500 S&W Special Ammo

Why Choose Premium .500 S&W Special Ammo

.500 S&W Special ammo gives you real-world shootability with serious big-bore performance. With quality loads, you can:

• Train more and flinch less: Reduced recoil lets you focus on sight picture, trigger, and follow-through instead of just bracing for impact.
• Get faster, cleaner follow-up shots: Especially important for hunting, hog control, or backcountry defense.
• Match your load to the mission: Traditional expanding bullets for hunting and a deep-penetrating Solid Copper Hollow Point for  both reliable penetration and extreme expansion At Steinel, our focus is high-performance and purpose-driven loads. For .500 S&W Special, that means:
• Thoughtful bullet selection for reliable expansion or straight-line penetration.
• Velocities designed for terminal effectiveness without abusive recoil.
• Production in smaller batches with more frequent checks than mass-market manufacturers.

.500 S&W Special Specifications & Typical Performance

The .500 S&W Special cartridge is essentially a shortened, reduced-pressure version of the .500 S&W Magnum. It shares the same .500″ bullet diameter and is designed to be fired in revolvers chambered for .500 S&W Magnum.

Typical factory .500 S&W Special ballistics sit in a sweet spot:

• Bullet diameter: .500″
• Common bullet weights: 325–400 grains
• Typical velocities: roughly 1,100–1,350 fps from revolver-length barrels, depending on barrel length and load
• Typical energy: ~900-1,500 ft-lbs at the muzzle – still serious big-bore territory

Bullet Types & Use-Cases for .500 S&W Special Ammo

Big-bore handgun cartridges live or die by bullet selection. With .500 S&W Special ammo, bullet design matters just as much as raw velocity.
Steinel focuses on purpose-built .500 S&W Special loads that make sense for real-world use:

Heavy Jacketed Hollow Points: Hunting & Defense

Loads in the 350–400 grain JHP range offer:

• Controlled expansion at Special velocities.
• Deep penetration on hogs, deer, and similar-sized game.
• A good balance of recoil vs. terminal performance.

Monolithic / Solid Copper Designs: Tough Game, Straight Penetration

These bullets:

• Maintain integrity on heavy bone and dense tissue.
• Offer predictable, straight-line penetration – important for large hogs, bear-country defense, or when angles are less than ideal.
• Reduce the risk of jacket/core separation.
• Offer unparalleled expansion

Training & Recoil-Management

Because .500 S&W Special revolver ammo is so much more manageable than full-house Magnum loads, it’s perfect for recoil acclimation for new big-bore or X-Frame shooters and for realistic practice with the actual gun you’ll hunt or carry, not a “trainer” in a different caliber.

FAQ: .500 S&W Special Ammo

Q1. What is the .500 S&W Special cartridge?
A. The .500 S&W Special cartridge is a shortened, reduced-pressure version of the .500 S&W Magnum. It uses the same .500″ bullets and is designed to be fired safely in revolvers chambered for .500 S&W Magnum.

Q2. How does the .500 S&W Special differ from the .500 S&W Magnum?
A. Key differences:

• Case length & capacity: .500 S&W Special uses a shorter case with less powder capacity.
• Pressure: Loaded to lower pressure than the Magnum, producing less recoil and blast.
• Velocity & energy: Special loads typically sit around 1,100–1,350 fps with 325–400 grain bullets, versus Magnum loads that can push 350 grain bullets near 2,000 fps and 3,000+ ft-lbs of energy.

Q3. What are the advantages of using .500 S&W Special ammo?
A. Manageable recoil especially from 4″ and 6.5″ barrels. Better accuracy under stress – less flinch, better follow-through. Versatility, you can carry Special for the vast majority of hunting applications.

Q4. Is .500 S&W Special ammo suitable for hunting?
A. Yes, .500 S&W Special hunting ammo is absolutely capable of taking medium to large game when bullets are chosen correctly and shots are placed responsibly. With appropriate 350–400 grain bullets, you have more than enough energy and penetration for deer, hogs, black bea- even elk and moose.

Q5. What revolvers can shoot .500 S&W Special ammunition?
A. Any revolver or rifle  chambered in .500 S&W Magnum can fire .500 S&W Special ammo.  This includes the S&W X-Frame Revolver, single shot rifles, and even the Big Horn Armory Model 89. The latter, however, is not designed to feed these shorter rounds so it would need to be fed directly into the chamber.

Q6. What’s the effective range of .500 S&W Special ammo?
A. For most shooters running quality .500 S&W Special loads in a hunting or defensive context, realistic effective ranges look like:

• Up to 100 yards for most revolvers
• Up to 150 yards for rifles

In a country where more than 14 million Americans hunt in a given year, with millions more carrying firearms for protection and recreation, big-bore revolvers like the .500 have carved out a loyal niche. The shooters who stick with them aren’t chasing recoil and bragging rights; they’re chasing performance they can trust.
Steinel’s .500 S&W Special ammo is:

• Built for more modest recoil thresholds.
• Designed for terminal effectiveness.
• Backed by a customer-focused team that will actually talk with you about your gun, your use-case, and your expectations.