Best of Gun Digest - Handguns & Handgun Shooting by Maccar Dave;

Author:Maccar, Dave;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: F+W Media

This squirrel fell to a scoped Smith & Wesson 22. Good revolvers aren’t all big-bores!

Wayne killed this Wyoming buck at 95 yards with one of the first S&W 500s, a Cor-Bon bullet.

A single-action revolver, especially one chambered for potent rounds, should be allowed to rotate in your hand during recoil. I found the 83’s grip allowed for that slippage without compromising control. After 25 rounds, my hand was not at all sore, nor was blast objectionable. The 7 1⁄2-inch barrel not only gives this revolver good looks and balance but limits muzzle flip with heavy loads and mitigates recoil.

With all three bullets, I was able to print five-shot groups of about 2-1⁄2 inches at 25 yards – about as tight as I can expect with iron sights. Every group had holes touching. Predictably, the 440-grain bullets struck highest on the target, as they spent more time than the lighter bullets in the barrel during recoil and muzzle lift. The 370- and 400-grain bullets hit lower but right in line. Switching to a more ambitious 400-grain load, I punched holes directly below the 370-grain cluster, confirming that barrel time, not gravity, determines shot placement from pistol barrels up close.

The 83’s trigger broke crisply and consistently at 3 pounds 1 ounce. This revolver is easy to shoot!

The 500 Wyoming Express is no threat, ballistically, to the 500 Smith & Wesson. Herb Belin and company can still say that no handgun round is more powerful. Double-action fans can still claim Smith & Wessons as the best such revolvers in the world. But if you prefer the lines and feel of a single-action, in a package that’s closer to 50 ounces than 70, there’s nothing to compare with a gun from Freedom Arms. The 454 Casull and 475 Linebaugh remain potent options in the Model 83 line. Now, however, you have a 50-caliber alternative. The 500 Wyoming Express offers great flexibility in loading, long case life, and enough power to flatten any North American big game.

An elegant gun with a terrific punch – you might have also said that about S&W’s first 357 in 1935, or about the Keith-inspired 44 Magnum revolver two decades following. You could have repeated it 30 years later at the debut of the Freedom Arms Model 83 in 454 Casull. In my view, the current M83 Premier in 500 Wyoming Express merits the accolade now.

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