Thread: Check out this Pig

The largest handgun I've personally fired is a .44 Mag. I own a .41 Mag. for deer and hogs. The recoil of either does not bother me.
I find it unbelievable that an 11 year old could hold and aim a .50 revolver with any degree of accuracy, let alone stand the recoil.

Originally Posted by Bruno

I'll be the first to admit that I have only a basic knowledge of guns (though I know that the side with the hole should point away from you) but if even someone as experienced and -probably- strong as GW has problems shooting a 50, then why on earth do they make these things?

Is this some sort of 'mine is bigger than yours' contest to prove your manliness?
Hey dude I shoot a 50...
Because then you might as well buy a 308 sniper rifle, remove the stock, saw off most of the barrel and mount it on a revolver grip.

Whether you are pro or anti guns, the first premise of handguns is that they are meant to shoot with in a controlled fashion.
If that is not possible, why bother?

Bruno, your statement concerning your limited knowledge of guns is more true than you know.
308 hand guns have existed for quite some number of years.
There are quite some number of other calibers that are also available in the Thompson Contender
There is a small selection of barrels here.
http://www.bullberry.com/TCbarrels.html


I have also fired these in 308, 243, 22, and a couple of JDJ cartridges.
None of them have the recoil of the Smith 500.

I have a program that will calculate recoil based on various factors, gun weight, payload, powder charge, ect.
I ran the 500 with a 440 grain bullet, 40 grains of powder, 4.5 pound gun.
54 pounds of recoil energy

I also ran the 308 contender with a 150 grain bullet, 42 grains of powder, 3.5 pound gun.
27 pounds of recoil energy.

Double the recoil.

Saying that I "have trouble shooting" one is not correct though.
I simply don't want to shoot the 500.

Why??? Simple, negative reinforcement.

Do you like sticking your fingers in a light socket or a rat trap??
Who does?

I can hold the gun just fine. I can align the sights no problem. I have trouble not flinching.
I caught myself starting to flinch once and put the gun down for 2 hours and when I picked it back up I managed to shoot 3 more before I caught myself starting to flinch again.

I shoot a lot, like 300 or 400 rounds a week and the last thing I want to do is develop a flinch shooting some hand cannon to show how tough I am.
Even a small flinch can suck to try to work through.

The unexperienced shooter (and some experienced) will anticipate the negative effects of pulling the trigger and will wince and move off of target.

The 500 was designed for experienced handgunners who want to take very large game. The ballistics are similar to a low pressure 45-70 loading and the 45-70 has been used to take the big 5.

mmmm.....big 5.......... imagine rhino horn razor scales from a rhino that you shot yourself or ivory off your own elephant.....I'd give my left nut for some rhino scales...or cape buffalo horn..... thems some mean sumbitchin scales !!

Thanks GW. Great explanation.

Thinking about it some more, it seems that shooting big game is about the only thing you can use such a handcannon for, though it really seems a case of using the wrong tool for the job. But that again might be my inexperience.

I have once shot a 45 ACP, a 357 magnum, a 22 cal and a 9 mm. One box of ammo each. Another time I also shot a box of 9mm at a shooting range.
That is my total handgun experience. In Belgium, this is above average.
Most people never see a handgun up close, let alone shoot one, ever since military drafing has been abolished 15 years ago.

Maybe GW or someone with the technical info can give the low-down on the determining factors of the lethality/stopping power of a particular round: People seem to make a big deal about the caliber of a bullet --- but you're messing with fractions of an inch (somewhere in the 1/4 inch range) when separating the lowest calibers from the highest in most personal weapons. But there are other factors: load, grain, bullet jacket, etc --- so my general question is : Within reason, is too much made of caliber?


Justin

I don't know much about this at all (-at all-) but at a guess I'd imagine that at the velocities these things are travelling even a small change in the weight of a bullet would increase its momentum a fair bit. And fractions of a centimeter would increase a bullet's weight.

I also know that force is the rate of change of momentum, so there'd be a fair bit of force generated when a bullet hits a (relatively speaking) stationary target. So I'm thinking larger calibre bullets generate more force than lower calibre bullets, notwithstanding a perhaps lower velocity generated by a heavier bullet???

But this is all guesses based on a rather sketchy rememberance of high school dynamics. Feel free to put a smackdown on me if I'm off the mark.

James.

Originally Posted by Jimbo

I don't know much about this at all (-at all-) but at a guess I'd imagine that at the velocities these things are travelling even a small change in the weight of a bullet would increase its momentum a fair bit. And fractions of a centimeter would increase a bullet's weight.

I also know that force is the rate of change of momentum, so there'd be a fair bit of force generated when a bullet hits a (relatively speaking) stationary target. So I'm thinking larger calibre bullets generate more force than lower calibre bullets, notwithstanding a perhaps lower velocity generated by a heavier bullet???

But this is all guesses based on a rather sketchy rememberance of high school dynamics. Feel free to put a smackdown on me if I'm off the mark.

James.

Hey --James ---- even for a given caliber (diameter) --the mass of the bullet can change depending on the grain of the bullet --- so increase in caliber is not the only way to increase the mass of the round. And if stopping power is related to the force exerted by the bullet via rate of change in momentum (velocity), then the faster the bullet stops , the more force exerted --- this might have more to do with the jacket/core of the bullet and its mushrooming effect than the caliber of the bullet.
But anyway ---interesting (if not a little gruesome) stuff.

Justin

Hi Guys,

So how does a hollow point work? These are what I used to use in my shooting days, before our Prime Minister had a rush of blood and demanded that all of us law abiding registered shooters had to turn in all our semi auto weapons for scrap metal, before we were fined or worse. Too bad about all the non law abiding non registered weapons, they are still out there. Sorry got carried away there...........

Not wanting to turn this into a hunting thread or anything, but I recently received a PPS presentation via email which shows the power of polar bears and what damage they can create. It's a bid bloody and graphic, but anyone who would like me to email it to them please ask.

Cheers
John

Originally Posted by johnmw1

Hi Guys,

So how does a hollow point work?

Cheers
John

Well I ain't exactly an expert, but the hollow point allows for the bullet to expand or mushroom out --- stopping fast and dumping all of the bullets energy into the target. They have the advantage in personal defense in that that they can end the battle quickly and don't have the tendency to pass through and strike a innocent victim. I suppose they can cause massive internal damage but being shot with multiple rounds that pass through and through isn't an easy fix for the doctors either.


Justin

P.S. Even in small caliber, the effects are considerable .

Originally Posted by jaegerhund

Well I ain't exactly an expert, but the hollow point allows for the bullet to expand or mushroom out --- stopping fast and dumping all of the bullets energy into the target. They have the advantage in personal defense in that that they can end the battle quickly and don't have the tendency to pass through and strike a innocent victim. I suppose they can cause massive internal damage but being shot with multiple rounds that pass through and through isn't an easy fix for the doctors either.


Justin

P.S. Even in small caliber, the effects are considerable .

Thanks Justin,

Your answer is spot on I reckon, you always explain yourself very well with words.

Cheers
John

Originally Posted by johnmw1

Thanks Justin,

Your answer is spot on I reckon, you always explain yourself very well with words.

Cheers
John

Thanks John --- no need to feed my fat head . (I might actually start thinking I'm worth something)


Justin