorView_Y
This is my dream revolver! I love hand cannons!
g_one
Member
I'd classify a .44 mag as a hand cannon, and together with a BFR in 30-30 they make the only two high-powered handguns I really want to purchase.
Jlr2267
Member
Additional recommendation for 44 mag. or 45 Colt
And it sure seems a lot of 44 mag. owners never discover 44 special. I too at 53 have discovered the fun of low recoil. This gun can be you favorite shooter with light loads. Finding and paying for exotic brass is never fun. My Ruger SBH is sure fun when it shoots a 240 grain lead bullet at 7-900 FPS. I just shot it with some Keith SWC bullets at about 1400 FPS and while I could hit what I was aiming for, I was sure glad I fired what I had. Meaning a box of 50 of those would probably last me a lifetime if hunting and blowing stuff up.
And it sure seems a lot of 44 mag. owners never discover 44 special. I too at 53 have discovered the fun of low recoil. This gun can be you favorite shooter with light loads. Finding and paying for exotic brass is never fun. My Ruger SBH is sure fun when it shoots a 240 grain lead bullet at 7-900 FPS. I just shot it with some Keith SWC bullets at about 1400 FPS and while I could hit what I was aiming for, I was sure glad I fired what I had. Meaning a box of 50 of those would probably last me a lifetime if hunting and blowing stuff up.
unspellable
Member
500 s&w
The Wikipedia article on the 500 S&W revolver claims it has a tight bore that will be prone to leading with cast bullets.
I have no experience on this point myself. Anybody have experience with cast bullets in a S&W 500?
The Wikipedia article on the 500 S&W revolver claims it has a tight bore that will be prone to leading with cast bullets.
I have no experience on this point myself. Anybody have experience with cast bullets in a S&W 500?
gearchecker
Member
The STI Perfect 10 is the sweetest handgun on the market. Not quite as cool as a Bren Ten, but one of the finest handguns made to date. It's built on a much larger 2011 frame and it's amazing to handle.
That's what I would like Santa to bring me this year
That's what I would like Santa to bring me this year
.460 XVR. You can load and shoot .45 LC. 454 and .460.
I did not realize they made the 460 in a snub nose. Do you know if they still do?
sgt127
Member
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2003
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- 2,113
I'm sorry, I don't know if they are still in production. They made a few batches of them, some in survival kits with blaze orange or yellow Houge grips.
I got this in a trade. The guy offered me a Bushmaster AR, 500 rds of .223, 10 20 and 30 round mags, slings and all kinds of crap and "a Smith .460" for $1500. I said "you bet!"
I got there and discovered it was the snub nose. Still figured I was coming out way ahead.
It's....exciting...to shoot it with full house .460's.
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/mobile/product/39972/redirect
I got this in a trade. The guy offered me a Bushmaster AR, 500 rds of .223, 10 20 and 30 round mags, slings and all kinds of crap and "a Smith .460" for $1500. I said "you bet!"
I got there and discovered it was the snub nose. Still figured I was coming out way ahead.
It's....exciting...to shoot it with full house .460's.
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/mobile/product/39972/redirect
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98Redline
Member
I will bet that 460 snubbie is quite the flamethrower
AZ Desertrat
Member
Will stick to my Superblackhawks....44 mag plenty enough for me.
captain awesome
Member
Yeah, I do. I also love the big hand cannons. I have owned 3 500 magnums, an 8 3/8" smith, 10" bfr and a 5" Smith. I have shot cast in the last two, and much prefer the models with out the compensator. Do some searching over at castboolits.gunloads.com lots of knowlege and info over there About cast boolits in general and several of us shoot em out of the 500s. Also look at john ross's stuff. He probably knows more about the 500 mag than anyone.
A tight bore quite literally means nothing if if you cast and reload the right way. All cast bullets should be properly sized to fit YOUR gun anyway. You can do a lot more with cast bullets than people think if you put the time in to find what works best in The individual fire arms. Also check out stuff from Veral smith at lbt moulds.
the 480 ruger super redhawk was a fun one too, sold it to help make a down payment on a house. If you want something most have never seen, the 445 supermag Dan wesson always attracts attention at the range. I like the idea of the 475 linebaugh bfrs. The bfrs are terrific and well made revolvers that are not given the attention or credit they deserve. I probably wont bother getting a 475, because I dont want to deal with another diameter of bullet to reload. Still have the reloading dies shell plate and moulds but since I got rid of the 480 I have come to appreciate narrowing the caliber choices down for simplicitys sake.
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22-rimfire
Member
Hand cannons start at 41 magnum and go up from there. I started with a 41 mag and slowly moved up from there. The 41 mag was for deer hunting as I was uncomfortable both using and shooting 357 mag for that purpose.
Zaydok Allen
Member
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- Feb 12, 2011
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- 13,274
My 5" 460 throws a fireball the size of a basketball. That snub must be out of control.
unspellable
Member
500 S&W and 445 DW
I've been shooting the 445 SuperMag since they first came out. I've had four, still have three.
Didn't really plan on getting 500 S&W but somebody made an offer I couldn't turn down. It had the 8 3/8 barrel w compensator and a scope on it. The scope is a 2-6 power, I find the variable feature a bit silly on a big bore revolver. At 6 power the grizzly would have you before you found the sight picture.
I've been shooting the 445 SuperMag since they first came out. I've had four, still have three.
Didn't really plan on getting 500 S&W but somebody made an offer I couldn't turn down. It had the 8 3/8 barrel w compensator and a scope on it. The scope is a 2-6 power, I find the variable feature a bit silly on a big bore revolver. At 6 power the grizzly would have you before you found the sight picture.
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