The double-action trigger on the test .460 was excellent, although probably few shooters will take advantage of it.

Once upon a time, the velocity threshold for what was quaintly referred to as a "high powered" rifle was around 2,200 fps. Not surprisingly, that figure pretty much coincided with what the .30-30 was capable of. But if--at around the turn of the century--anyone had even dared fantasize aloud about a large-caliber revolver delivering that sort of exit speed, he would probably have been committed.

Well, welcome to the institution. Smith & Wesson's new .460 S&W Magnum X-frame delivers just that--around 2,300 fps with a 200-grain bullet, to be more specific. It's called the Model 460XVR, and it is, by anyone's reckoning, the state-of-the-art long-range big-game wheelgun. The "XVR," incidentally, is an acronym for Extreme Velocity Revolver. And it's an accurate one. The revolver will also accept .45 Colt and .454 Casull cartridges.

The experimental loads I managed to acquire included a Hornady 200-grain SST and three numbers from Cor-Bon--a 200-grain XPB Spitzer, a 300-grain Sierra JSP and a 395-grain Hard Cast (chronograph results are listed in the accompanying chart). Again, I should stress that these loads may--or may not--be what's ultimately available in production ammo.

The .460's straight-wall 1.80-inch case employs a Large Rifle primer to deal with the heftier charge. The maximum average pressure of the .460 is 65,000 psi--5,000 psi more than the .500 S&W's pressure limit and equalling several .300 magnum-class rifle cartridges.

Breaking Barriers
S&W Handgun Project Manager Herb Belin gives this rationale behind the .460:

(left photo) Load lineup (left to right): Hornady 200-grain SST, Cor-Bon 395-grain Hard Cast, Cor-Bon 300-grain Sierra JSP, Cor-Bon 200-grain XPB Spitzer. (right) Two good arguments for versatility: The .460 X-frame will also handle the .45 Colt (left) and the .454 Casull (right).

"With the .500, the goal, obviously, was raw horsepower. When we put the .500 to bed, I'd already decided on my next step. And the .454 Casull was my target. The .460 Magnum was designed to be flat-shooting with a big-game perimeter of 250 yards--assuming a 10-inch kill circle and a mass of body hold. I think the .460 is a better choice for North American big game than the .500."

The substantial pressures developed by the .460 required some innovative engineering. It wouldn't do to simply stick smaller holes in the .500 and stamp ".460 S&W" on the barrel.

A mirror-smooth forcing-cone face helps prevent erosion from what Herb refers to in nonengineering terms as a "screamin' hot blast of gas." Any tool marks or imperfections could channel that hot blast up toward the topstrap, resulting in flame-cutting.

Another pressure concession: a firing-pin bushing the size of the .460's case head for additional support. In Herb's words, "It's a great big ol' circle" as opposed to the smaller bushing diameter of the .500 model.

Model 460 XVR By The Numbers
Action:	DA revolver
Caliber:	.460 S&W Magnum
Capacity:	Five rounds
Barrel length:	8.5 inches
Overall length:	15 inches
Weight:	73 ounces
Finish:	Brushed stainless
Grips:	Hogue rubber
Sights:	Micro-adjustable (drilled and tapped for scope rail)
Price:	$1,253

The engineering brain trust at Smith & Wesson also borrowed a 19th century feature to deal with the unique problems posed by the new load. The .460 features gain-twist rifling to ease the high-speed projectiles into their spin. It starts at 1-turn-in-100 and tightens to 1:20 at the end of the 7 1/2-inch tube. (That's the true barrel length, incidentally. The integral compensator/vent section extends things another inch.)

Prior to getting my hands on the .460, I'd talked to Primedia's Dick Metcalf about his experience with it, and Metcalf's normally unflappable demeanor changed to one of out-and-out enthusiasm when he got to talking about the .460. He'd shot it extensively and had dropped a whitetail with it at 160 yards. I figured anything that blows Dick's skirt up has got to be pretty noteworthy, although I was a bit skeptical about some of his claims concerning what I initially assumed to be a rather "non-revolverlike" accuracy potential and his insistence that the gun was a pussycat to shoot. I began to envision .500-plus recoil in my immediate future.

Any doubts I had, however, were erased by the time I'd ground my way through the first cylinderful.

(Left) That's slick: The face and radius of the forcing cone is mirror polished to allow the super-hot, high-pressure blast of gas to pass as smoothly as possible. (Right) Pressure concession: The Model 460XVR features a mega-size firing-pin bushing that is the same diameter as the .460 case head.

A Whole Lotta Gun
I'd fired the .500 a year ago and was more than a bit gun-shy about X-frames in general. I must admit, however, that the 200-grain Hornady and Cor-Bon loads--at around 2,300 fps, the out-and-out screamers of the bunch--weren't all that unpleasant in terms of felt recoil. However, the rifle-like, concussive blast is something else indeed. I'd strongly recommend doubling up with plugs and muffs and, if you're using a public range, giving a friendly "fire in the hole" warning to the shooters on either side of you.