Guide

.500 S&W Magnum Ammo Guide

By Cole Harlan, EditorUpdated Nov 5, 2026How we verifyEditorial standards

We load-checked five factory .500 S&W Magnum loads on Federal's and Hornady's own product pages on November 5, 2026: three from Federal and two from Hornady. Muzzle velocity and energy below are copied from those maker pages. We don't list prices or use retailer ballistics. Hornady lists an 8.5 in test barrel; Federal lists none. SAAMI's solid test barrel for the cartridge is 10.000 in (254.00 mm).

Factory loads we checked

Maker	Item	Load	gr	Muzzle fps	Muzzle ft-lb	100 yd fps / ft-lb	Test barrel	Source
Federal	P500SA	Swift A-Frame 325 gr Swift A-Frame	325	1,800 fps	2,338 ft-lb	1,350 fps / 1,315 ft-lb	Not listed	Federal page
Federal	F500FS2	Fusion Handgun 325 gr Fusion Soft Point	325	1,450 fps	1,517 ft-lb	1,134 fps / 929 ft-lb	Not listed	Federal page
Federal	P500XB1	Barnes Expander Handgun 275 gr Barnes Expander	275	1,660 fps	1,682 ft-lb	1,249 fps / 952 ft-lb	Not listed	Federal page
Hornady	9249	Custom 300 gr FTX	300	1,950 fps	2,533 ft-lb	1,396 fps / 1,298 ft-lb	8.5 in	Hornady page
Hornady	9252	Custom 500 gr InterLock Flat Point XTP	500	1,300 fps	1,876 ft-lb	1,085 fps / 1,308 ft-lb	8.5 in	Hornady page

Federal lists no test barrel. Hornady lists 8.5 in for both loads.

SAAMI pressure

SAAMI lists a maximum average pressure (MAP) of 60,000 psi for 500 S&W Magnum, measured by transducer (printed as 600 psi/100), in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.3-2022, p.21 (SAAMI PDF). The test barrel is 10.000 in (254.00 mm) SOLID; the drawing also shows a vented barrel of 10.675 in, and vented velocities are N/E in the velocity and pressure table. Crusher is Not Established. See every cartridge on the SAAMI MAP pressure chart.

Barrel note

Hornady lists an 8.5 in test barrel, Federal lists none, and SAAMI's solid test barrel is 10.000 in. Maker muzzle velocity and energy are not SAAMI reference velocities, so we show them as printed and do not reconcile them.

Not yet verified: Hornady 9251 (MonoFlex Handgun Hunter) and 92528 (DGH Backcountry Defense) have pages but list no muzzle velocity or energy. Remington, Winchester, Speer, CCI and SIG had no .500 S&W loaded-ammo sitemap hits this round. We have no barrel-length-velocity page for .500 S&W. Checked November 5, 2026.

See the SAAMI MAP chart, the .44 Magnum ammo guide, the .454 Casull ammo guide, the .460 S&W Magnum ammo guide, the .357 Magnum ammo guide and all ammo releases.

Frequently asked questions

What is the SAAMI MAP for .500 S&W Magnum?

60,000 psi by transducer (printed as 600 psi/100) in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.3-2022, with a 10.000 in (254.00 mm) solid test barrel. Crusher is Not Established.

Which makers are covered in this guide?

Federal (P500SA, F500FS2, P500XB1) and Hornady (9249, 9252) only, checked on their own product pages on Nov. 5, 2026.

Why does Hornady list an 8.5 in test barrel?

Hornady prints 8.5 in on its 9249 and 9252 pages. Federal lists none. SAAMI's solid test barrel is 10.000 in. We show the maker numbers as printed.

Which .500 S&W Magnum loads are not yet verified?

Hornady 9251 (MonoFlex Handgun Hunter) and 92528 (DGH Backcountry Defense) list no muzzle velocity or energy on their pages. Remington, Winchester, Speer, CCI and SIG had no loaded-ammo hits this round.

.500 S&W Magnum Ammo Guide

Factory loads we checked

SAAMI pressure

Barrel note

Frequently asked questions

Sources

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Factory loads we checked

SAAMI pressure

Barrel note

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Frequently asked questions

Sources

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