S&W 500 Reloading

fatboy55900 · November 26, 2015, 11:58 PM

Recently a friend gave me some 50 AE Hornady XTP's bullets. I was wondering can I use those to reload my S&W 500 rounds? Also if anyone has a load for IMR 4227 in the S&W 500 I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance!!!

Lost Sheep · November 27, 2015, 12:09 AM

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for asking our advice.

When my friend got a 500 S&W several years ago, he bought .50 AE bullets, as that was the only .50 caliber bullets on the shelves at the time.

They worked fine.

They lacked a crimping groove, so advancing out of the cases through recoil might have been a problem, but we did not have that problem since we loaded light (he was just learning to reload at the time).

If you need a "crimp" on the bullet, you can roll the case mouth over the ogive or cut a cannelure with a tool for that purpose. By the time you find such a tool, you might find actual 500 S&W bullets.

Good luck.

Lost Sheep

snuffy · November 27, 2015, 12:55 AM

Quote:

S&W 500 Reloading
Recently a friend gave me some 50 AE Hornady XTP's bullets. I was wondering can I use those to reload my S&W 500 rounds? Also if anyone has a load for IMR 4227 in the S&W 500 I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance!!!

What weight??¿ The diameter .500?

Like lost S said, if they don't have a cannelure you WILL have problems with the recoil pulling the bullets forward. It would prevent the cylinder from turning,,--(IF you 500 is a revolver!?)

fatboy55900 · November 27, 2015, 01:07 AM

The bullets are Hornady XTP 300 gr. They are .500. Thanks again for all the help. It is for a 4" S&W 5 shot revolver.

Lost Sheep · November 27, 2015, 02:50 AM

My friend's revolver I mentioned has a 4" barrel.

What power level are you seeking with your 300 grain bullets? As I recall 12 grains of Trail Boss (DO NOT DEPEND ON MY MEMORY FOR LOADING!!!) drove these bullets at around 700-800 fps. Slow enough to actually see them fly downrange if you look closely. But it was good for him to learn reloading with a voluminous powder and Trail Boss filled that bill nicely.

We were warned against using Trail Boss with jacketed slugs, but this is all we had and were careful with each shot.

About bullet creep; most of bullet retention is provided by friction with the case walls on the bullet. Crimp helps, too and between both, bullet retention is effected. Mid-range loads in a heavy gun do not usually have "crimp-jump" problems. Lighter guns (S&W and Taurus titanium revolvers and Ruger's Alaskan models) have provided most of the reported incidents

Lost Sheep

fatboy55900 · November 27, 2015, 08:09 AM

Thanks Snuffy and Lost Sheep for all the help. I really appreciate the time you took in assisting me with the questions.

snuffy · November 27, 2015, 10:37 AM

Fatboy, if you have any other ???? let me know. I've loaded a bunch of bullet/boolit weights from 300 grains to 700. My favorites are the Lee 440 grain and a RCBS 375 grain lead boolit that I make. I also have a custom mold from MP molds that cast the 700 grain solid, and 3 different hollow point configurations on that platform.

Hornady stabbed us big bore shooters in the back when they decided they no longer wanted to make gas checks in .501. So the Lee 440 has to be either loaded without one, or use the few I have left.

The 3 HP designs let you pick which one to load. The big HP makes a boolit that is just a bit over 600 grains. the smaller, shallower HP goes about 630 G. the penta point is about 675 G.

November 26, 2015, 11:58 PM	#1
fatboy55900 Junior Member Join Date: November 26, 2015 Posts: 3	S&W 500 Reloading Recently a friend gave me some 50 AE Hornady XTP's bullets. I was wondering can I use those to reload my S&W 500 rounds? Also if anyone has a load for IMR 4227 in the S&W 500 I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance!!!

November 27, 2015, 12:09 AM	#2
Lost Sheep Senior Member Join Date: January 24, 2009 Location: Anchorage Alaska Posts: 3,341	Welcome to the forum. Thanks for asking our advice. Welcome to the forum. Thanks for asking our advice. When my friend got a 500 S&W several years ago, he bought .50 AE bullets, as that was the only .50 caliber bullets on the shelves at the time. They worked fine. They lacked a crimping groove, so advancing out of the cases through recoil might have been a problem, but we did not have that problem since we loaded light (he was just learning to reload at the time). If you need a "crimp" on the bullet, you can roll the case mouth over the ogive or cut a cannelure with a tool for that purpose. By the time you find such a tool, you might find actual 500 S&W bullets. Good luck. Lost Sheep

November 27, 2015, 01:07 AM	#4
fatboy55900 Junior Member Join Date: November 26, 2015 Posts: 3	Thanks The bullets are Hornady XTP 300 gr. They are .500. Thanks again for all the help. It is for a 4" S&W 5 shot revolver. Last edited by fatboy55900; November 27, 2015 at 01:09 AM. Reason: Added info

November 27, 2015, 02:50 AM	#5
Lost Sheep Senior Member Join Date: January 24, 2009 Location: Anchorage Alaska Posts: 3,341	What power level are you seeking with your 300 grain bullets? My friend's revolver I mentioned has a 4" barrel. What power level are you seeking with your 300 grain bullets? As I recall 12 grains of Trail Boss (DO NOT DEPEND ON MY MEMORY FOR LOADING!!!) drove these bullets at around 700-800 fps. Slow enough to actually see them fly downrange if you look closely. But it was good for him to learn reloading with a voluminous powder and Trail Boss filled that bill nicely. We were warned against using Trail Boss with jacketed slugs, but this is all we had and were careful with each shot. About bullet creep; most of bullet retention is provided by friction with the case walls on the bullet. Crimp helps, too and between both, bullet retention is effected. Mid-range loads in a heavy gun do not usually have "crimp-jump" problems. Lighter guns (S&W and Taurus titanium revolvers and Ruger's Alaskan models) have provided most of the reported incidents Lost Sheep Last edited by Lost Sheep; November 27, 2015 at 02:56 AM.

November 27, 2015, 08:09 AM	#6
fatboy55900 Junior Member Join Date: November 26, 2015 Posts: 3	Thanks Thanks Snuffy and Lost Sheep for all the help. I really appreciate the time you took in assisting me with the questions.

November 27, 2015, 10:37 AM	#7
snuffy Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 2001 Location: Oshkosh wi. Posts: 3,055	You are most welcome. Fatboy, if you have any other ???? let me know. I've loaded a bunch of bullet/boolit weights from 300 grains to 700. My favorites are the Lee 440 grain and a RCBS 375 grain lead boolit that I make. I also have a custom mold from MP molds that cast the 700 grain solid, and 3 different hollow point configurations on that platform. Hornady stabbed us big bore shooters in the back when they decided they no longer wanted to make gas checks in .501. So the Lee 440 has to be either loaded without one, or use the few I have left. The 3 HP designs let you pick which one to load. The big HP makes a boolit that is just a bit over 600 grains. the smaller, shallower HP goes about 630 G. the penta point is about 675 G. __________________ The more people I meet, the more I love my dog They're going to get their butts kicked over there this election. How come people can't spell and use words correctly?