The grip designed by Hogue for the Model 500 (B) is a full wraparound type with recoil-cushioning Absorbathane internal cushions to moderate recoil impact.

The barrel shroud is configured with a full-length underlug and features a removable three-vent muzzle brake that fits over the protruding rim of the internal barrel tube and held in place by a large hex-head Nylock bolt that threads into the front of the underlug. The shroud also houses an interchangeable front sight blade, which employs the spring-loaded plunger attachment mechanism originally developed for the premium-package Model 629 DX .44 Magnum series. The rear sight is the S&W standard fully adjustable Micrometer-click model. Other Model 500 features are S&W-standard, including the recently developed, key-operated revolver hammer safety lock.

Two final noteworthy items about the Model 500 separate it from current S&W revolvers in other frame sizes. One is the reincorporation for added stability of a fourth (top position) sideplate screw that was dropped from previous S&W guns in the late 1950s. The other is that the Model 500's target-configuration hammer and trigger are metal injection molded parts, which, considering the high energy and recoil velocity of the new .500 S&W Magnum cartridge, is a telling testimony to Smith & Wesson's confidence in the strength and durability of that particular form of high-tech metal fabrication technology.

The three-vent muzzle brake fits over the protruding rim of the internal barrel tube. The interchangeable front sight blade uses a spring-loaded plunger attachment mechanism.

Okay, those are the basics of Smith & Wesson's big, new gun and cartridge combo. The question everybody will by now be asking is "What does it feel like to shoot it?"

POWERFUL BUT SHOOTABLE
I spent a morning with Belin firing the Model 500 on the S&W Academy's indoor range. I was visiting the S&W factory in Springfield, Massachusetts, during the time the engineering department was confirming the final-stage prototype with Cor-Bon's initial .500 S&W Magnum ammunition runs.

There is absolutely no question that the gun is a profoundly powerful handful to shoot, but I should also emphasize that I had greatly over-anticipated the experience. I had seen an initial full-size Model 500 computer printout from the SolidWorks software in May of last year and had been struck by the apparent disproportion between the scale of the small, K-dimension grip-frame against the huge frame body and barrel. And I was also keenly aware of the massive power specifications for the developing .500 S&W Magnum cartridge in comparison to existing high-end handgun loads.

ccording to the author, S&W's Model 500 is the biggest and heaviest magnum revolver currently made, and its AirLite Sc Model 360 PD .357 Magnum is the smallest and lightest.

Based on those observations and information, I frankly expected the Model 500 to be somewhat clumsy and unbalanced to grasp and shoot and had prepared myself for some extremely punishing recoil. My job requires me to shoot a lot of big-bore handguns in the most heavy-kicking chamberings currently available. I'm not particularly recoil-sensitive, but I'd be a liar if I did not admit I approached my first squeeze of the Model 500's trigger with some trepidation.

My expectations were wrong. In terms of handling, the wraparound Hogue grips are comfortably handfilling without excessive reach, the weight of the frame sits directly over the support hand in a two-hand grasp, and the full-lug barrel imparts a comfortable forward balance without excessive heaviness. As for recoil, make no mistake, the Model 500 comes right back at you when you touch it off. But it is not more difficult to handle than any other existing powerhouse handgun chambering, and it is surprisingly more comfortable and less abrupt than some other well-known and popular existing big-revolver designs.

Shooting offhand at 30 yards without benefit of the muzzle brake, Dick put five shots into four inches with S&W's new .500 Magnum X-Frame revolver.

The key to what I call the "shootability" of today's heaviest power handguns is their application of recoil management technology, primarily in the area of grip configuration and muzzle brake/compensator applications. For example, I do not consider guns like the original-design Smith & Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum four inch, with its light-profile barrel (by today's standards) and hard-checkered wooden grips, or the relatively lightweight Ruger Super Redhawk .454 Casull with its unported barrel and noncushioned wood-insert grips to be particularly "shootable." Both are very good, very functional tools, but after about three rounds fired in succession, you want to put them down. On the other hand, you can shoot guns like the Taurus Raging Bull .454 Casull with its rubber shock-absorber grip insert and heavy-profile full-lug barrel with integral muzzle brake or a Magnum Research BFR .475 Linebaugh single-action revolver with Pachmayr grips and a good aftermarket muzzle brake all day.

Likewise, you can shoot the Model 500 all day too. The combination of the Hogue Absorbathane-insert cushion grip design and the muzzle brake work well to temper the gun's muzzle flip and moderate its impact back into the hand. Of course, each of the three available bullet weights and energy levels of Cor-Bon's initial .500 S&W Magnum loadings has its own individual recoil profile, and the differences are distinct. I did not have any other big-bore guns to actually shoot side by side with the Model 500, but here are my comparative impressions of how it felt. With a prototype muzzle brake in place, firing the 275-grain Barnes Hex-bullet .500 S&W load seemed to me subjectively to be very similar to firing a factory-issue Ruger Super Redhawk chambered for .480 Ruger or an MRI BFR .475 Linebaugh with muzzle brake--both of which I consider to be very shootable, comfortable-to-handle combinations. Firing the 400-grain Hawk Precision JFP or the 440-grain Cast Performance flatnose load is notably more abrupt and similar to the feel of a full-power 300-grain .454 Casull load in a Taurus Raging Bull. Shooting the same loads without the muzzle brake was a different story; the flip was excessive. Very few handgunners will ever want to shoot the Model 500 without its muzzle brake attached.

Admittedly, shootability is a subjective concept. Depending on personal differences in handling technique and recoil sensitivity, what's shootable for one will not necessarily be shootable for another. But this is how the Model 500 feels in my hand, at least, compared to some of the other heavy-hitters with which you might be familiar that are already out there. And one thing I'm absolutely certain of is the Model 500 is much, much more comfortable to shoot than the revolver you might consider its extreme opposite--the little 10-ounce, J-Frame S&W Model 360 AirLite Sc .357 Magnum.

SPECS Manufacturer: Smith & Wesson Model: 500 Operation: Double-action revolver Caliber: .500 S&W Magnum Barrel length: 8.38 inches Overall length: 15.0 inches Weight, empty: 72.5 ounces Safety: Internal self-engaging hammerblock; safety hammer keylock Sights: Adjustable rear; interchangeable post front Sight radius: 10.75 inches Rifling: 6 grooves, 1:18.75 LH twist Stocks: Hogue rubber Monogrips Cylinder capacity: 5 rounds Finish: Brushed stainless steel

As for accuracy, the circumstances of my day at Smith & Wesson with the Model 500 did not allow a formal shooting review, but I had no problem printing four-inch groups with the 275-grain load firing the gun standing at plain-surface (no aiming point) 30-yard IDPA targets. I have absolutely no doubt that when I sit down at the benchrest with the Model 500 equipped with a good optical sight, I'll be able to cut that by more than half. Besides, I'm certainly not ashamed of four inches offhand at 30 yards distance with a big boomer like this, shooting in the "concussion-chamber" of an enclosed indoor range without the muzzle brake. (The nonlocked screw holding the prototype muzzle brake on the preproduction gun came loose while I was shooting and dropped it slightly in front of the muzzle; the next shot destroyed it.)

The new Model 500 in .500 S&W Magnum is an impressive, indeed historic, shooting tool, and the introduction of the X-Frame design also provides Smith & Wesson with substantial additional opportunity for developments beyond its initial configuration and chambering. S&W planners are already discussing the possibility of additional new, super-long, super-powerful .475-caliber and .450-caliber "S&W Magnum" cartridges for the gun. Plus the dimensions and pressure capabilities of the X-Frame cylinder also offer the potential to chamber various full-length bottleneck rifle cartridges--like the .223 Remington or even (perhaps?) the new .223 Winchester Super Short Magnum. How about a four-inch .500 S&W "Bear-Defense" version for Alaskan fishermen? Or an X-Frame eight-shot .44 Magnum version built with a scandium/aluminum-alloy frame that would weigh less than a current N-Frame Model 629?

There are few big-bore revolver enthusiasts in the world who do not carry a clear picture in their memory of the cinematic moment in 1972 when Clint Eastwood aimed a Smith & Wesson Model 29 between the eyes of a recalcitrant felon and snarled, "This here being a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, you gotta ask yourself. . .do you feel lucky?"

It's time for Clint to make another movie.