A major concern was the barrel-to-frame connection. But, just making a bigger double-action revolver was not the solution. No frame in the S&W line was capable of containing the 500 Magnum, so the new X-frame was designed specifically for the 500's. Media Platforms Design Team Rethinking Double-Action Design Harnessing that power in a double-action revolver, however, required some departures from traditional designs. It is the largest double-action revolver available, and there is no production revolver in the world-single or double action-capable of matching, or even approaching, the level of power it produces. 44 Magnum would make his day, the new 500 S&W Magnum would certainly make his decade. with its heaviest load, and more powerful loads may well be on the way. The 500 S&W Magnum will produce almost 2600 ft.-lb. 454 Casull, which will generate about 1900 ft.-lb. Several new loads have since eclipsed that, but the handgun most commonly used by big game hunters is the. 44 Magnum laid claim to being the most powerful handgun in the world, its standard load produced about 900 ft.-lb. You have to lift it.įire even one of those big cartridges and you'll appreciate why the weight and mass are there. You don't just casually pick up a Model 500. Load five of them and the total weight of the handgun climbs to 5 pounds. Thumb the cylinder open and five charge holes await. barrel, the overall length of the Model 500 is 15 in. In fact, to call it massive is an understatement. It is not a revolver one would, or likely could, tuck into a waistband. The S&W X-frame Model 500 is a brawny handgun designed to master the most rigorous hunting fields in the world. And, most significantly, it did it by introducing a new massive double-action revolver that is chambered for an equally new. Since S&W does not make single-action revolvers, and no double-action frame at its disposal could handle the new loads, S&W was effectively dethroned.Īt the 2003 Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show, the manufacturer regained its crown.

Highest calibre revolver