I'm toying with the idea of installing a Bushnell Holosight on my short barrel .500 S&W. Thoughts? Opinions? Experiences? Thanks in advance.

Recoil

I've used one on both 12 ga. slug guns as well as a Desert Eagle .44Mag. which broke two cheap handgun scopes before it found a Leupold 2X. It's definetly worth a try as they seem to hold up well especially on a heavier gun although they do burn through the batteries if you leave them on. Good luck!

Only negative I know of is the glare in low light conditions.

I like mine. I have it on a .357 Mag for short range coyotes. I like the heads-up field of view it offers. Ernie's right however, you do get glare in lower light situations.

I have a Holosight on my 8" S&W 500 and it works great. Todate the combo has accounted for 1 deer and 3 hogs.

I did purchase one and I have it mounted on my stubby .500 S&W. I have put about 150 rounds through it and so far so good. The Bushnell Holosight is holding up just fine and I really like it. It has not come loose and I take it off when cleaning and it is still on target after I mount it back on.

Recoil

Hey Recoil, how is the er uh... recoil on that short 500?

Funny that you mentioned that. Well, actually not too bad. I have the 8" .500 Smith with the 2-7x Burris on board and the stubby version feels about the same I'd say. I had been shooting 385g Remington handgun bullets out of the 4" Smith until the past two weekends. Last Saturday I was trying 440g Cast Performance bullets at 1450 fps and just about every shot hit the front of my baseball cap. I relaxed on one shot and got hit in the head just above my eyebrow. I was afraid to look but upon inspection I discovered just a small blemish that did not even bleed. My head is still sore to the touch in that spot however. After that I stiffened my arm a bit and I was okay after that. I was also shooting my 30-06 JDJ Encore at the time. I have trouble when I switch alternately between two handguns. I sort of need to keep my head in the game, no pun intented, and think about what I am shooting and what level of control I should exercise. Like that little Smith .

Recoil

You might want to check out the Cabelas web site. They are advertising a new sleeker design Holosight called the HOLOsight XLP.

I had the opportunity to try a S&W model 617 with a "J-Point" sight (see Midway USA.com). The big advantage of this particular sight is the cover which puts the sight in a "sleep" mode, thereby saving the battery life. The j-point is also smaller than the holosight, almost like an oversized rear sight. I think this sight might "fit" the 4" 500 better than the HOLOsight