For the Model 460, the Center will soon have a full range of barrel lengths to include 3 7/8, 6 1/2, 7 ½ and 10 1/2-inch compensated barrels. With the introduction of the X-frame, all agree that it is an excellent addition to the revolver line, and sales have shown that it is getting to be very popular with the new breed of handgun hunter. Kelly added that while some may shy away from the 500 series because of the recoil factor, with a range of loads that are available using a 275-grain bullet, it not only is a great load for deer or hogs, it recoils less than a .44 Magnum.

Before going on a hunt with Smith & Wesson's Tom Kelly, the author put his Performance Center .44 Magnum in a Ransome Rest and came up with this nice group at 25 yards with Winchester ammunition.

Another factor the Performance Center is facing with the Model 460 and 500 revolvers is that the long-range capabilities of these guns are starting to exceed the handgun optics presently available. The company has contacted Swarovski and Leupold, and both are considering scopes that will tolerate the punishment yet allow the use of these high-powered revolvers to reach out to longer distances.

As a side note here, it's not so much the recoil that will destroy a handgun scope, it's the torque of the gun as you fire it. Looking at the specs of just the Model 460, you are looking at a legitimate 250-yard handgun, which until present times was virtually unheard of, and yet, in optics, there really is nothing right now to take on that challenge. Swarovski does not yet make a handgun scope, but it may have the advantage of starting from ground level in both design and final manufacturing of a very rugged and durable scope.

The streamlined, titanium-coated, spherical barrel bushing on the 952 is hardly noticeable at the muzzle end of the barrel.

According to Kelly, he feels that the industry is very close to having all the tools necessary for the long-range hunter using such a powerful sidearm in the field.

The next question was obvious. I asked if the Performance Center would consider marketing the gun, mounts and a high-quality scope as a package. Looking up as if to collect his thoughts and shaking his head, Kelly was obviously not too keen on the idea. He related packaging grips and scopes as being like "telling them whom to marry."

We changed direction, and I asked what makes the Center's guns different from the same revolver or automatic coming out of the factory across the alley. In essence, the Center's guns are more specialized, the barrel setups are different, integral scope mounts are standard on some guns, forged components are part of the total package, and hand fitting is a major issue. In barrels, for instance, the Center might have its own unique twist rate.

A feature that you may not know about--which started on the Model 500 and is presently available on other models--is the two-piece barrel system in which the barrel itself screws into the frame of the gun. Following that, the barrel shroud is placed over the barrel and fits into a key already machined into the frame. On top of that, the compensator is now a barrel nut locking the whole assembly in place.