Why hasn't Ruger made a revolver in S&W 500 yet?

As the title says, why haven't they made one yet?

I had an actual S&W 500 that I never fired since the cheap hollow yolk screw they use stripped out and fell to the floor when taking it out of the safe to head to the range. Good thing it happened before I fired it. I sent it to the factory where they said the gun would need to be replaced because most of the screw was still in the frame. Six months later after many phone calls to them and they were still not able to get me a replacement. The last phone call made is where I asked for a refund instead which they promptly provided.

With the corner cutting techniques of S&W, I don't want another S&W 500 nor would I even look at a Taurus. So why hasn't my favorite revolver company made a 500 model yet? Maybe I'm alone, but I'd snap one up in a heartbeat.

For one, they would have to design and build a whole new revolver to house that long a cartridge. Two, I suspect the fact that it is the .500 Smith & Wesson Magnum would have something to do with it (assuming they could surmount the first issue of not having a revolver large enough to accommodate that big cartridge). You'll probably never see a Smith & Wesson revolver chambered (by S&W) in .480 Ruger. JMHO. There is not a huge market for these big, hard to shoot revolvers -- they don't sell a lot of them.

Nothing wrong with a new design and even S&W doesn't crank out a ton of them a year if they can't get me a single replacement in six months. At least Ruger would be an option and they already have plenty of guns chambered in S&W & Colt cartridges. Ruger certainly knows how to make a strong revolver so it would be able to handle any loads out there.

Nakanokalronin said:

Nothing wrong with a new design and even S&W doesn't crank out a ton of them a year if they can't get me a single replacement in six months. At least Ruger would be an option and they already have plenty of guns chambered in S&W & Colt cartridges. Ruger certainly knows how to make a strong revolver so it would be able to handle any loads out there.

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The originator of the cartridge, S&W, doesn't sell a lot of these. It would be a loser for Ruger. A smaller .50 caliber cartridge would be more feasible. Plus, a .500 would overshadow their flagship cartridge, and first cartridge to bear the name Ruger, the .480 Ruger. Yes, Ruger knows how to build a strong gun, but this would require a whole new platform which would cost lots of money to design and build for a very limited market. It's a non-starter.

MaxP has it right.
You have to look at a potential market before you invest $$$ from a company in a product. Even S&W doesn't sell a lot of these guns, and it would take a bit of engineering & heavy investment to build a .500 S&W. And, the folks at Ruger are well aware of how many folks would want to take their guns & modify them into wildcat calibers, & possibly blowing up a few guns. Not a wise move in business to invest heavily & get little return. Even worse when other issues crop up.

I will add that Ruger opted for a "sane" (for lack of a better term), efficient, and capable hunting round. Remember that it is merely a cut-down .475 Linebaugh, a proven performer on big game. Ruger didn't hype the cartridge in the way Smith & Wesson did, who clearly wanted to regain the most powerful title, and with the .460, the most velocity from a production revolver round.

The .480 really is lacking nothing as far as I am concerned. I have taken everything from 50-lb meat hogs, through a 1,500 + pound water buffalo with the .480, and a whole lot in between. It is a great cartridge!

I guess I'll have to take a chance and put money towards S&W again at some point.

Nakanokalronin said:

I guess I'll have to take a chance and put money towards S&W again at some point.

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There are other .50 caliber options that don't require a 62,000 psi cartridge.

MaxP said:

Nakanokalronin said:

I guess I'll have to take a chance and put money towards S&W again at some point.

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There are other .50 caliber options that don't require a 62,000 psi cartridge.

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I have quite a bit of ammo for the .500 I never got to fire so I'd like to keep going with that cartridge. I've rented them before and loved shooting them since they put a smile on my face every time. It's just a shame that my favorite revolver company doesn't want to make one.

You can find a .357 Maximum and have it converted to .500 Maximum which is the cartridge the .500 S&W was based on:



You can buy a BFR in .500 JRH:



You can have a custom Blackhawk built in .500 Linebaugh or .500 JRH:



You can have a Super Redhawk converted to .500 JRH or .500 Linebaugh (this one is a .500 Linebaugh):



Or you can buy a Freedom Arms Model 83 in .500 WE as another .50 caliber option. None of these are any less effective on game, and they are all infinitely more packable than an X-frame Smith. You can always sell that ammo........

You have options!

Ruger offers the Super Redhawk in .454 Casull. Between that and the .480 Ruger, I'd say the power spectrum is pretty well covered unless you absolutely have to have THE MOST SUPERLOUDENBOOMENWHACKER on the block.

JMHO

I have quite a bit of ammo for the .500 I never got to fire so I'd like to keep going with that cartridge.

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The S&W with the lock doesn't speak to me. The cartridge is interesting... I've considered getting an Encore rifle barrel to play around with it. Could load it mild and easily take Okie deer with it.

And I'm a big .480 fan as well. What a nice design.

Gregg

I hear what everyone is saying. I don't like the lock nor the hollow yolk screw designs, but it's either that or a Taurus for a DA/SA revolver and I'm not touching a Taurus. If I didn't have a decent pile of ammo for the .500 I'd consider the .480 or some other .50 chambering, but that's not going to happen. I guess it's just a pipe dream to have a 500 Ruger unless they surprise us all one day.

They do, it's just a BFR stamped with Magnum Research instead of Ruger. If I was in the market for one of these cannons, I would prefer the single action anyhow.

drastic_quench said:

They do, it's just a BFR stamped with Magnum Research instead of Ruger. If I was in the market for one of these cannons, I would prefer the single action anyhow.

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Here ya go . . .

https://www.magnumresearch.com/Firearms/Magnum-Research-500-SandW-Revolver-10-inch-Barrel.asp

:shock: :mrgreen: :shock:

A 5 shot SBH in .480 Ruger is long overdue in my opinion and just might resurrect interest in a fine cartridge that appears to be headed...nowhere. :?

.50 cal? Yeah, same platform in .500 WE would turn my crank... 8)

Just my two centavos...

In his 2013 book Gun Digest Book of Ruger Revolvers, Max Prasac devotes a full three pages to a discussion of "Why not a .480 Ruger single-action?"

I'll not attempt to condense (or plagiarize) all this info, but basically it's a matter of the fact that Ruger's engineering department requires "safety factors" in excess of current Blackhawk standards and also considerable differences in construction details that would drive the cost up to what Ruger feels would be prohibitive. In other words, Ruger doesn't want to compete with the BFRs and all the custom guns that can apparently draw on a relatively small, albeit well-funded, market. Put simply, it's not worth the effort . . . at least not now.

I don't see the point of the 500 S&W, other than fun and bragging. S&W sold one heck of a lot of M29 44M's when it was sort of, "The most powerful handgun in the world." They surely haven't had a repeat of that 70's sales explosion with the 500.

I'm suspect someone will correct me that the 500 is absolutely needed for some scenario, but surely isn't a common one. Just my opinions, of course.

IMHO there's no real "need" for anything in excess of a stout .44 Magnum or "Ruger only" .45 Colt chambering. With the possible exception of huffalumps, rhinos, and the like, there's not a critter going that would be any more dead when shot with "bigger" stuff. Like I said, JMHO.

That said, there's nothing wrong with these biggies, and they are a lotta fun for those who can afford the tariff and tolerate the recoil. Mae said something to the effect of "Anything in excess is a pleasure" and that applies to guns as well as cars, motorcycles, etc.

Ain't it great to have all these choices?

Go for the BFR...it's just a giant Ruger even the grips fit it!