When S&W's massive X-frame Model 500 was introduced several years ago, it was as a primary hunting handgun, an 8 3/8-inch-barreled big-game getter that, like as not, would be scoped. Naturally, a four-inch model soon followed, prompting the question: Why would anyone want a four-inch .500 S&W?

(Left) A four-inch barrel (counting the muzzle brake), a 56-ounce weight (unloaded) and a .50-caliber bore all add up to one serious trail gun. (Right) Jerick Henley shows that even a revolver capable of launching 500-grain hardcast bullets is dwarfed by a bison.

Well, a four-inch is a hell of a lot easier to pack than the 8 3/8-inch original, which brings us to the difference between a primary hunting handgun and an emergency backup tool. The four-inch could fall into either category (for pure backup, try the 2 3/4-inch with the red or bright-yellow rubber grips; it's designed to stop big bears from blending Alaskan fishermen, campers and hunters with the topsoil).

I shot (targets only) the original long-barreled model when it first came out, and that was the last thing I'd had to do with the .500 until a recent bison hunt at Oklahoma's Chain Ranch (www.chainranch.com). Most other guys were using Cor-Bon 325-grain DPX ammo out of scoped 8 3/8-inch guns. Deciding to try something different, I went with the iron-sighted four-inch using the Cor-Bon 500-grain hardcast loads.

SPECIFICATIONS S&W MODEL 500
MAKER:	Smith & Wesson
ACTION:	Double-action revolver
CALIBER:	.500 S&W
CAPACITY:	5
BARREL LENGTH:	4 inches
OVERALL LENGTH:	10.25 inches
WEIGHT:	56 ounces
SIGHTS:	Red ram front, adjustable white outline rear
FINISH:	Matte stainless
PRICE:	$1,265

A preliminary zeroing session with the ported four-inch and Cor-Bon 500-grain hardcast ammo proved that the weight difference between the short- and long-barreled versions of the X-frame (72 1/2 ounces vs. 56 ounces, both unscoped) did make a difference in terms of recoil (I won't belabor the fine points of "perceived" vs. "actual." We're talking plain old recoil here). I shot it out to 50 yards, which is about as far as I'm comfortable shooting at game (even bison-size) with an unscoped handgun. Despite the pounding I took, my 50-yard groups were considerably better than "minute of buffalo."

The next day, after a long stalk, I knocked down a nice bull at 40 yards with two quick shots. He tried to get up, and I was obliged to shoot him twice more. A later examination at the local skinning shed told the tale. We discovered that the second bullet had hit close enough to the spine (I'd shot high) to temporarily stun him. The first had drilled through the lungs but had not caused the type of damage that an expanding bullet would've. Others in our party who'd used the lighter, speedier and more destructive 325-grain DPX reported quicker results, which leads me to believe that super hardcast bone-breakers may not always be the answer. They pretty much behaved like a solid, and while many hunters with a lot of African experience swear by them, I think that something that upsets and expands is needed for quick kills if you're trying for a lung shot.

Three-point lockup: All S&W X-frames feature an additional ball-detent for added strength.

A few weeks later I had the opportunity to shoot the Model 500 at the range. Like all the X-frames I've shot--and seen shot--it proved marvelously accurate. The two Cor-Bon loads used on the hunt proved to be terrific performers on paper--groups running at around 2 1/2 inches (discounting the inevitable flyer) even with the 500s and 3 1/2 inches with the 325s. Oddly, results with the intermediate-weight Hornady 350-grain JHPs weren't nearly as impressive, although honestly, by the time I got around to shooting them I was suffering from blast fatigue.

Chronograph Results
Standard Load	Bullet Weight (gr.)	Avg. Velocity (fps)	Extreme Spread (fps)	Standard Deviation
Cor-Bon Barnes X*	275	1,225	52	22
Cor-Bon JHP*	350	1,210	20	7
Cor-Bon HC	500	1,205	23	8
*.500 Special loads as opposed to the full-throttle magnum loads. Abbreviations: JHP, jacketed hollowpoint; HC, hardcast.

Despite a lone flyer, the 500-grain Cor-Bon HC loads at more than 1,200 fps proved quite accurate.

Chronograph results showed the 500s to be amazingly consistent (the chart compares them with other data from "toned-down" .500 Special loads Bob Forker got awhile back). Unfortunately, the overhead sunlight caused some pretty exotic readings by the time I got around to the Cor-Bon 325s and Hornady 350s that I'm reticent to report, and I simply didn't have enough ammo for a next-day redo. But the standard deviation results--at least for the 325s--would probably be OK considering the accuracy I was getting from them.

The .44 Magnum (left) and the .480 Ruger (center) don't measure up sizewise to the mighty .500 S&W (right).

Across the board, you're going to lose some performance with the four-inch Model 500--roughly 300 fps. What you're gaining is something a lot more portable--though scarcely petite. A scoped, long-barreled Model 500 is a terrific specialized hunting tool, but for me it's outside the "handgun category" (OK, that's a pretty flexible niche these days). But even with the velocity dropoff, the four-inch is an awesome revolver. Sure, few folks will ever really need what it offers (and those downloaded Special offerings will provide a less vigorous alternative). But a lot of shooters will want it, in all its magnum glory. And that's the name of the game.