For Additional Information:
Black Hills Ammunition: www.black-hills.com Cor-Bon/Glaser: www.corbon.com Federal Ammunition, ATK: www.federalpremium.com Freedom Arms Inc.: www.freedomarms.com Hornady Manufacturing Co.: www.hornady.com Mag-Na-Port International: www.magnaport.com Remington Ammunition: www.remington.com Ruger Firearms: www.ruger.com Smith & Wesson: www.smith-wesson.com SSK Industries Inc.: www.sskindustries.com Thompson/Center Arms: www.tcarms.com Winchester Ammunition: www.winchester.com
.500 S&W MAGNUM
(0.500") Introduced in 2003, this was the first big bore cartridge for the new S&W Model 500 revolver, built on their massive X frame. Weighing in at 72.5 ounces with an 8-3/8-inch barrel, this 5-shot revolver had to be massive to handle the new cartridge (and, later, the 460 Magnum). With a muzzle energy of around 2600 foot pounds, this double action handgun’s new Hogue designed Sorbothane rubber grip and factory recoil compensator did a lot to tame this cartridge’s ferocious recoil. Adding Mag-Na-Ports afterward reduced that even more! Although I feel most could handle the recoil, shop owners tell me that when a customer wants a handgun for deer and bear, they recommend the .460 over the .500 since it generates less recoil. In factory loads, I have used the 300-, 350- and 400-grain bullets and prefer the 300 for general use.
In my experience over the years, the best way to get the handgun/ caliber best suited to you is to start with the firearm rather than with the cartridge. If possible, handle a single shot, a single action and a double action revolver while keeping an idea in your mind as to what its use will be. To effectively do this, know the average muzzle velocities of the various cartridges and then check out which bullet weight and designs are available, as well as factory loads. Now select the action type that feels the most comfortable and can handle the cartridge you prefer.
Factory Ammunition: Comparative Ballistics
* No longer in production 1 Mag-Na-Port 2 Mag-Na-Brake 3 SSK Arrestor 4 T/C Muzzle Tamer
Last tip: purchase a .22LR rimfire in the same type of handgun as your centerfire and if you are going to put a scope or dot sight on that big bore, then do the same with the rimfire. Now shoot the rimfire a lot and when you go over to the much more expensive big bore to practice, you will be surprised just how effective you already are.
How things change! The Freedom Arms single action in .454 Casull can also fire the shorter 45 Colt cartridge. The double action Smith & Wesson below in .460 S&W Magnum can safely fire not only the .460 cartridge cartridge but the shorter .454 Casull and even shorter .45 Colt. Both guns customized by Mag-Na-Port, Inc.
In single shots as those from Thompson/ Center Arms, the .444 Marlin, .45-70 Government and .450 Marlin are great performers. Note that Hornady Lever Evolution loads, with their spitzer or “pointed” bullets, gives big bores a bullet that can reach out father without shedding velocity as fast as a blunt nose bullet will.
From mild to wild, cartridges larger than 40-caliber are hotter than ever and here to stay. The big bores are anything but boring!
a robert hillberg cornucopia
BY ROBERT HILLBERG
Editor’s Note: In our opinion, Robert L. Hillberg – former head of research and development for High Standard Manufacturing – is a national treasure, being one of the few surviving masters of post-WWII American firearms design. Many of his countless creations, including the Whitney Wolverine, the Wildey gas-operated .45 pistol and the COP four-shot derringer, are avidly sought by collectors today, as are his more conventional designs. Here, the esteemed Mr. Hillberg offers his insights on the early history of High Standard and the development of the Ithaca Model 49 single-shot Rifle, the Savage 101 pistol and the Browning BPS shotgun.
CREATION OF THE BROWNING BPS SHOTGUN
When we take a close look at the splendid line of shotguns offered by Browning, we observe a high quality line of guns ranging from the expensive single shot Trap guns, to the popular over/under double guns such as the beautiful Citori line In the autoloading field, Browning has been a popular choice of shooters ever since John Moses Browning invented the first autoloading shotgun way back in 1911. This world-famous gun was produced in Belgium by Fabrique Nationale as the Browning Auto 5, and by Remington in this country as the Remington Model 11 and the Savage Model 720 et al.
Bob with the original BPS design blueprint drawing in the background.
Oddly enough, there was not a pump shotgun in the company’s line since Mr. Browning sold the manufacturing rights for the initial design of a pump action shotgun to Remington in 1915 (patent 1143170, originally issued to John M. Browning). In fact, the pump shotgun was missing from the Browning sales inventory until the introduction of the BPS in 1977 – an absence from the rapidly-growing pump action gun market for 62 years!
Remington introduced the 1915 Browning design as the Model 17 pump action shotgun. Remington sold a total of 72,644 Model 17s before discontinuing it in 1933. When the Browning patent expired, the Ithaca Gun Co. was free to copy the basic Model 17 Remington. They promoted it as the Ithaca Model 37; it was designed in 1933 and put in production in 1937. This fabulous pump shotgun is still manufactured today and it has been the cornerstone of Ithaca’s production since its inception.
The great market potential for the pump action shotgun was recognized by both manufacturing giants Remington and Winchester. The popular Winchester Model 12 pump was designed by T.C. Johnson, a Winchester engineer who spent many years designing a pump action that did not infringe on the Browning patent. This highly successful shotgun was accepted as one of America’s premier shotgun designs. Nearly two million were sold from 1912 to 1963, when production was discontinued.
Remington also recognized the tremendous sales and market appeal potential for a reliable, top-quality pump gun that could be competitive in cost with the Winchester Model 12. They designed the famous Remington Model 870, which was first sold in 1950. The 870 was exceptionally successful and it turned out to be the world’s highest-volume shotgun ever produced. Sales of the 870 had reached two million by 1973 and over seven million by 1996! It is still being manufactured today by the Remington Arms Co. in Ilion, New York, using the very latest technology in materials and methods.
Firearms designer extraordinaire and emeritus Bob Hillberg holding the Olympic arms copy of the Whitney Wolverine pistol.
Onserving the vast sales potential for a pump action shotgun and the complete absence of this type of shotgun in Browning’s line of guns, I couldn’t help but wonder if a well-designed, premium-quality Browning pump gun that offered advanced features could compete with the legendary Winchester