Powder choice for .500 S&W
- Thread starter .Ben
- Start date
pageophile
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Edmonchuk, AB
Use H110 for my 44MAG's and it works just dandy in the 500!
Fun though, a hot loaded 500 is so much more than a hot 44MAG.
You're gonna have FUN!!!
Fun though, a hot loaded 500 is so much more than a hot 44MAG.
You're gonna have FUN!!!
Johnn Peterson
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Chemainus B.C.
No experience with the 500 in anything other than my S&W but in that with lighter loads, Unique. For the heavier loads, with cast or jacketed bullets, H110. Something to keep in mind, much of the earlier production brass was made to accept large pistol primers. With the use of a slower burning powder like H110, for reliable ignition, I'd strongly suggest using cases such as those that are now made for use of large rifle primers. I believe the acceptable standard by most manufgacturers is now along that line but there's still a lot of older brass around in circulation.
For the most part, virtually 'anything' load wise, heavy or light that I've put through my Smith shoots well.
For the most part, virtually 'anything' load wise, heavy or light that I've put through my Smith shoots well.
I am using both of those powders for the same 350gr bullet, both of them giving good velocity and accuracy in my H&R. If you have a large rifle primer pocket reamer and it doesn't take a few thou off the bottom the brass is LR. There isn't much LP brass around in my experience.
I found the brass needs lots of bell to prevent crunching the brass when seating bullets.
I found the brass needs lots of bell to prevent crunching the brass when seating bullets.
Johnn Peterson
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Chemainus B.C.
Good question. When I started reloading for the 500, all the brass I had was Hornady. For heavy loads I tried 296 and H110 and stuck with H110 as the accuracy, for me, was slightly better. I did however, have the odd round that ignition was questionable and a good amount of unburnt powder was left behind. It didn't seem to matter if the primers were standard large pistol or magnum. Sometime later I found out Starline had 'likely' experienced similar problems and had rectified the issue by making the brass to accept somewhat hotter large rifle primers. Solved any problems I had. Just used Starline for the heavy loads and kept the old Hornady brass for the lighter stuff. I don't know for a fact but as I understand it, apparently many manufacturers now make their 500 S&W brass to accept large rifle primers. There's probably some marking to allow you to tell the difference but I don't know off hand what it is
. Sorry.
My Win brass is LR. IIRC some manufacturers have a LR or R on the head stamp to indicate which primer to use.
If you want to stay at sane pressures for the Handi-Rifle, a full case of SR4759 (~ 40.0 grs) will be the one. It will produce higher velocities than Lil'Gun and H-110, which are both excellent powders for the 500 S&W. I have worked with several other powders slower than Lil'Gun and H-110 (all with full cases), and found that a full case of the Higginsons WC-735 (~ 60.0 grs) will equal the full case of SR4759, but at much lower pressures. It is a much slower powder, but also much more dense, so more can be fit in the case.
P.S. There are no "short barrel" and "long barrel" powders. You'll find that these powders would also produce the highest velocities in an 8" barrelled handgun.
As an update to this, I finally tested some loads with 300 grain hornady ftx and mid loads of lil gun and had good results, no worries of top strap cutting as I'm shooting a rifle they shot clean and accurate.
I'm still tempted to try some IMR 4227 and maybe H110 but just for fun, lol gun worked awesome in this caliber and as mentioned above you really have to flare the cases other wise you will ruin brass, I flare them till I can get the boolit seated slightly before it even goes into the die.
I'm still tempted to try some IMR 4227 and maybe H110 but just for fun, lol gun worked awesome in this caliber and as mentioned above you really have to flare the cases other wise you will ruin brass, I flare them till I can get the boolit seated slightly before it even goes into the die.
i like 4227 for my 6.5" smith revolver and every other powder listed in this thread accept one (WC-735). w296/h110 and lilgun give the most recoil of the powders i've tried. trailboss is a great plinking load with very little recoil.
