Smith Wesson 460V 460 S and W – Superb Field Revolver

Description

The Smith Wesson 460V 460 S and W is the carryable version of the 460 platform. A five inch barrel on the X-Frame gives up some of the extreme velocity the longer guns produce, and gains a revolver that can actually ride in a chest holster through a day in the backcountry.

Smith Wesson 460V 460 S and W Why the Shorter Barrel

The eight and a half and ten and a half inch 460s are hunting instruments, built to wring the last hundred feet per second out of the cartridge. The Smith Wesson 460V 460 S and W answers a different question: what if you want this much power available while you are working, hiking or guiding rather than deliberately hunting?

Five inches keeps the revolver balanced rather than muzzle heavy, makes it practical in a chest rig, and lets you move through brush without the barrel catching everything. Velocity drops compared with the long guns, but 460 S&W Magnum has so much to spare that what remains is still more than any 44 Magnum produces.

It ships with two muzzle brakes, one for jacketed bullets and one for lead. That is a genuinely thoughtful inclusion, since lead fouling behaves differently in a brake and having the correct device fitted keeps the system working properly.

The X-Frame and the Cartridge

The X-Frame is the largest revolver frame Smith and Wesson builds, developed specifically to contain cartridges of this class. All that mass goes straight into absorbing recoil, which is why a cartridge producing rifle-class energy is shootable at all from a handgun.

Capacity is five rounds, which is what a cylinder this size accommodates with chambers this large. Sights are adjustable, so you can zero precisely for whichever of the three cartridges this revolver chambers you intend to use.

That versatility is the practical heart of the platform: a 460 S&W Magnum revolver will also chamber and fire 454 Casull and 45 Colt. Three cartridges spanning an enormous power range from one gun means practice is cheap and pleasant, and you can match the load to the job.

Recoil with full-power 460 is substantial but far lower than the numbers suggest, thanks to the frame mass and the muzzle brake. It is not a gun for a novice, but experienced shooters consistently find it more manageable than expected.

Carrying and Shooting the Smith Wesson 460V 460 S and W

A chest holster is the sensible answer for this revolver. In the backcountry a chest rig keeps the gun accessible while wearing a pack, clear of a hip belt, and out of the way when you sit or kneel. It is the configuration most guides and serious backcountry users settle on for a revolver of this size.

Practise with 45 Colt. It is inexpensive, mild and lets you build the trigger control and hold that make a big revolver work, without the cost or the recoil of full-power 460. Move up through 454 Casull and confirm your carry or hunting load in small doses.

Zero deliberately for the load you will actually use. The adjustable sights are there precisely because the three cartridges this revolver chambers print very differently, and there is no substitute for confirming your own combination on paper.

Maintenance Notes

The muzzle brakes collect carbon quickly and should be removed and cleaned on a schedule rather than left in place indefinitely. Use the brake matched to your bullet type, since lead fouls differently from jacketed, and keep the threads clean and lightly lubricated so the devices continue to come off easily.

Firing 45 Colt and 454 Casull through a 460 chamber leaves a carbon ring at the front of the chamber where the shorter case ends. That ring is what eventually prevents longer 460 cases from seating, so scrub the chambers properly rather than assuming a quick pass is enough.

Keep the cylinder face and the forcing cone clean, and check that the ejector rod stays tight. On a revolver producing this much recoil impulse, that check is worth making every time you clean it rather than occasionally.

Smith Wesson 460V 460 S and W Specifications

• Manufacturer part number: 163465
• UPC: 022188634655
• Caliber: 460 S&W Magnum; also fires 454 Casull and 45 Colt
• Capacity: 5 rounds
• Barrel: 5 inches, stainless steel
• Frame: X-Frame, stainless
• Sights: adjustable
• Muzzle: two muzzle brakes included, one for jacketed and one for lead bullets
• Action: double action and single action

Why Buyers Choose the Smith Wesson 460V 460 S and W

This is the 460 you can realistically carry. For anyone who wants serious stopping power available in bear country while their hands are busy with something else, a five inch X-Frame in a chest holster is a workable answer where a ten inch one is not.

It is still a large, heavy revolver by any normal standard. A chest rig rather than a belt holster is what most owners settle on, and it is worth budgeting for one alongside the gun.

Ammunition for 460 S&W Magnum is expensive and not stocked everywhere. The ability to shoot 454 Casull and 45 Colt through the same gun is what makes ownership practical rather than an occasional expensive treat.

Who Should Buy It

The Smith Wesson 460V 460 S and W suits guides, hikers and hunters in bear country, and enthusiasts of powerful revolvers: anyone who needs enormous power available all day, and shooters who want the X-Frame in a size they can actually wear.

Learn more from Smith and Wesson, or browse the rest of our firearms selection.

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