Smith Wesson 500 Magnum Compensator – Superb Hunting Revolver

Description

The Smith Wesson 500 Magnum Compensator is the most powerful production revolver in the world, fitted with an integral muzzle compensator and a long barrel. It is the configuration built for hunters who want maximum performance from the 500 S&W Magnum cartridge with the recoil brought down as far as engineering allows.

Smith Wesson 500 Magnum Compensator What 500 S and W Magnum Actually Is

Five hundred S&W Magnum is a rifle cartridge in a revolver cylinder. It launches bullets from 275 to over 700 grains and produces muzzle energy that exceeds many centerfire rifle rounds, which puts it in a category no other production handgun occupies.

That is not a novelty. It is the reason the Smith Wesson 500 Magnum Compensator is a legitimate choice for the largest game on the continent and beyond, and why guides in bear country carry them. Very little that walks is beyond a well-placed 500 at handgun ranges.

The eight and three eighths inch barrel is where the cartridge produces its best numbers. Velocity is a function of barrel length, and a cartridge with this much powder behind it rewards length more than most.

The Compensator and the Frame

A muzzle compensator vents propellant gas upward and to the sides, counteracting muzzle rise and taking a meaningful bite out of felt recoil. On a cartridge producing this much energy, that is not a refinement but a necessity, and it is what makes extended range sessions possible rather than merely theoretical.

The X-Frame is the largest revolver frame Smith and Wesson builds, designed from scratch in 2003 specifically to contain this cartridge. Every ounce of that mass exists to absorb recoil, and combined with the compensator and the long barrel it is what makes a 500 shootable.

Black synthetic grips with finger grooves index the hand consistently and absorb some of the impulse. Grip design matters more on this revolver than on any other, because a hand that shifts under recoil turns a manageable gun into an unpleasant one.

Capacity is five rounds, which is what a cylinder this size accommodates with chambers this large. The action is double action and single action, and most hunting shots are taken single action from a rest.

Shooting the Smith Wesson 500 Magnum Compensator

Work up to the Smith Wesson 500 Magnum Compensator deliberately. Even experienced big-bore shooters find the first cylinder memorable, and the correct approach is a firm two-handed grip, a stable stance, and a small number of carefully fired rounds rather than a long session. Fatigue and flinch build quickly with a cartridge this energetic.

Most hunting shots are taken single action from a rest, and that is how the revolver should be zeroed and practised. A rest removes the variables that matter most, and it is also considerably kinder on the shooter than offhand work with full-power loads.

Consider an optic. A long eye relief handgun scope or a red dot makes precise placement far easier at the ranges this revolver is capable of, and it removes the front sight focus problem that limits a lot of shooters as their eyes age. Pay close attention to eye relief: a scope mounted too close on a gun producing this much recoil is a mistake you make exactly once.

Maintenance Notes

The compensator on the Smith Wesson 500 Magnum Compensator collects carbon quickly and should be cleaned on a schedule rather than left indefinitely. Carbon build-up in the ports reduces how well the device works, which on a cartridge like this you will notice on the very next shot.

Keep the cylinder face and the forcing cone clean. A cartridge producing this much pressure and this much fouling makes regular attention there more important than on a milder gun, and build-up can eventually affect both function and accuracy.

Check that the ejector rod stays tight every single time you clean the revolver. Recoil of this magnitude will back out fasteners that would stay put on any other handgun, and a loose ejector rod locks the cylinder closed at exactly the wrong moment. Check any optic mounting screws on the same schedule.

Smith Wesson 500 Magnum Compensator Specifications

• Manufacturer part number: 163500
• UPC: 022188635003
• Caliber: 500 S&W Magnum
• Capacity: 5 rounds
• Barrel: 8 3/8 inches, stainless steel
• Muzzle: integral compensator
• Frame: X-Frame, stainless
• Grips: black synthetic
• Action: double action and single action

Why Buyers Choose the Smith Wesson 500 Magnum Compensator

For the largest game and for bear country there is no more powerful production handgun. If that is the requirement, this is the answer, and it comes off a shelf rather than from a custom shop.

Recoil is severe even with the compensator and the frame mass, and this is not a revolver for a shooter who has not worked up to it. Nobody should make this their first big-bore handgun, and everyone should shoot one before buying.

Ammunition is expensive and heavy, and it is not stocked everywhere. Budget for that, and consider that 500 S&W is a cartridge many owners handload precisely because factory ammunition costs what it does.

Who Should Buy It

The Smith Wesson 500 Magnum Compensator suits serious handgun hunters and outdoorsmen: hunters after the largest game, guides and backcountry users in bear country, and enthusiasts who want the most powerful production revolver made with recoil managed as well as it can be.

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

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