Cavalryman
Campaign Veteran
Well, a .44 perhaps, but a .500 may be a bit overkill. In terms of the expense of an arm I''d likely only use for such an occasion. Not to mention the potential need for a quick follow-up shot, if the 1st misses or doenst hit something vital.
Having a bear of any size coming at me from 30ft or less- away, and trying to bring the muzzle of a .500 back down on target....not an attractive thought..
And ya, I've tried a .500 at the range. The blast/recoil of that thing nearly took my arm out of socket,sent my earmuffs and goggles flying downrange, and ignited the target on fire.. a Weee bit much for anything short of stopping run-away garbage trucks, I think..
I don't think people in most parts of the country would get much use out of a .500, but I share the fishing streams with very large grizzlies. As for the difficulty of using the .500...I don't know how so many people have concluded that it kills on both ends. Using ordinary good shooting technique, I haven't found it particularly hard to handle. The muzzle brake is quite effective in reducing felt recoil. In fact, I find the .500 with 500 grain bullets to be less punishing than the .44 with 320 grain loads. A little 90 lb nurse I used to work with carried and shot one regularly. If the .500 is too much gun for you, you should work on your technique.