New .50 cal handgun makes Dirty Harry look like a wuss

[Biggles of 266]

Smith & Wesson has introduced its biggest revolver ever - a .50 calibre Magnum that can
kill a bear.

The five-shot revolver with a 23-centimetre barrel weighs about two kilograms. It is about 450 grams heavier than the .44 Magnum wielded by Clint Eastwood in the Dirty Harry movies.

It fires a new .50 calibre cartridge that the company said produces nearly three times the muzzle energy of the .44 - or enough stopping power to bring down a charging bear. Traditionally the .50 calibre is associated with heavy machine-guns.

"The primary market for it is hunting" big game, spokesman Ken Jorgensen, said.

Some questioned the wisdom of producing a more powerful revolver. "It boggles the mind," said Tom Ortiz, executive director of the Violence Policy Centre. He predicted the new Magnum would create "a new order of threat to law enforcement".

Smith & Wesson first brought out the .44 Magnum in the 1950s.

The new gun, which sells for $US989 ($1663), is one of nine models Smith & Wesson introduced this week at a trade show in Orlando, Florida.

Despite a spike following the 2001 terrorist attacks, revolver sales have long been on the decline in the United States.

Smith & Wesson, long the industry leader, also lost business in recent years after striking a deal with the Clinton administration in 2000 to install safety locks on all its guns and change its marketing practices. The deal was abandoned when the British company was sold to an Arizona startup.

 

[Deleted member 2452]

i saw a story about this in the news paper

about 3 days ago. it was in the financial section of all palces!
looks kinda silly to me.
steve

 

[AffectionateDan]

Not the first .50 cal to hit the shelves...

IMI and others have been making fifty-caliber pistols for years. Surely, you've heard of the notorious "Desert Eagle" line of handguns? The top of the line there is a .50 cal. And yes, it's very impressive. But I mean, really! What's the point? The ammo is cost-prohibitive for all but the most avid shooters, not to mention you could buy a small car for what the pistol itself costs! Once the novelty wears off, you fall back on the same old argument... a .22 will kill ya just as dead as a howitzer. I'll still with my .357, thank you very much. Affordable ammo, you can fire .38 rounds though her for target practice (even MORE affordable), and enough stopping power to put the largest attacker down with one shot. But yeah, you can't go wrong with a wheel gun. Sure, you sacrifice capacity with a revolver, but she'll NEVER jam on you! Plus, Taurus makes an 8-shot .357 wheel gun that is SWEEEEEEET. Ain't got one yet, as I can't justify myself buying more guns. I've got enough, really. But better to have too much than not enough, eh? Just my $.02

 

[Strelnikov]

Magnum Mania

Every time a new Dirty Harry movie was released, there was a boost in sales of .44 Magnum revolvers. A few months later, you could buy these guns used for fairly reasonable prices. The original buyers had tried them out with factory loaded ammunition, which is intended for medium-game hunting, and found the blast and recoil to be too much for them.

The problem with the Desert Eagle .44 and .50 is that a semi-auto firearm requires a certain minimum power level to cycle the action. Revolvers are tolerant of a wide range of ammunition, because the action is operated by pulling the trigger.

Serious shooters reload their ammunition. It's possible to produce .44 Mag ammunition that won't beat you to death, or set fire to the local vegetation. The same will be true of the new .50 cal.

Strelnikov

 

[TicklingDuo]

I'd like to get my hands on a 50 just to see the kind of kick it has. With it being so much more powerfull than the 44, I'm sure it's quite a difference. The first time I fired a 44 (when I was 12yo), it nearly knocked me on my ass. I'm not sure I see the reason for a 50. The 44 already has enough stopping power to be more than effective. I mean, how far are you going to get with your head or half your chest gone? The 50 is, in my not so humble opinion, overkill...pun intended. Unless you actually go out hunting bear with a handgun, I don't see the point.

Ann

 

[tkrexx]

Just for the record, you're very, very lucky indeed to kill a grizzly with only one shot, regardless of the weapon. There have been countless reports of hunters emptying entire magazines of high-powered rifles into a charging bear, only to climb a tree to escape the dying brute. Upon the beast's demise, a gutting will show the heart and lungs literally disintegrated from the shooting, yet the bear STILL kept charging. These are perhaps the most difficult animals on earth to kill.

Back to the point. Having fired the .44 (and having seen a much larger fellow than myself knocked unconcious and requiring stitches between the eyes from shooting the same weapon), I would be interested in trying the .50. If only so I could say I have. I love revolvers! My fave has always been the good, old-fashioned S&W .38. An extremely accurate and dependable weapon, easy to clean & maintain. I find the semi-automatics lacking in all these details, the best being the beretta 9mm, the worst is that hunka garbage .45. Marines used to run from the MP's who carried .45's 'cuz they couldn't hit squat. When I fired the .45 for qualification, you had to hit the target with 10 rounds from about 30 feet to be rated expert. The target was a whole lot wider than me.

I saw the news trailer for the new .50 a few days ago. It's a lot more gun than I'll ever need, but still, the attraction is there.

Rxx

 

[shark]

Strel is right about making ammo that won't beat you to death.I reload for several people,and set some loads for one guy and his teenage kids to avoid just this problem.Reloading can provide loads that are extremely accurate,low or high power,economical,and many that are hard to find in the commercial market.

By the way,how did that guy get hit in the head with a .44?