I know it is still relitively new on the market but the 500 hit it big and fast. midwayusa has 32 listings for ammunition and 3 or 4 manufactures offer brass. The 460 only has 2 manufactures of ammo corbon and Hornaday and starline is the only one offering brass. The ammunition for the 460 is slightly more reasonable and there is definately a huge selection of 45 cal bullets but the majority of them will not preform very well on game I am assuming at those velocites. Is it just a matter of time is the 460 going to get as popular as the 500? I kinda hope it does I am thinking about getting a 460 XVR one day. I preffer the .45 cal just a personal prefference. But for now I have too many things to either buy or pay off :(

I think the .460 will stick around for a while. I hear about more and more guys using it for deer here in Ohio.

Think it will survive as a novelty... What it gives you over the .45colt and .454casull is speed...and RECOIL. Speed gives you one thing, that's distance. Personally, I will never be so good with my Ruger .45Colt that its trajectory will be a limiting factor when hunting.

Jim

It's gonna stay as long as there are states that don't allow hunting with rifles, but don't restrict cartridges in handguns, my opinion.

I think it is a silly round because it is just too much cartrige for a handgun, but it might make a nice rifle round where one could use it or the 454 Casull or the 45 Colt. I had the Freedom Arms Casull and found top load shootable, but not much fun, just a little lower preasure and it makes a nice revolver round larger than a 44 magnum. The one I think would be nice is the 480 Ruger if it was available in a Ruger Bisley Super Blackhawk. Truth be told, I doubt I will ever buy another hunting revolver and if I did it would not be a S&W X frame, that one is just plain silly.

Zapzoo
Personally I don't see the need- it only gives you 200 fps over a 454 Casull. I can get a 240 gr bullet to 2000 fps ! Maybe 25 extra yrds! And the gun is way to big and bulky to make it a good side arm. You will want to carry it by itself but not with a rifle too!

Yeah there's market out there to own one of the biggest most powerful hangun.Personally I'm not going to trade in 454 casull for one.If I need more range than my 454 I'll grab a rifle.

"Yeah there's market out there to own one of the biggest most powerful hangun.Personally I'm not going to trade in 454 casull for one.If I need more range than my 454 I'll grab a rifle."

That's my attitude toward my .44 mag. If i need more range and power than a .44 mag I'm grabbing a large caliber rifle.

I do like the idea that the 460 can shoot both the 454 and the 45LC, but I am still reluctant to say if it is going to hang around for a while. The ammo for those 500's and 460's just seems extremely expensive. I will probably never buy one because I have my 454 and that is enough for me and all I need. It isn't my primary weapon while hunting. My rifle is and my 454's purpose is to bail me out as a back up if the need should present itself.

If I need more than a .44 magnum or .45 Colt Ruger only load, then I need a rifle.

I really dont care for the X frame. Too big, too bulky and too homely looking for my tastes.

Great story.... Had a guy come in the store yesterday to buy some ammo for his 460. He told me he bought the gun for grizzly protection and went on to tell me of his vast experience with big bore handguns. He bought a box of .45Colt "for plinking". A box of .454 for "practice with recoil". And finally, he bought a box of .460, the HORNADY 200gr SOFT BALLISTIC TIPS "to stop the charging grizzly in his tracks." Since he was an "expert" I decided not to discuss the penetration of a ballistic tip travelling 2000fps. Gee, I hope he sees nothing bigger than a whitetail!

Jim

It might be a moral dilemma, not having a crystal ball; I would still be willing to bet the man shoots plastic jugs. I guess you could say this is the one I use” pointing to whatever you think is a good round for bear defense? I think the Casull is enough gun for me and a good load 44 mag will do the job.

That man might make his day talking to you about that big gun and he is paying for your time. See, it’s a moral dilemma.

If I had a chance to shoot that S&W 460 I would want to shoot the Hornedy round….at plastic jugs

I love my 4 inch 500. It is my favorite handgun to shoot right now. I've yet to find a pistol that fits my ugly old hands as well as the X frame. Having the "most powerful handgun" was a large draw for me when I first found out at it. Heck, I'm still in my early 20's I've got to have the biggest, fastest and loudest of everything. I can honestly say after putting over 800 rounds through my little 500 it was one of the best investments I've ever made.
And on that note by fall I'd like to have a 460 ready to go for deer season this year.

A rifle is not always practical, or avaliable. What about a one armed person?


If I need more than a .44 magnum or .45 Colt Ruger only load, then I need a rifle.

I really dont care for the X frame. Too big, too bulky and too homely looking for my tastes.

Like most everyone has pointed out, the 460 S&W will probably be around for several years as an excellent handgun round but in a rifle like the Ruger #1, it is fast becoming one of our most popular chamberings. We just shipped 3 off to Texas where the guys wanted them for hogs and also said that at least one of them would be taken on a Colorado elk hunt this fall. I'm definantly looking forward to hearing about the hunt once the trip is made and they return....

A

Yes,I feel that it will be around for awhile.

The pluses for the round are:
It is a truly long range hunter. A hunter of the larger game species. Easily reloadable,with a bunch of bullets to choose from(being a .452") Both in jacketed and the excellent line of hardcast.

It was(is) initially chambered in a S&W "X" frame. This was a new pistol. Designed around the .500 S&W round. With beefed up frame,cylinder,bbl,and inner workings. This pistol will handle almost any loading that the hand loaders out there can dream up.

Another huge plus for the rd. is that it will shoot the .454Casull loadings, and more importantly,.45LC. Now I don't really see too many .454Casull rounds being shot thru the big revo's but for weapon familiarity and training purposes,the .45LC rounds are pretty cheep.

In the near future I can see somebody chambering a lever in the .460. Single shots also.

Yep,the .460 will be around for awhile. -----pruhdlr

I here some saying make a rifle in this caliber! Why? Think about it for a second a 460 in a rifle gives you a 444 with alittle bigger bullet or 45-70! As for a Lever I'd doupt it they would have to extend a '92 action to get it to fit as the '94 will not handle it!
They've already been done so why do it! Agian its not much more then my 454 Casull it's a niche Caliber only! :confused:

With some of the ballistic testing that I have done with rifle length barrels, you'd have to load the 45/70 pretty hot to match the ballistics of the 460 S&W...

An added bonus to the 460 S&W over the 45/70 is that you can load lighter weight bullets in the 460 that even have a couple hundred feet per second advantage over the 444 Marlin with similar bullet weights....

A

ASSASSIN
So your talking about a bolt action -not a lever action? O.K I could do the same with a 454 Cassull and be pushing right at your back door. So your alittle faster then a 444, but I'd doupt you could come close to 45-70 weights in bullets! My 454 Puma can and does push the lighter 300-350 gr bullets right at 45-70 speeds again already been done! The 460 doesn't give that much over the 454 Casull it was just away for S&W to sell more of there HUGE revovlers!! :rolleyes:

Gunnut,

I was actually referring to the Ruger #1...

You're probably right - S&W just needed to sell more handguns...

I was actually comparing the 300 gr. bullet weight velocity between the 460 S&W and the 45/70. With both being in a good bolt action or Ruger #1, the 45/70 MIGHT have a slight velocity advantage but if you put the 460 in the Ruger #1 and the 45/70 in a lever gun, the 460 will beat it every time hands down....

A

Gunnut45/454, just from reading your posts, you have nothing good to say about the 460 Mag, all you want to do is say it is only 200 fps faster than a 454 Casull, well you are wrong, the 460 Mag holds 10 gr. more of the same powder than the 454 Casull hold. This is a lot more then just 200 fps.

Also, you can't get the 454 Casull to do what a 460 Mag will do with a 390 gr. bullet no matter how hard you try. The 454 Casull runs out of case capacity.

The 460 Mag is here to stay. I own 2 of them and use them all the time. I don't see the 460 Mag going anywhere but in the field. :)

Redhawk1 - A-MEN....

A

Gunnut45/454, just from reading your posts, you have nothing good to say about the 460 Mag, all you want to do is say it is only 200 fps faster than a 454 Casull, well you are wrong, the 460 Mag holds 10 gr. more of the same powder than the 454 Casull hold. This is a lot more then just 200 fps.

Also, you can't get the 454 Casull to do what a 460 Mag will do with a 390 gr. bullet no matter how hard you try. The 454 Casull runs out of case capacity.

The 460 Mag is here to stay. I own 2 of them and use them all the time. I don't see the 460 Mag going anywhere but in the field. :)

Does this same logic apply to the 460 vs. 500....and if so, do we need the .460? Anyway, interesting comparisons and personally, I hope the .460 does survive as I think it will.

Dan

What the 500 S&W lacks in speed, it kinda sorta makes up for it with a lot more "frontal mass" of .500 as compared to .451 for the 460 S&W...

Including myself as well as several other rifle builders that I know of on a personal basis, six to be exact and myself makes seven, between all of us we have built a total of 3 rifles chambered for the 500 S&W and a total of 29 for the 460 S&W...

I here more guys "flipping a coin" between the 500 S&W and the 45/70 than probably anything else....

A

What
Including myself as well as several other rifle builders that I know of on a personal basis, six to be exact and myself makes seven, between all of us we have built a total of 3 rifles chambered for the 500 S&W and a total of 29 for the 460 S&W...

I here more guys "flipping a coin" between the 500 S&W and the 45/70 than probably anything else....

A

Interesting, what foundation has been used for the .460 rifles?

I personally have built off of the Ruger #1 and the Browning High Wall as have the others....

A

I personally have built off of the Ruger #1 and the Browning High Wall as have the others....

A

Thanks for the information. Have you had good results with the accuracy and velocity? Don't mean to wear you out, should have asked last time.

Dan

Dan,

I don't mind the questions as that's just part of the business...

This is the only load that I myself have personally shot and chronographed -

GUN: Browning High Wall / 25" Octagon barrel...

CARTRIDGE: 460 S&W

CASE: STARLINE 460 S&W

PRIMER: CCI-400

POWDER: H-4227 / 40.0 gr.

BULLET: SPEER 260 gr. SP

VELOCITY: 2,412 fps.

ACCURACY: 5-shot groups at 100 yards measured center to center averaged 1.1 inches

.................................................. .....................................

This load came from a customer -

GUN: Ruger #1 / 23" heavy barrel

CARTRIDGE: 460 S&W

CASE: STARLINE 460 S&W

PRIMER: CCI-400

POWDER: Lil'Gun / 40.6 gr.

BULLET: Hornady 300 gr. XTP

VELOCITY: 2,332 fps.

ACCURACY: 3-shot groups @ 100 yards consistantly have all bullet holes touching

.................................................. .....................................

This is another reported load from a customer -

GUN: Ruger #1 / 18" barrel

CARTRIDGE: 460 S&W

CASE: STARLINE 460 S&W

PRIMER: Remington 7 1/2

POWDER: H-4198 / 38.0 gr.

BULLET: 360 gr. WFN - GC - Hard Cast

VELOCITY: 1,862 fps.

ACCURACY: 5-shot groups @ 100 yards average 1 1/2 inches


A have heard (but not seen) of several guys that have gotten up to 2,600 fps. with 200 grain Barnes bullets with good accuracy but I have not yet received any such data....

A

Dan,

I don't mind the questions as that's just part of the business...

This is the only load that I myself have personally shot and chronographed -

GUN: Browning High Wall / 25" Octagon barrel...

CARTRIDGE: 460 S&W

CASE: STARLINE 460 S&W

PRIMER: CCI-400

POWDER: H-4227 / 40.0 gr.

BULLET: SPEER 260 gr. SP

VELOCITY: 2,412 fps.

ACCURACY: 5-shot groups at 100 yards measured center to center averaged 1.1 inches

.................................................. .....................................

This load came from a customer -

GUN: Ruger #1 / 23" heavy barrel

CARTRIDGE: 460 S&W

CASE: STARLINE 460 S&W

PRIMER: CCI-400

POWDER: Lil'Gun / 40.6 gr.

BULLET: Hornady 300 gr. XTP

VELOCITY: 2,332 fps.

ACCURACY: 3-shot groups @ 100 yards consistantly have all bullet holes touching

.................................................. .....................................

This is another reported load from a customer -

GUN: Ruger #1 / 18" barrel

CARTRIDGE: 460 S&W

CASE: STARLINE 460 S&W

PRIMER: Remington 7 1/2

POWDER: H-4198 / 38.0 gr.

BULLET: 360 gr. WFN - GC - Hard Cast

VELOCITY: 1,862 fps.

ACCURACY: 5-shot groups @ 100 yards average 1 1/2 inches


A have heard (but not seen) of several guys that have gotten up to 2,600 fps. with 200 grain Barnes bullets with good accuracy but I have not yet received any such data....

A

Really appreciate your time and effort and think the data will interesting to a number of folks.

Thanks,

Dan

You're more than welcome Dan....

A

Does this same logic apply to the 460 vs. 500....and if so, do we need the .460? Anyway, interesting comparisons and personally, I hope the .460 does survive as I think it will.

Dan


DOK, I think the 460 and 500 Mag are here to stay. People were saying a long time ago the 500 Mag was a novelty, I guess they were wrong then, as well as the guys that say that about the 460 Mag.

Here is my take on the 460, 500 Mag debate.
If I want a handgun for short range with a lot of knock down power I would choose the 500 Mag, if I want a long distance handgun I will choose the 460 Mag.
Perfect example is, I went to Maine on a black bear hunt, I was in a ground bind and I wanted a gun with a lot of knock down power and a big bullet. I chose my 500 Mag. Even though I knew my 460 mag would of done just as good of a job on the black bear, I just felt better with the bigger bullet. Also no matter what I shoot shot placement is more important than power.

I have a BFR in 500 Mag that I had customized and the barrel shortened to 6 inches, that is my on the ground up close handgun. I also have a S&W 4 inch 500 Mag I use as my back up handgun. But when I am hunting and a chance of a long shot is possible, I go with my S&W 7.5 inch 450 Mag.
I have shot 2 inch groups of the bench with my 460 Mag at 150 yards, not bad for a handgun.

Also, I know some guys did not feel comfortable shooting the 500 Mag, they did not like the recoil and therefor they did not shoot them well, but the 460 Mag recoil has a lot less felt recoil and guys are not having the same problem as they had with the 500 Mag.
Now me I like the recoil, my 4 inch 500 mag has no compensator, I had a end cap made for it. I don't like the muzzle flash or the extra noise the compensators gives. I don't notice much more recoil shooting without a compensator.

Redhawk1,

Sounds like you've got a handle on it and are enjoying it...good for you.

Dan