.500 S&W (.500 Smith & Wesson Magnum) Handgun Cartridges
Learn more about .500 S&W (.500 Smith and Wesson Magnum) Handgun Cartridges
Looking to find out more about firearms before you apply for your SAPS firearm licence? Learn all there is to know about .500 S&W (.500 Smith and Wesson Magnum) Handgun Cartridges right here.
This cartridge is the most powerful factory load ever developed specifically for handgun use. It was developed by Cor-Bon with the 'X-Gun' engineering team at Smith & Wesson for use in their Model 500 series revolvers. The .500 S&W Magnum can develop over 2600 ft-lb of muzzle energy, nearly three times as much as the 900 ft-lb generated by the .44 Magnum.
.500 S&W (.500 Smith & Wesson Magnum) Handgun Cartridges |
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| Cartridge Specifications | |||
| Case Type: | Semi-rimmed, straight | ||
| Introduced: | 2003 | Made For: | Revolver |
| Cart Len: | 2.250-in | Case Len: | 1.625-in |
| Case Dia: | 0.530-in | Bul Dia: | 0.500-in |
| Ballistics measured with: |
| 8.375-inch revolver barrel |
| Cartridge Variants: | |||
| Weight | Velocity | Energy | |
| From: | 275 gr | 1665 ft/sec | 1688 ft-lbs |
| To: | 500 gr | 1500 ft/sec | 2498 ft-lbs |
| Cartridge Used in Database: | ||
| Weight | Velocity | Energy |
| 500 gr | 1425 ft/sec | 2254 ft-lbs |
| Rankings for Cartridge Used in Database | |||
| PF: | 712500 | TKO: | 50.893 |
**See below for further reference regarding the power rankings listed in the tables above:
MV-Muzzle Velocity
Muzzle velocity when fired from a typical handgun. Measured in feet-per-second.
ME-Muzzle Energy
Muzzle energy when fired from a typical handgun. Measured in foot-pounds.
PF-Power Factor
In shooting competition the Power Factor is used to determine the competitive division in which a particular handgun/cartridge can be used. A simple calculation of the bullet's mass times its muzzle velocity.
PF = bull. mass x muzzle vel.
TKO-Taylor Knock Out Formula
Developed by big-game hunter John Howard Taylor in the 1940's. Calculates the relative effectiveness of bullets for hunting game.
TKO = (bull. mass x muzzle vel. x bull. dia.)/7000
Link back to the main table listing of handgun and rifle cartridges HERE.
