Earth's Most Powerful Handgun

[XLR8R]

So, even though I'm Gun-Happy - doesn't mean I'm finished with the toolbox! :D

Fortune provided me an opportunity to get an S&W 500 in a 4" barrel for an offer I couldn't (well, shouldn't :o ) refuse...

Any opinions from users or gurus? (kibitzers are welcome!)

Seems overly large for CHL duty - hard to avoid a 5lb X-frame's unsightly bulge - so maybe a truck gun? Or something to fluff the pillows with...

Will report back with first-hand impressions of 2700ft-lbs of muzzle energy in a fortnight; expecting better results than off-handed results with a .357 snubby! :)

[wannadiesel]

I shot a box of ammo through one, it had a 6" barrel. It was lots of fun. :D

I think it's best suited for outdoor activities. Doesn't Texas have a few excess hogs? ;)

[Rick D]

I've got the 500 S&W 10" hunter , my favorite gun of all to shoot even with 700grn hard cast loads, there's nothing like it.

Buy it and have fun.

Rick

[uptime]

I just saw another really bad gun from Taurus called "The Judge". Check this one out.

http://www.taurususa.com/video/taurus-theJudge-video.cfm

[XLR8R]

I think Texas has a little bit of everything that needs shootin', but inside the home use might need Glaser-type shotshells or something.

Wow - I didn't realize Cor-Bon was making such a heavy bullet for them... 700gr isn't that much less than the 50 gram benchmark.

[BT2Flip]

I just saw another really bad gun from Taurus called "The Judge". Check this one out.

http://www.taurususa.com/video/taurus-theJudge-video.cfm

thats SAH~WEET

[Adaminak]

Been carrying a 2.5" for quite awhile. It's actually not bad to shoot. I don't bother with 600gr (or heavier) bullets because they tend not to stabilize in the short barrel, but with a 4" gun, you'd be fine. Recoil is actually pretty tolerable with the heavy bullets (I usually shoot a 500gr HC), but muzzle blast and flip get a little exciting when you shoot the light fast bullets. I use mine mostly for a camp-protection gun and when I'm river fishing, but it also sits in the closet on the off chance a bear tries to eat the dog, or a moose has the kids cornered in the backyard.

[Rick D]

The 700 grainers i load myself, there are a few available from custom loaders

bullets available here (http://www.lsstuff.com/ranger-rick/)

[XLR8R]

Man, that is a BIG bullet! :)

[n2moto]

No doubt the 500 is quite a hand full. Generally that means when grabbing below the belt there isn't quite a hand full.:D Or you live in Glendale, CA.

[Adaminak]

No doubt the 500 is quite a hand full. Generally that means when grabbing below the belt there isn't quite a hand full.:D Or you live in Glendale, CA.

Whaddya gettin' at? I'm not driving a convertible Corvette 15mph under the speed limit with my scantily-clad trophy wife in the passenger seat.:D

I carry a .500 because it's got the highest probability of preventing me from becoming dinner. Same reason I hunt moose in heavy cover with a .375 H&H when a .338 is plenty of gun for that particular animal.

[XLR8R]

Sounds like Glendale is a suburb of Rio Linda? :p

[soulezoo]

Glendale is SoCal... Rio Linda is NorCal...

Glendale is the one CA city Rio Linda can make fun of.

[XLR8R]

LOL! That's what I gathered... :D

[n2moto]

In Glendale if it is gold plated/big and shinny or cheap shinny and small .380 caliber it will be a big seller in Glendale.

IMI would make a ton of money if they made a Gold plated Desert Eagle in .380, in a wooden box with some cheap mens cologne that came in a gallon jug and a velour workout suit with a picture of a Lexus in the backround.

That should just about cover all the stereotypes.

[XLR8R]

A Lexus rollin' on "twenty-foes"....

[GasganoFJ60]

I just saw another really bad gun from Taurus called "The Judge". Check this one out.

http://www.taurususa.com/video/taurus-theJudge-video.cfm

I have been eying this gun for about a year now. I'd like it to be my first pistol but wallet keeps saying no...:mad:

[n2moto]

Gasgano your wallet is your friend lets hope when it's full you pass on that one.

[tightgroup]

The 500 has a major cool factor. I have not had a chance to shoot it but have shot the 460 and it was a handful.

I am thinking about getting a 460 because it can shoot 45 Colt and I already have a couple revolvers in that caliber. :cool:

[irocpractice]

Thghtgroup/Ed,this one is for you.:D
Measured by muzzle energy, it is the most powerful in the world.

Cal.600 Nitro Magnum

http://www.vincelewis.net/50magnum/600text.gif

Pfeifer-Zeliska .600 Nitro Express Magnum.

http://www.vincelewis.net/50magnum/600-gun-1.JPG

image not to scale

To see spliced images of the Zeliska in actual size click here.http://www.vincelewis.net/60size.html

The worlds most powerful pistol is the Austrian Pfeifer-Zeliska .600 Nitro Express Magnum. It is chambered to fire the British developed .600 caliber rifle bullet originally made by Holland and Holland. This revolver was not originally a full production model but a one off built especially for a wealthy Swiss gent...Mr. Zeliska.

But if you would like one and I am sure that a few of you licensed rootin tootin gun lovers with a bit of disposable income would, then contact Pfeifer arms ( url near bottom of page ) and they will make one for you. Priced at 13,840 Euro's. This equates as $16,501 or £9,417 ( Exchange rate Feb 24th 2006 )

The Pfeifer Revolver is also available chambered for the .458 Winchester Magnum and qualifies as the second worlds most powerful handgun.

The .600 Nitro Express Magnum revolver is a Single Action, 5 shot, old west style gun. A single action revolver is stronger in construction than a double action revolver due to the solid base frame that the cylinder sits in.

The image below shows the colossal size of the revolver in the hands of a suitably impressed gun magazine photographer !

http://www.vincelewis.net/50magnum/600-gun-5.JPG

This is not a joke. This gun really exists. It's the absolute ultimate Magnum revolver and one that Smith & Wesson would rather you didn't know about as their market researcher would need medication !

Because of its size this revolver would need to be fired whilst resting on a bench clamp or small sand bags as shown in the image below. The gun weighs in at 13.23lbs and consequently is heavy enough to absorb most of the violent recoil. In fact it is on scale to firing the .50 Magnum.

http://www.vincelewis.net/50magnum/600-gun-4.JPG

The recoil is not uncontrollable, but instead, tamed by the guns weight. A bi-pod and shoulder stock may be in order though.

The .600 Nitro Express bullet was originally developed in 1899 for the big game hunters who went to Africa with the intention of killing Elephants, something that I despise by the way. Even though H&H no longer manufacture these cartridges they can still be sought through the gun trade, small reloading companies or even over the internet.

One company still actually make these rounds and they are Kynoch at www.kynochusa.com

The images below shows the actual size of the .600 Nitro Express round, the bullet of which can go clean through a 10mm steel plate at 12 meters like a hot knife through butter. The bullet on the end is a .700 Nitro Express which is currently the worlds most powerful Rifle cartridge and its probably just a matter of time until a Revolver is developed for it.

http://www.vincelewis.net/50magnum/600-cartridge.gifhttp://www.vincelewis.net/50magnum/600-cartridge.gifhttp://www.vincelewis.net/50magnum/600-cartridge.gifhttp://www.vincelewis.net/50magnum/600-cartridge.gifhttp://www.vincelewis.net/50magnum/600-cartridge.gif http://www.vincelewis.net/50magnum/700nitro.gif

actual size. These are pretty awesome rounds, folks !

These .600 Nitro Express rounds sell from about $40 each !

Of course the size of cartridge based ammunition can go up to an 88mm anti-tank round and beyond but as small arms go, these bullets/cartridges are colossal.

Nitro Express in firearms terms applies to a cartridges charge or powder that in this instance is made by mixing nitroglycerine with the already explosive gunpowder to make a nitrocellulose compound which is then dried and becomes many times more explosive than the original gunpowder.

With a Bullet Weight of 900 grains and a Muzzle Velocity 1950 fps, it produces Muzzle Energy of 7591 ft/lbs or 3½ tons !! the Pfeifer- Zeliska .600 Nitro Express Magnum is 8 times more powerful than a Smith and Wesson.44 magnum and 3 times more powerful than the Smith and Wesson .50 Magnum.

The 'Mag-Port' recoil compensation holes can be seen at the business end of the barrel, these holes let some of the blast out before the bullet has left the barrel, in so reducing the back pressure enough to lower the recoil to an acceptable degree. In fact the gun 'only' rises up 60 degrees when fired.

The line of sight from rear to front sight is 440mm. This long sight range of course helps for long range shooting of which the .600 is more than capable .

http://www.vincelewis.net/50magnum/600-gun-3.JPG

image not to scale.

As a Single Action revolver the hammer needs to be cocked before the gun can be fired.

http://www.vincelewis.net/50magnum/600-gun-7.JPG

image not to scale.

The cartridges are loaded through a 'gate' on the right side of the cylinder housing one at a time, the spent cartridge case are also ejected through this gate by pushing back the extractor rod that lies under the barrel.

The ejector rod has a stroke of 170mm and pushes the 76mm long Nitro Express cases out 60mm from the back of the cylinder leaving 17mm of case still in the chamber, enough for them to be extracted by hand. As the Nitro Express cases are expensive and can be reloaded they aren't damaged by falling to the ground.

http://www.vincelewis.net/50magnum/600-gun-2.JPG

image not to scale. Nice polished woodwork there !

The gun is made from 42CrMo4-Tungsten steel and can withstand the gas pressure of the .60 Nitro Express cartridge of 2500 BAR without a hitch. The cylinders pivot is 8mm in diameter and is bolted to the frame for extra strength. The empty cylinder with its highly polished chambers weighs 4.5lb on its own.

The hammer, extractor, knock-out cylinder bar, screws and the cylinder central pivot are all gold plated. Also on the right lower sides of the gun the inscriptions are gold filled. The inscriptions read, 'MOD. ZELISKA CAL. 600 NE', on the left side the manufacturer's address 'K. PFIEFER WAFFEN, FELDKIRCH, AUSTRIA'.

Most of the guns metal work was made on conventional milling and drilling machines, then each part was finished to a very high standard by fine filing and polishing to give the gun a superb finish.

With a price of 16,501 Dollars though the price of this unique gun is just as exclusive as the caliber !


http://www.pfeifer-waffen.at/cms/html/index.php

Click the picture to go to the Austrian Pfeifer custom gun website.

The text below is duplicated direct from their site incase the link gets broken.

Pfeifer Waffen Feldkirch
Schlossgraben 10-12
A-6800 Feldkirch
Austria / Europe
phone 0043/ 5522/ 741 74
Fax 0043/ 5522/ 77660
office@pfeifer-waffen.at

opening hours:
Monday to Friday: 8.30am - 12.00pm / 2.00pm - 6.00pm
Saturday 8.30am - 12.00pm< /FONT>

Forget everything you¢ve heard about magnum revolvers, this is the ultimate gun.



Measured by muzzle energy, it is the most powerful in the world.

Cal.600 Nitro Magnum



Every single part is made by hand and is matched individually for each Zeliska revolver.

The Zeliska revolver is unique and a masterpiece of the art of gunsmithing.



Due to the weight of the gun, shooting the Zeliska is no problem for a skilled marksman.

There won¢t be any permanent damage inflicted to your wrist.



The Zeliska is also available in cal .458 Win Mag, take into consideration that the price for this ammunition is much lower than 600 Nitro Magnum.

Technical Data

Calibre:


.600 Nitro Express or .458 Win Mag.

Muzzle velocity:


462 m/s, FMJ 900 grain

Muzzle energy:


6,230 joule's

Weight:


13.23 lbs

Capacity:


5 rounds

Barrel length:


13 inches

Overall length:


21.65 inches

Features:


Browned special steel. As every revolver is an individual product we can satisfy every customers wish.





The Zeliska comes with an exclusive case.

[Adaminak]

I'd seen a video (probably u-tube) of some guy shooting what was reportedly a 600 NE revolver. Believe you me, he wasn't a millionaire as the BBQ stain on his threadbare tank top would attest to. Anyway...he shoots the gun, and the muzzle flip is so violent it actually spins out of his hand, over his head and lands on the ground behind him. Sometimes, enough is enough.

I'm certain I could rig-up a pistol grip for a M-203 launcher...

[Gunlovingvet]

I'd seen a video (probably u-tube) of some guy shooting what was reportedly a 600 NE revolver. Believe you me, he wasn't a millionaire as the BBQ stain on his threadbare tank top would attest to. Anyway...he shoots the gun, and the muzzle flip is so violent it actually spins out of his hand, over his head and lands on the ground behind him. Sometimes, enough is enough.

I'm certain I could rig-up a pistol grip for a M-203 launcher...

203s dont kick so make me one please. Just for emergency flairs out at sea you understand.

H.E. what H.E.??
Whats a willy Pete?
Grin

[Equalizer_2]

I have seen that video also but I didn't know what the gun was. It went by kind of fast!

[Adaminak]

203s dont kick so make me one please. Just for emergency flairs out at sea you understand.

H.E. what H.E.??
Whats a willy Pete?
Grin

203's don't kick (much) when attached to 8.4lbs of combat rifle and fired with an under-armpit offhand position. Prone and actually supported against the shoulder is a completely different story:eek:

HE is kinda outdated nowadays. There's this wonderful thing called HEDP (High Explosive/Dual Purpose), which combines the "structure remodeling" effects of HE with considerable antipersonnel effects. Still not quite as good as the original 40mm dedicated anti-personnel round (200 #0 buckshot), but a rather nice compromise when you can only carry one round regardless of the mission.

[Gunlovingvet]

I will take my chances on the recoil plus I have a neighbor who will try anything if you say it cant be done. He can test it for us. LOL

Keep your head down and be safe over there Buddy.

[irocpractice]

That "203",is that a replacement for what some of us called a"bloop-gun"?

[irocpractice]

This thing?
The Thomson Contender 'Encore' .600 Nitro Express Magnum is a single shot target pistol, its very light and dangerously uncontrollable when fired.

http://www.vincelewis.net/50magnum/600_Nitro_Express.jpg

image not to scale. A nice looking pistol, but looks can be deceptive !

The recoil in such a relatively light gun at 6lbs can in fact throw the pistol out of your hands as the video grab below testifies. I have painted a yellow arrow that points at the Thomson Contender 600 Nitro Express, (its the blurry grey object ) as it flies over the Gents head after he fired it on the shooting range. He was lucky the gun didn't smash him in the face ! phew !! close one.

Click on the photo to see the 'youtube' video.

http://www.vincelewis.net/50magnum/nitro-flyaway.JPG

A never again to be experienced exploit in pistol shooting...now have a sit down and a cup of coffee Sir !

[davemac]

The links don`t work for me :confused: :confused: :confused:

[irocpractice]

Try this one dave.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lzri8dn7p0&feature=related

[davemac]

That worked, thanks.
Don`t think I wanna shoot that. I`ve got a Ruger .480, that`s big enough.

[Gunlovingvet]

That "203",is that a replacement for what some of us called a"bloop-gun"?
Replaced the M-79 and is mounted under an M-16 40 mm of fun and yes it goes BLOOP.

[68 Fish]

I shoot the S&W 500. I've taken three or four hogs and three white tailed deer. I'm shooting the 8-3/4" barrel. Scoped. Fun gun to shoot! Word of warning though. Frequently check all screws on the gun esp scope mounts. I now have a nice half circle scar in my forehead from a broken scope mount!

[Boatnik]

I've got the 500 S&W 10" hunter , my favorite gun of all to shoot even with 700grn hard cast loads, there's nothing like it.

Buy it and have fun.

Rick

Yeah I shot that gun Ricky. The first shot went right on target. I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn afterwards the rest of the day.:D If you won't buy it, give me PM. I will.

[Mr. Bill]

I dont know if it would make it the most powerful handgun. I was at gander mountain a couple weeks ago and saw in the display case a pistol that fires a 30-06. I forget who it was made by I think it was magnum research.

I have shot a .500 S&W and it does kick some lol, but i cant imagine shooting a 30-06 from a pistol.

[cincydiesel]

Yeah I shot that gun Ricky. The first shot went right on target. I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn afterwards the rest of the day.:D If you won't buy it, give me PM. I will.

Thats funny... I do the same thing while sighting the slug gun.. After a box of 3" I get a little trigger jumpy