Big Booms Come in Small Packages

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So an internet friend had a run-in with a Mountain Goat near his Seattle home, and I was tempted, and actually came close to posting a link to this.  "This" is, believe it or not, a .500 S&W Magnum 4" Revolver.  Yep.  That's right.  A four inch five hundred magnum.  That's fucking insane.  On SO many levels.

So I didn't post it (you gotta be careful with firearm posts, people get eleven kinds of weird), but the joke is that this is almost inexplicably crazy.  The most powerful handgun cartridge in the world (Hmm, not sure, I find .454 Casull more violent, but we're all in the same neighborhood) in a little four inch hiptop carry piece.  Does that even make sense?

Now, I've shot .500 Smith, but I've never even SEEN one of these.  Even with the MagnaPort type muzzle brake, I can't even begin to imagine fighting for my life with one of these.  But that's what they're for.  In the deep backcountry, if you have to go up against a big brown bear, you'd be best served with one of these cannons on your hip.  You're not going to get anywhere with a nine millimeter.

Now look.  Shooting this thing isn't going to be fun.  This is not what we call a "plinker".  This is not something you play with all day, dropping targets and inventing shooting games for beers.  This is ugly, a beast, expensive to shoot and taxing.  Excruciatingly loud.  Pounding recoil.  Exhausting.

It's not something you or I can afford to buy, and it's something most people who buy it will never shoot  more than twice.  But hey, if you want to hang something approximating artillery on your hip and know that there is nothing on the planet you can't engage with a reasonable chance of coming out on top, hey, go ahead and write the check...
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