You ask for my thoughts well for me only I'll never have one. I have seen both in action down at the range and they are just to much gun for me. I know my limations. All we have around here are deer and hogs and .44 mag does a fine job on them. Their so heavy I think they would be hard to shoot in the field unless you have sticks or something. Just MHO.

I would like something big for hiking in bear country. I've owned a .44 mag and loved it. I've never shot anythig bigger but have looked into a .454 Casull.

This is a good read on this subject. http://www.chuckhawks.com/protection_field.htm

Moved to General Revolver, since these cartridges are only chambered in revolvers.

For hunting, I'd just as soon use a rifle. My Scout isn't terribly more cumbersome than a long-barreled X-frame. I do see them as having some use for bear protection, if you spend time in an area that has a history of bear attacks (which are pretty rare, regardless of what we read on the internet). When the 4" .500 first came out, I thought it would be difficult to carry, but when I tested some Galco holsters for it, I found it no more cumbersome on the belt than an N-frame.

I think the best choice for backpacking would be the Ruger Alaskan in .454 Casull. You have the option to carry .45 Long Colt in it and hot loads like Buffalo Bore or Corbon will be pussycats in such a heavy revolver. You still retain the option to use Casull rounds for big beasts.

Well I saw the S&W 460 and 500 serieses in their catalogue and I confess I share hideit's feelings about those beauties. At the same time I share baldy's worries. Sure not to buy as my 1st handgun, I would love though to take them at the range as a back up and shoot my last say 10-20 rounds with'em for fun.

The gun-blast review is pretty favourable to the 460XVR, advertised as yielding the fastest muzzle velocity of any revolver on earth. They say the compensator makes a great work at reducing felt recoil.
Sounds like a great choice, compared to the more extreme .500

http://www.gunblast.com/SW460XVR.htm

Another intersting review, you have maybe read, which is pretty favourable:

http://www.gunsandammomag.com/ga_han...0_072905/#cont



Some personal opinions from shooters in the following link:

http://forums.cabelas.com/archive/index.php/t-3665.html

I'd love to own one...

No idea why...

Testosterone...

That explains it.

Every woman "needs" red shoes. Every man needs a X-Frame.

Nuf said...

I must be testosterone deficient or something. Pass me the juice, sonny!

Originally Posted by Mike Barham

I must be testosterone deficient or something. Pass me the juice, sonny!

Well if you lack some in testosterone you sure make up for it in wisdom!!

Seriously, jeff's description of red-shoes / big-guns fits nicely into the complicacy of human psyche...

Probably, for the unflinching revolver lover, the 460XVR would be a good substitute for the rifle, even for home defense in places like mine almost in the middle of nowhere.
Just speculating according to my mental pattern. Owned a valuable double-barrel 12 gauge for some years but it was heavy and cumbersome...

jeffward - that was great and to the point
you probably hit the nail on the head
lol

i wonder if clint eastwood has shot a 460 or a 500?

i looked up a few data on calculated recoil from the wikipedia:

In a Smith and Wesson .44 Magnum with 7.5-inch barrel, with an empty weight of 3.125 lb (1.417 kg), the following was obtained:
.44 Remmington Magnum - Recoil Impulse of 1.91 ms- Recoil Velocity of 19.69 ft/s (6.0 m/s) - Recoil Energy of 18.81 ft·lbf (25.5 J)
In a Smith and Wesson 460 7.5-inch barrel, with an empty weight of 3.5 lb (1.6 kg), the following was obtained:
.460 S&W Magnum - Recoil Impulse of 3.14 ms- Recoil Velocity of 28.91 ft/s (8.8 m/s) - Recoil Energy of 45.43 ft·lbf (61.6 J)
In a Smith and Wesson 500 4.5-inch barrel, with an empty weight of 3.5 lb (1.6 kg), the following was obtained:
.500 S&W Magnum - Recoil Impulse of 3.76 ms- Recoil Velocity of 34.63 ft/s (10.6 m/s) - Recoil Energy of 65.17 ft·lbf (88.4 J)

From the numbers, we notice that, with respect to the 44 mag, the 460 yields 250% recoil energy, whereas the 500 yields 350% recoil energy.

Those are big numbers, meaning those guns have little practical use beyond sheer fun and bear defense...

I read a recent review on the S&W 500 5".
This gun writer, a big guy who used to bench-press 375 pounds, says he was all right since he has strong arms. He let a marksman friend test the gun. The first time around his friend was wounded at the front by the gun's sight on the hugely recoiling barrel...