Hello fellow handgun hunters! I'm a new member and this is my 1st post. I started hunting with a handgun several years ago and love it! I use a 6" S&W 617 for squirrels and a 9 1/2" Ruger SRH in 44 Mag for deer. I have been very interested in the 460 mag ever since Smith came out with it and recently gave in and bought a 8 3/8" 460 XVR when I came across a great deal. I can't say enough about this gun...I love it!! Very accurate and easy to handle desptite how huge it is and how much power it wields. I am chomping at the bit to hit the woods with it. I put a 2-6X Simmons ProHunter on it and am able to hit 2 liter bottles at 200 yards with ease (with a solid rest of course!) I am still a big fan of the 44 mag but this gun/cartridge is even more versatile and gives the responsible shooter much greater range. I am wondering if any of you have hunted or taken game with the 460 and how you guys like it. I will be using mine primarily for whitetails but am also planning to take it west for muleys, pronghorns and elk. I am retarded when it comes to computers and cameras but I will try to post pics of my first deer with my 460.

Welcome to the site 460Scott! I have not used the 460 but know a couple people who have. A former coworker downed a nice 5X5 bull elk at 150 yards with his. Look forward to seeing your pics!

Thanks Pab1. The ability to put an animal the size of a bull elk down at that range with a revolver is one of the reasons I chose the 460. Impressive! One of the first field reports I read on the 460 said one of the hunters took a whitetail at 224 yards and the exit wound was impressive..the gun was zeroed for 200 yards and he made the shot from shooting sticks and used a dead on hold! I can't wait to take mine hunting!!

Welcome 460Scott. This is one of, if not my favorite sites. A lot of great guys. I am a single shotaholic myself hut those new big bore revolvers (460 and 500) are indeed impressive. Be sure and post pics.

Safe shooting
Doug

Welcome Scott, I took this deer last season with my .460.


This spring I took this hog.

Welcome to the site, I've never even shot the .460, but I heard it has lots of power to get the job done.

WELCOME to HH 460Scott!

I have a 460, but have not put it thru the paces yet. I'll report as soon as I do.

Thanks for the warm welcome guys! Think I'm gonna enjoy this site. MIHunter, thanks for the pics. I'm curious about the load (s) you used on the deer and boar and what were the ranges? That looks like one of those cool Performance Center models!

Scott they were both taken with the Federal Vital-Shok 275 gr ammo. The doe was at about 25 yards and she ran about 40. The hog was about 60 yards and he ran about 20.

The gun is a 2 tone PC with a 7 1/2" barrel with the Burris E-dot on top. I really like that gun.

Ed I would love to a take a bison with my .460. What round will you be using?

Sounds like you're a well traveled hunter Edward! How much red tape you gonna have to go through to take a handgun to Africa? I was planning a hunt near Rawlings, Wyoming for mule deer but didn't draw a tag so this year I'll be chasin deer here in Alabama and also Tennessee. Where is your bison hunt? I've wondered how much more velocity you might could squeeze from the 460 in a closed breech versus a revolver.

MIHunter is that a spire point bullet? Im eventually gonna load my own but right now I've been fiddlin with the 200 gr Hornady SST loads and my gun really likes em! I'm also gonna try some heavier bullets. What kind of velocity/energy are you getting from that Federal 275 gr load?

Scott, I don't reload yet either. It is the Barnes Expander bullet. Here's a link to Federal info on it.

http://www.federalpremium.com/products/details/handgun.aspx?id=720

Never shot the 460 & never will....Toooo much gun for me.

Congrats on both kills, looks like a great time to me...Almost anything with a handgun is a trophy, and does and hogs eat good to.

Gene

I shot a 500 S&W. I it felt more like my 45-70 in my Contender! LOL They have there place, I haven’t had much use for one.

Anyone that can handle a hot loaded 44 mag won't have any trouble with the felt recoil of the 460. I have been shooting 44s for years and that's what it feels like to me. I have not shot a 500 yet but I hear the recoil is alot stouter than the 460. What do you normally hunt with?

Don’t take this the wrong way, but whatever is shooting right at the time. Anything from a 7-30 Waters to a 270 Win. I love my 44 but have only had it 6 months. Even with the “hot” loads the SRH is a joy.

LOL..I hear ya! Yeah I love my SRH 44 too. It's a great gun and hard to beat as far as 44s go and to date all of the deer I've taken with a handgun have been with my Ruger. My Smith is bigger and heavier but balances extremely well. the heft and the muzzle brake help tame the recoil and, no kiddin,it doesn't feel any different than shooting my Ruger with the hot stuff. I love the 270 Win. too by the way!

Scott, I was hooked when I saw the 460 XVR and its what brought me to find this site. This is a great place, you'll learn alot. I'm here everyday, though I don't always post that much. For me, it was the luck of the draw because I am a huge supporter of Whitetails Unlimited. S&W partnered with them a couple of years ago and put out an XVR edition with the WTU logo on the frame and the name of each state on the barrel. I had to have one but couldn't find one until one day while window shopping I found one in my home state of Iowa's version. Needless to say I wasn't going to let it slip away. I have been shooting Hornaday 200 gr SST and mine loves them too! It really suprised me how accurate it is straight out of the box. I let a friend fire it and he too was shocked at how well he shot with it. I too found the recoil nothing more than a stout 44 Mag. I really don't want to scope it because I love the looks of it as is. I'll be chasing Iowa Whitetails with it this December. Not sure yet what I will call my maximum distance for attempted shots, that will be decided as I continue to practice with it this fall. Keep in touch and lets share experiences!

Nope. Not much around here that can't be handled with even a light 44 load. The ones I've shot and handled are way too loud and heavy. One of the reasons I started hunting with handguns was to be able to go afield "lighter". And iron-sighted Ruger SAs fill the bill for me perfectly. To each, their own. Good luck with it and welcome to the forum!

Ed, I see I was right about your travels! Bison steak sounds tasty! Don't know if I'll ever go to Africa but I have had my eye on Montana. That is a pretty big velocity gain with the closed breech!

I have owned the .460 XVR and loved it but traded for a new Performance Center .460 10 1/2" last year. Got it topped with an Aimpoint 9000 and run the Hornady SST 200s thru her. I am quite impressed with the 200 yd accuracy--the 200gr. will be plenty to drop a large whitetail at that distance and spare you on the recoil. My longest harvest shots have been several 150-160 yarders on does off of round hay bales or shooting bags but my summer practice so far has been on getting better with the sticks. Those damn hay bales aren't laying just everywhere! SChunter is another .460 guy on the forum who will be of help anytime you need it.

Welcome to the forum and let's stay in touch, o' brother in the beast!

Score Guy sounds like you love the XVR as much as I do! Those WU editions are really handsome. My first trip to the range with mine was before I scoped it. I used the Hi Viz front sight and had no problems whacking 2 liter bottles and milk jugs at 100 yards with the open sights. The trigger is great and it really surprised me how shootable this gun is with full power ammo and considering how big and heavy it is..haven't weighed mine since I scoped it but I know it's over 5 lbs now but it balances and points as well as any of my smaller handguns. I never knew shooting 2 boxes of full power magnum ammo could be that much fun and not make my hands and wrist sore. Like I said..I love this gun!! What part of Iowa do you hunt?

Kingfisher how's it goin? Man I'm really enjoying this site so far. So you like the longer tube on your PC? That's some pretty good shootin! I started using the new shooting stick from Primos..it's called the trigger. It's a monopod that you can adjust up and down with one hand using a "trigger"..works great! You might want to check it out. Yeah I don't see too many round hay bales in the woods LOL

460Scott,

Welcome to the site and the 460 club! I, too am the proud owner of a 460 S&W (10 1/2" barrel PC), topped with a Leupold 2.5X8. Just been punching paper to date, as Santa brought it down the chimney this past Christmas (My wife is a very good woman!). Looking forward to the first season afield and the gun opener on Sept 15th...

Like many of the other 460 shooters, I'm using the 200 gr SST's in my gun for ballistic reasons, in addition to economics and wrist preservation. And I must agree with you, I was extremely surprised how well-balanced the gun was...and then I put on the scope and rings. Still points well, but offhand shooting is more challenging. Shooting sticks and sandbags - or a handy hay bale? Kingfisher is a powerlifter, so maybe he tucks it under his arm on the way to the stand...

I must admit, my .460 won't waylay Bambi any deader than my .44, but if I bought guns on utility alone, my gun safe would be a lonely, lonely place. And that's not a happy safe!

Welcome again, and look forward to sharing stories with you this season!

Scott, I live and hunt primarily in NE Iowa. If you're ever going to be in the area, let me know in advance. That goes for any of the fine folks I've come to know here. I will admit I've considered scoping my gun, just haven't convinced myself its necessary. If I do, I'm wondering how many rings I should start using right off the bat? Does anyone know if the bases and rings that you can order direct from S&W are worth the money? I do want to invest in some good sticks, any suggestions? I'd also like to say, I've noticed many guys saying they either have switched or started with a PC version of the 460. I'm just wondering what you gain with this?

I ordered the bases from S&W for the 500 and 460XVR I had and the biggest advantage is they are steel so they resist flexing more. I had a 2x Leupold on the 500 with 4 rings and the 460 had a 2.5-8x Leupold with 3 rings. I prefer the Leupold Rifleman vertical split medium height rings, they are only about 11.00-12.00 and work very well and I used to spend serious money on rings. The rings you can get at wally world or order from numerous places. I would invest in the steel bases mainly because with only the 3 screws to hold it near the back it is possible to get flex at the front of the base. I know lots of guys who use the aluminum bases designed for the N frames without problems but if you think about it your scope is giving it part of it's ridgidity which means it's being stressed. As a thought to ponder while deciding whether or not to scope it, when I had my 460 it was shooting 1.5" groups at 150yds with 260gr Nosler partitions running just under 2000fps. I loved both guns but they defeated the reason I got into revolvers which was a gun I could carry easily on my hip or in a crossdraw holster on my belt. I personally decided to go back to contenders if I'm hunting in a situation where I need a long shot but my primary weapon is my custom 6" 475 with a 2x Leupold although I do have a 410GNR that I'm still developing loads for that will reach out further for deer sized game. The PC guns receive more personal attention from the S&W gunsmiths, the actions are worked over and the barrels are of German origin but as I stated above the XVR can be exceptionally accurate especially if you handload and although I know alot of you guys like the 200gr loads big bores were meant to shoot big bullets and the heavier bullets stabilize better and in fact if you run the numbers on a ballistic program you'll find bullet drop with the 260gr isn't that much more than the 200 because of the ballistic coeficient but your energy and TKO values go way up.

Scott, the Primos Trigger Stick was my Father's Day gift from my daughters. Nice gadget.

Dur, you know how us 'Bama boys are with hay bales! By the way... finally got the time to run a few rounds thru my Ruger Charger. Youngest daughter shoots the damn thing better than me!
Squirrel hunting will never be the same.

Kingfisher glad to know you shoot with your daughters too! I haven't introduced mine to handguns yet but my oldest is a natural with her 243. Let me know how you like the trigger stick and I'll do the same. I bet us good ole Alabama boys aint the only ones who have used a hay bale before! When I scoped my XVR I went with the solid steel Warne rail base and 2 steel Burris Signature rings with the shims. This setup is rock solid! SCHunter..glad to meet another fellow 460 man! Look forward to swappin info and huntin stories with all of yall. Score Guy how are the non res. regs in Iowa like and how much are the tags? Is there a handgun only season? I am looking forward to working up some handloads with several different bullet weights and styles. I do like the 200 gr Hornady though and even if its a little light for caliber the energy it produces more than makes up for that IMO. Im also fixin to try the Cor-Bon 200 gr spitzer load to see how my XVR likes em. I'm told the Cor-Bon load is hotter but the Hornady load is more accurate?? We'll see. I do know the Cor-Bons are almost twice as expensive as the Hornadys though!

I'm a 460 hunter, have the 10.5 inch pc model, very accuratewith 200 hornady about 1.5 inches @1ooyds I'm thinking of switching out my 2x leupold for the variable to improve distances. been shooting the federal 275 rounds at 50 and been getting tight groups even touching some groups. I also hunt with a savagestriker in 308 that I pop bowling pins @ 300 yds such an accurate gun. anyway i plan to take my 460 black bear hunting this year hope to get a shot at something
james66

I had a 460xvr and man did it shoot. I could hit milk jugs at 200 with it no problem. Deer was no problem at 50yrds don't know about long distance. the trouble that I had is how loud it is without ear protection. yes i used them on the range, but hunting I just could not use ear protection.

I am able to use electronic ear protection as they enable me to hear normal wood noises yet cut off the shot noise really well, what scope setup were you using for 200 yards
james66

I had a 2.5x8 leupold, but since then I have been using a straight 4x leo on my 7mm-08 and 44mag. 15"&14".just traded and got a 15" prohunter with a burris 2x7 with lighted recticle, getting ready to go shoot now.let you know how it works

Scott, With your 22, 44mag and 460S&W you have a handgun battery that is capable of taking every animal on the planet.I can see from your enthusiastic post that handgun hunting is now a way of life for you and I welcome you to HHM....Using Hornady`s 200gr
SST ammo and the same S&W 460 as you own ,I took a medium size boar and my best whitetail.The boar was under 50yds and the deer was just over that distance. Good luck, James

Gene, I highly recommend to you Walker's Game Ear Power Muff. Dang thing is incredible. I refuse to even bow hunt without it now because of how it amplifies the lightest sounds--like a big ole bruiser tip-toeing thru wet leaves. Yet it makes the blast of the .460 sound like little more than a .22. Helps keep the ears warm, too!

I bought my 460 this march. I topped it off with a weaver 2x scope. I just started reloading for it and settled on using the 240 gr. Hornady xtp hollow points. Has anyone tried any of the Barnes all copper bullets for it yet & what kind of luck have you had with them.

kingfisher, Do you use the digital in the ears, I tried what I call mickey ears from walker and they where to heavy.

I purchased a S&W 460 XVR with a 14" barrel and it is a tack driver as long as the shooter does his part .
I feed my cast bullets and I like for longer distances the 300 Grain TCGC and for closer bigger game I use a 535 Grain WFNGC .
Still working on the 535 loads .
I have one load that is stout at 1930 Velocity ,it's a thumper .
I will tame that one down a bit .

Here are a couple eye candy pictures of the bullets and the beauty,not me but the revolver !!!!!
The revolver has a different scope on it now .
The one pictured was a 3x12 posi loc and now I have the 3x12 Ballistic plex and edot .

RR

Ranger Rick

That SIR is an awesome looking handgun, but your lacking wheels on the bottom of the bi-pod though.

Sure getting my interest up for a .460 Magnum XVR as I decide on which longer barreled handgun to get for scoped handgun hunting.

Montanan

I did the same as you are doing ,asking,looking and more looking and the moment I saw this one on Gun Broker I said that is the one I want so I bought it .

I really like this Revolver .
I have not shot any Jacketed rounds through it not that I do not like Jacketed but why purchase something I can make myself and get jacketed velocities !!!
Love the silver stream ..

Now go buy that revolver !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RR