Smith & Wesson Performance Center 500

Is the world’s most versatile hunting firearm a handgun? Could be. The Smith & Wesson Performance Center 500 can handle every huntable animal you might encounter. It shoots loads light enough for varmints, heavy enough for thick-skinned dangerous game and flat enough for long-distance species such as sheep or antelope.

A. Compensator Its 360-degree design throws flame like the exhaust from a Top Fuel dragster but it helps tame the .500’s formidable recoil, making 275- and 325-grain loads kick less than a .44 Mag. It also acts as a barrel nut, suspending the barrel in the barrel shroud. In essence, it pulls the barrel between the frame and compensator, eliminating barrel stress and enhancing the revolver’s accuracy.

B. Barrel Smith & Wesson’s Performance Center offers the 500 in three barrel lengths (6½ inches, 7½ inches and 10½ inches). The 10½-inch barrel pictured here gives the best performance with the various loads for the 500, both in terms of velocity and accuracy. All Performance Center 500 barrels are made by Lothar-Walther and are precision ground at both the crown and the forcing cone, where the barrel extends through the frame. What you actually see is the barrel shroud. The barrel itself is contained within it, suspended between the frame and compensator.

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