Pwnery's Firearms Reviews - S&W M500-4 "Backpacker" in .500 S&W Magnum

Hello, and welcome back to another Pwnery's Firearms Reviews - and today I'm bringing you SIZE. This is the Smith and Wesson M500-4 Backpacker - a 4" (actually 3" with a 1" Compensator) X-frame revolver in .500 Magnum. It's big, it's heavy, and it saved my life. I'll show you the ins and outs of the revolver, and tell the story of why I got it, and how I used it. This is the gun that replaced another one I had for "large and dangerous game" which you'll see about a week from this episode.
So anyway - sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. Thanks for watching, subscribing, sharing, and tolerating me fumbling through these reviews. Since I'm a self-funded operation, they do tend to come few and far between, but I'm sitting on a small stable of future reviews that I just hadn't had the time to sit down and really get filmed and uploaded - hopefully that'll change soon.
Note : I do not do these videos for any monetary gain thanks to the "unique" changes KZbin has made in their requirements for monetized content, and have maintained procedural information as close as possible in line with their new guidelines as well. I do these videos for solely for the spread of information, and maybe a little notoriety in my often-infringed upon community.

[@dennistaylor6486]

I have the same gun with the fluted cylinder and its a mod 500.Great gun! The short barrel is the only way to go if you;re going to pack it around all day.They don't make this model anymore and where I live you can't find one for under $2.300,I paid $950 out the door when they first came out.

[@ณัฐวัฒน์กุลพิทักษ์]

ร์เซ็นเตอร์ สักการะบูชา บายยย

[@ณัฐวัฒน์กุลพิทักษ์]

วัยหนุ่มสาว ยั่วยวนใจ พื้นความรู้ วกวน งลั่ว ลน้ าาาวสว่สสลา ขยับตัว

[@gerardoalonzojr9566]

I didn’t even know you could eat a bear. Learn something new every day.

[@niceguy60]

You just better be sure to thoroughly cook the meat

[@k4vms]

Hi, I have 2 500s this size and 2 with 8” barrels. Mine have no “-“, I purchased them when they first became available years ago. My top loads are 700 grain hard cast lead traveling around 1400 + FPS( it’s late at night and I don’t remember the exact FPS. The 8” 500s support a 10 pistol scout scope. All my 500s have fluted cylinders. On original release S&W also had scopes for the 8” 500. They were pulled from the market because they could not handle the recoil impulse. My is packed away as they are collector items. They were available for a very very sort time. I have replaced the rubber grips with really nice wood grips on all 4 500s Ricky from IBM, Ret in the Free Independent Constitutional Republic of Florida

[@jeffreylocke8808]

That spinal separation shot was effective with that big bore revolver. The cast lead muzzle brake works with jacketed bullets just fine.

[@dennistaylor6486]

That's the most usable barrel length you can get in a 500,I have the same gun but the cylinder is fluted, I now have mine sighted in with gas checked 700gn.hard cast flat nosed bullets. I live in grizz country and although its a little gnarly to shoot with those heavy bullets you don't have to worry about follow up shots if you put the first one in the boiler room.

[@travisp11]

Awesome review! I am overdue for a revolver!

[@PapaWheelie1]

When do you think your ears will quit ringing? Amazing story 👍

[@brysonfarrington7338]

Just got this gun , cool story

[@darojohnson4]

Luv ❤️ this gun 😊

[@niceguy60]

Finally a story where the bear gets eaten, congrats Dang what type of bullets did you use on this bear. If it brushed off your SW 500 it wouldn't have flinched at my SW 460 BTW your 500 is now rare/collectible because it's the one with that special engraving

[@SeanPwnery]

535 Grain hard-cast Ranger Rick gas-checked bullets. It was mainly shot placement in a panic with 1300ish pounds coming head-on in my direction.

[@niceguy60]

@@SeanPwnery It tanked two 535 hardcast rounds and kept coming, WTH. How did you get 3 shoots in with that much recoil

[@SeanPwnery]

@@niceguy60 I was a pretty tall and skinny kid growing up, I didn't start filling in til my mid 30's. I started on a .380, then went straight to .44 magnum and climbed upwards ever since. Generally I work my way up with lighter loads to get used to a caliber, or a particular round. If the rifle or pistol is too heavy, I simply work out more. I was also an amateur boxer most of my 20's and 30's so putting on weight in the right places was critical. The 500 is a "big push" or shoving feeling. The .460 reminds me of going to the batting cages as a kid and not holding the bat properly. The two different types of recoil feel like that to me. The push I can deal with, the cracking numbness in the wrists and elbows of a .460 is something I tend to shy away from after 30 or so rounds on the range. Adrenaline also plays a huge factor. When it was over, I literally slumped in place where I was standing (fishing in a river), and the water was near my chin. I completely forgot my phone was in my waders. >_

[@steveo13757]

What load did you shoot the bear with?

[@VinhNguyenf]

How much is this?

[@SeanPwnery]

At the time I bought it, they were around $1,400 or so ... these days you'd be lucky to find one at that price. Expect prices north of $1,800 or so. They make a standard M500-4 with fluted cylinder that's somewhere around $1400+ depending on where you look.

[@jamesbramblett3346]

Dang what a story! Thanks for sharing